The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-03
OLD WAN GREENHUT'y
" GOOJ BUNGSTARTER.


..r.,lr spiI atiefwsrd ths' son ..
p.Jy Fll ~ 'rI sptueiphy n liar hft w.
liza, .,utattipr was Eyer HHds ~ The
gs ,,p.ca witch must havc provoked
The, lapnrr N q visiting stranger
N. Uti ahtncrd ~ look IN NJ the dyoT
J..| ..ir Grooniut's saldrpn N AFhanaas
r,, r. suIng n May ~ .hr wunhi hsVs
b.I nr .l.iIt ~ to what followed
TNo .alins stranger ~ cUtrse, would
Nj r,.u FnuNn Vim tho various ter@bfa
scr ,|. ,ofe ~ actively agitatluG them
,sr,. ,0ar tho Inference ~ the word,
az ana uttered but ~ y mattef N fact
s.,r.. l. mo- regular hHtituea ~ tho place
.e,. ..r pnd two ur three strangers
49,
u.. .f lUa.o strangers ~ Rht have bern,
.r.lu from HE appearance, lie
,.... .. .,rr ak feet Nv height and waa
lr.... .r.try and loose ioihted In make.
nr 4. Bee called himself Olesen, and said
,r,t I. tno from Minnesota. the assumne
trr ..r ~" vHa u lufnbermRn was not
,n'p,, ichnd the complexion 81 a Swede,
tho r..nrrl confidence Of an American
prs,, .rI 'hr manners of one who lives
nr.N n 'No woods.
AI. 'fN Wv " FN'0Nl iAlNNlNiFaNfAN
o,grug rrr-on who might have been d
lawyor and whom Olesen addressed a.
Mr Hth'ard.
kflirl wne n very fat gentleman 81 q
PROSPEROUS appearance. The understand
ing ~ Arlan,as city was that this man,
who bad rcGistcred at the hotel az George
Jones ur -. Louis, was n capitalist, on his
way ,o .u-Ucot some timberlands In the in
terror q Arkansas, and that he had brought
the others with him to guide his Judgment
On the question of purchasing.
Nobody has ever explained clearly how
these three came to be in old man Green
hut saloon The landlord OF the hotel
had laid that Jake Winterbottom and Jim
Blaisdell had made acqua' ntance with
Jones N the landlords barroom, and had
tempted him with specious statements
appertaining to the game Of draw poker.
Mr. W~interhottom, however, has always
contented himself with smiling contemptu-
ous'y at this allegation.
Another story was that the three were
hunting trouble, and still another, which
seemed more probable, was that they were
In search Of ~refreshment. AS i proved,
they found both.
There had been some little drinking,
though not moro thar three or four rounds,
and the entire party was seated In varioE
parts Of the room, while several Of them
we're engaged in conversation. Presently
they spoke Of draw poker. 1T was curious
how often draw poker was talked about in
old man Greenhut's place.
Then, just after the obnoxious word was
spoken-if indeed it was spoken-the visit
Ing stranger, looking in at the door, would
have seen everybody in the room start
suddenly to his feet. He would also have
seen, had his eyes been active enough,
numerous simultaneous happenings.
Joe Bassett drew a large navy revolver
from his hip pocket. Jake Winterbottom
took two old fashioned derringers, one in
each hand, from his vest pockets.
Sam Pearsall clutched the hilt Of a bowie
knife somewhere near the base Of his skull
and brought it around in front Of him like
q fash. OF was noticeable that the blade
Of the knife protruded from the thumb
side Of his clinched hand, as a trained knife
fighter always holds his weapon, not from
the little finger side, az boys and actors on
the stage holds theirs.)
Old mar Greenhut si~destepped nimbly
behind his bar.
j. Olesen threw of mis- coat and leaped
like a wildcat in the direction Of Bassett.
Mr.. Hubbard started for the door.
George Jones looked around as II be-
wildered.
The others in the room, some half a dozen
In number, were all citizens Of the place,
and while each man drew a weapon OF some
sort none Of them made any other move
ment toward engaging in a fray. They all
seemed to be merely preparing to lend a
hand in case it should be necessary.
All these things happened in a single in
slant. The next instant the clash came.
Joe B~assett's revolver was almost in posi-
ton. The deftness and celebrity with which
this gentleman handled his weapons were
proverhial throughout the southeastern
portion of Arkansas. Yet, quick as he was,
Olesen proved himself a trife quicker, for
the point Of Bassett's revolver was still some
three inches out of range when the giant
Swede was upon him with a shock that must
have borne him to the earth had he not
thrown his left foot back in a half step, and
so hraced himself. Then he felt the Swede's
arms wrapped about him like the folds OF
a boa constructor, while his arms were
clamped to his sides as il the y had been
n a wise.
Never had the oldest man in the room
looked at an encounter like this, At fret
sight the Swede might have been thought
to have some advantage over the Sheriff.
for he was a little the taller and heavier Of
the two, and his bright, blond complexion
seemed to promise greater activity than
Eassett's dar sallow face. Moreover,
the Swede had decidedly the advantage in
his hold, despite the fact that he was fight
Ing with bare hands and Bassett clutched
a loaded pistol, for the pistol was low down
al his side, the Swede having taken his grip
across the others elbows.
The champion fighter of southern Arkan-
tas was, however, hardly disconnected.
He knew his own strength II he did not know
the other mans, and bracing himself, he
started TO break loose.
To his dismay, he found he could not do
this immediately. Writhe n twist az he
would and did, the others clasp seemed
unbreakable, ard almost on the instant he