The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-07-07
A REAL BAD MAN.

"A REAL BAD NAN
Washington Star: Il read in a Dem
yer newspaper the other day that Sill
yer Wire lin Corby, a famous Colo
RADIO character of the boom days, had
piped out peacefully in his bunk up
at Nome" nc an official from Colo
RADIO in one of h departments. Jim
was the last man I'd ever figure on to
make q finish between blankets. He
was as game a man as ever accepted
q grub stake to hunt for pay rock.
When I knew him back in the early
eighties. and later when the Creole ex-
into the cheeks Of all the old-time
prospectors, Jim was so dauntless a
chance that l Used to think that
nothing short OF a real busy bolt Of
lightning would ever get the breath
out Of him. He wasn't afraid Of any
body. He stuck up some good men in
his a at the points Of his old sawed
of guns, Just to indicate that he was
right there and In the game, but he
never took a mean advantage nor
flashed a u until his minute to do it
had arrived. The nickname Silver
because once down in Arizona, after
ne had been cut up a lot in a bowie
night, he sat down and very carefully
sewed up the torn places on his person
with silver wire, the sawbones of the
camp having been absent at the time.
II happened to be in Durango, Col.
when this famous prospector and tam-
er OF pizen bad men did one of the
nerviest jobs OF his life. Jim had a
brother living in Durango, a young
fellow in his twenties. Jim looked up-
on this brother as a good deal Of a
dude and didn't ave much
with him.
One day, though, while Jim was in
Leadville, he got a letter from this kid
brother of his, saying that he'd been
abused in Tom Fleets faro bank In
Durango. He'd gone up against Fleets
had got all Of his money. some $1,000,
Fleet and his under-strappers had
dropped the youth out Of a seconds
story window, n the fall had broken
one of his legs.
Silver Wire Jim Corby made a bee
line for Durango ten minutes after he
got that letter in Leadville. !,
Now, this Ton Fleet man was a
pretty evil ombrey for anybody to play
tag with. He'd been running flyer faro
layouts all over the southwest and the
Rocky mountain country for years, and
ned never been known to duck or
blanch when the toughest Of his VIC
tins had started in to puncture the fix
lures after dropping their rolls. He was
a u tanner n a knife fighter
proper, and up to the time of this Sill
Yer Wire Jim incident nobody had ever
called him n got by with 1t.
Fleet ran fou faro tables at his
Durango plant, and he'd picked every
n of the four lookouts for his quick
ness on the trigger. Corby knew Fleet,
n he knew all about those four sud-
den propositions who sat in the look
outs chairs, too.
All he same, at 10 o'clock on the
night after he'd got that letter from his
brother he showed up at the entrance
to Fleets layout. He hadn't been to
see his broken-legged brother at all.
He just wanted to see Fleet.
There was a half Greaser on the
door, and this Greaser, under instruc-
lions, tried to tell Corby that he
couldn't get In. CArby gave the half
breed a slap in the face and then the
foot. The next instant he was in the
layout, gently waving his fo%rty-fves
from IRON. s., ! q to side, so as no only to
four lookouts. but the whole bunch who
sat playing at the faro tables.
Fleet said Corby to the boss of
the plant, who sat at his desk like a
man carved out Of stone, come over
here to me-a-runnin'.'
Fleet got up from his desk in a hur
ry and walked over close to Corby at
a pretty nifty pace.
near enough said Corby,
still tanning his guns so as to keen
the lookouts in order. Fleet, what's
this I'm a-hearin' about your messin'
up that dude brother O. mine?'
He lost his coin and made a beef
SAID Fleet with a bad look in his eye.
Then, when he got mussy, he was
dropped out of The window.
WHO done the droppin'?' inquired
Clorby, not looking at Fleet, but watch.
ing every move of the lookouts.
"F1eaf hacffafo1 1rtiJ C1rbxxsc lp-.a
shot. f~lre-spitting eyes pinned him.
II did, he replied then.
SO l heeard,' said Corby, quietly.
then in a voice that could be heard
a block, he gave his command:
All hands sashay to the corner
head the corner of the room where
there was the most space. The men in
front OF and behind those tables knew
that 1t was a lottery as to who'd get 1t
hrst II the order wasn't instantly obey
ca. Ihey rose as one man, dealers.
ookouts and players, and glided into
the corner
Fleet said Corby, never taking his
eyes off the crowd in the corner, you
are more different kinds OF a skunk
tinhorn and four-flush than I've got
hairs on my head-ain't your
Yes replied Fleet, swallowing a
gulp. "A man who looks into a pair
Of fiickering gun muzzles will agree to
any old proposition.
And o don't want to Go no more
brace work In this yere camp, do your
said Corby, still talking quietly.
No answered Fleet.
well said Silver Wire Jim, that
bein' the case, you kin jes' pick up
them four tables, one by one, and
chuck EN- out o. that window that you
dropped my dude brother FROM
Fleet wheeled, with a curse, and
picked up the faro table nearest the
window. 1t landed on the plank Side
walk below with a crash Gold and
silver and paper money, chips and
cards n box went with it.
"'The next one said corby, who
stood there waving his guns. as If he
wasn't in danger of instant death from
the men huddled in the corner.
Fleet threw the next nearest table
out, with all on top of it. Then he
tossed the third and fourth tables out.
for Corby had him impaled with his
eye n covered with one Of his guns.
NOW said Silver Wire Jim. after
fleet had thrown the last table a11t Of