The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-12-26
A Case Of Nerve
sS'Ff's'r7T6H ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

IOrisinall
After the tragedy people tried to pick
up the thread of what it was all about,
but Nevada was a wild country in
those days, with sudden shiftings, and
1t was hard to follow any story from
peglnning 70 end without some breaks
and obscure places. We hear OF the
good old colony times. Nobody ever
mad anything to say about the good old
Nevada days, There was a lot of shoot
ing and precious little inquiry into
which Of the shooters had the right.
FOR real startIer the fight between
Beieher and Hodges beats anything re
membered in those exciting days. as
was saying, only bare outline of the
story preceding it was learned, and
thls, such as It is, I will give.
Justus Belcher, a hardworking but
unluclSy man in the east, finding it hard
TO make living for his wife and little
rhlldren, heard OF what was going on
a the Silver State the Comstock lode
aad then recently been struck and re
eolved to 60 out there and hunt for ore.
he fell In with Philip Hodges. and the
-wo prospectd together. Hodges was
strong personality and was used to
taking every one By storm, but points
IN this story 20 to indicate that he had
had one thing left out in his makeup,
conscience. He and Belcher made
strike and Belcher decided TO send for
bis family, hut before they arrived
Hodges conriyed to swindle BcIcher
out of his share in the mine, How he
did it is one OF the obscure points of the
story.
Then followed hard time for The
Belchers. Belcher never had any luck
or was too coafidlng AT any rate he.
had nothing On which to support his
family, and they were terribly run
down. The two children, one after the.
other, sickened and died. and the moth,
er was not long In following them. Bel
cher during al bis troubles saw his fer
mer Partner growing prosperous out Of
the minc they lad owned together. lie
never said anything about what was or
his mind. Some people who knew how
he had been swindled wondered why he
bore with Hodges SO patiently. But
Beieher knew that If he got into
scrap with Hodges it meant war to the
death and dreaded leaving his family
or what was left OF ii to shift for them
selves. SO he stood at his post and let
revenge alone.
/, The day after Mrs. Belcher was bur
u we were in the Empire saloon--the
saloon and the cabins were all the
places to be in In those days-and
Hodges was there too. He was popu-
lar man In spite of the general under
standing OF the way he had treated
Belcher. AS hare said, he was natu-
rally calculated TO be prominent. and
his mine was doing better every day.
There's nothing Hike success to make a
man, outwardiy at least, respected. At
any rate Hodges was surrounded by
group OF admirers, 'settin' ON up"
when the door opened and Belcher
came in. Evidently Hodges had bsen
looking for something and must have
seen what he was looking for III Bel
ciiefs eyes Besides, Bclcher had new
or been IN the saloon before. Before
any Of us knew what was up Hodges
had drawn AID shot hole through his
former partner. Belcher fell. and ii
was plain to all Of lis that lie was dead.
we carried him into back room anG
Ibid him out on a table. There he was
10 remain till action should be tnken as
10 bis burial.
IT turned out that Belcher's revolver
wouldn't work. Whether it was in the
hammer III the trigger or the revolving
apparatus wasn't known Just then.
though everybody knew all about It
afferpard At any rate he never got
In q shot ne had snapped It once be-
fore Hodges fred, aud IL 1t hadn't been
Ar thEs cussed luck that had stuck to
him the other man would doubtless
hove been the one to bite the dnst.
Bt-f asT was saying, there's nothing
ike success 70 make man conrted
even il it IS matter Of luck, and
T4oaras' drop made him all the more
nnarlar. outwardly, at least, he was
- unruaed as il he had shot bird
uo asked us all mp TO drink By way OF
celebrating bis victory. | didn't like
blrn ana declined, lie gave me look
o,,t m Tic corner Of his eye which told
ne that he considered my refusal as