The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1907-07-26
THE COWBOY.
tOriginal.l

known that he was a college bred man
and an athlete, for he never told them
so. He was not graduate; he had
taken so much interest i'll foils and
boxing gloves that he had no time for
study. When ne was sent away from
the university he didn't 90 home; he
went west and took the first job offered
punching cows.
He was sitting in the Alhambra sa
loon with a glass of whisky before
him. A party Of men were at the bar,
among them Traphagan, the worst man
In the territory A little Mexican girl
came in with an empty beer bottle
and asked for q quarters worth Of
"your most" meaning the most the
barkeeper would give for that sum-
that is, the poorest. She pushed
against Traphagan, who, looking dowr.
and seeing a greaser girl, batted her
with the palm of his hand and sent be"
sprawling on the floor.
Arnold was q fool to give way to
impulse with a man like Traphagan.
He should have either shot him or LEI
him alone. He gave him a blow under
the jaw and sent him after the little
greaser. Traphagan was quick to
draw, even though on the floor, but
one Of the party caught his arm, and
the bullet went through the roof.
"Fists or nothing" cried the crowd
and Traphagan. accepting the issue,
went at his adversary for boxing
match He was done up in two rounds
He acknowledged his defeat and set UP
a round of drinks for the crowd, i'll
Guiding Arnold, insisting that the vic
tor should drink. Arnold accepted,
keeping his eye on the man while
drinking.
One day later on Arnold was riding
after cattle. Traphagan was following
him at a distance with a rifle. Pres
emily the latter came upon the body
of a man with a hole in It's skull
Evidently there had been a murder.
Traphagan looked at it and was
struck by an idea Dismounting, he
took the murdered mans belongings. a
few small articles, then rode on.
Some hours later he found Arnold
snoOzing on the veranda Of q tavern
and slipped the dead mans property
into his pockets. Then he went in to
the bar and told those gathered there
that he had seen murder and Arnold
was the murderer. They all went out,
awakened the sleeper, searched him at
Traphagan's suggestion and found the
articles.
The dead man was identified, and
the articles found on Arnold were
proved to have belonged to him. This,
with Traphagan's evidence that he
had seen the murder, was sufficient,
in the undeveloped state of justice
in that region, to satisfy the untutor-
ed self constituted court but those
who had seen the fracas between
the prisoner and his accuser gave an
account Of it and, showing q motive,
threw discredit on Traphagans testi-
mony. The judge was puzzled.
Il dislikes muchly,' he said, "Ighen
I've hearn one side of a case to hear
the other 1t allus mixes me up"
While he was celebrating what to
do, who should appear but the little
greaser girl whom Arnold had cham
pioned and said she had seen the muir
der.
"Who done it?' asked the Judge.
She pointed to Traphagan.
The judge, if he had been puzzled
before, was now thrown into absolute
confusion. This case is a bad un,"
he remarked land see no way outen
it but to hang 'em both"
"Why not let us two who have been
accused Of the murder fight 1t outT'
said Arnold.
That's good idea, judge" one of
the men who had seen the fTacas be-
tween the two and longed to see an
other Let 'em decide it with fists
Make 1t guns" said Traphagan, land
I'll agree"
mo" said the judge refectively;
give hearn the witnesses tell that the
cowboy, who's q leetle feller, topped
you, a big Teller, without gun, and
think it's for the eddicaton of this
yere community to have him show US
how he done it, My decision Is that
the weapons be fists and the fight
comes off at onct, the man that gets
licked to be hanged"
This satisfied all parties except Trap
hagan, who saw the tables turned
squarely against him. Nevertheless he
was obliged to submit. A ring of on
lockers was formed, and the battle be-
gan.
Arnold saw the advantage Of pleas
ing the court and played with his an
tagonist. Now and again he permitted
him to gain an advantage, but never to
get in a blow, but after every advan-
tage he gave his accuser punishment
not enough to knock him out, but to
show his own skill. 1t was interesting
to men who knew no weapon save
powder and ball to see the big man
toyed with by his smaller antagonist.
Finally when Arnold saw that Trap
hagan was likely to fail to come up to
the scratch he landed blow that sent
him half a dozen yards and down.
This ended the battle.
Arnold, now that he was safe, was
unwilling to see his enemy branded for
q crime of which there was such slight
proof that he was guilty. He took the