The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1907-04-25
In the days when the Far West

In the days when the Far West
was really wild" in every sense of
the word, the resourceful man forged
10 the front and stayed there, and
only the man of many devices was
able to become force in the strong
and strenuous life of those frontier
days. While the six-shooter was the
accepted instrument with which diff
1erences were settled the chief ac-
tors in these little affairs sometimes
resorted to Winchester rifles, bowie
knives. or shot guns, and at times
some very queer weapons were called
into use when 1t was impossible to
use the old favorites.
In its palmy days Deadwood, in
the Black Hills of South Dakota,
was known all over the States as
the toughest town on EARTH" and
well 1t deserved it's name. 1t was
the boast of the town that every
morning before breakfast some man
died with his boots on''-and after
breakfast still others bit the dust.
Just about every instrument with
Which a man could be killed had
seen service in this famous frontier
town, when one day a practically
new arrival showed the old-timers
a trick with a new weapon that is
remembered in Deadwood to this
day. and whenever some of the early
citizens get together and commence
talking about the early days in Dead
wood, somebody is sure to spring the
story of Seth Bullock and his
Chinese stink-pot. Bullock himself
still lives in Deadwood-in fact, he
is United States Marshal for South
Dakota, and the best-known man in
the Black Hills-but his unique
manner Of capturing a band of
"toughs" without bloodshed has
been the admiration of many people
Tor a quarter of century.
Deadwood grew from a single
miners cabin to town of five thou
sand people in just three days. 1t
was all because of the great strike"
or placer gold made down in Dead
wood gulch, and when the news
spread there was the biggest rush
fields Other towns were depopu-
lated in an hour-and Deadwood
grew like a mushroom.
It's new citizens were not choice.
No one inquired where a man came
from and to ask his name was almost
an insult which demanded bloodshed.
A great many of the miners had
health and wanted no questions ask
cd. Sufficient to say they were the
toughs Of the earth-at least, most
OF them were.
Deadwood was a vast gambling
den in those days-although not
single roulette wheel turns now.
Dance-halls, saloons and gambling
dens constituted three-fourths of the
houses. Among the tougher element
were men who gloried in the repu-
tation Of being killers had
a number of deaths to their credit.
In time lawlessness became so
general that same of the better class
residents determined to rid Dead
wood Of it's very toughest citizens,
and a vigilance committee was
formed. 1t was then decided that
Deadwood must have sheriff.
A sheriff, in those days, meant
man who could draw his gun quicker
and shoot straighter than anyone
else In the camp. It also meant
man Of nerve who knew when to
draw and when not tome who
could read in the eyes of his oppon-
emit the psychological moment when
the other man decided to reach for
his gun.
! Just at that time Captain Seth
Bullock came to Deadwood. He came
from over in Montana, and he
brought with him the reputation of
always attending to his own business
and permitting no one else to attend
TO 1t for him. Bullock was known
as a man of peace who would fight
like tiger-cat whenever he had to
hght at all. And Bullock was made
marshal OF Deadwood-the first
peace officer that city ever boosted of.
There were several gun-fights be-
fore the "bad" element began to
realize that when Bullock said,
"Come on, want you," it was safer
TO go than to argue the matter. Bull
lock got shot two or three times
In these fights, but they were not
bad wounds. On the other hand,
each Of his opponents was buried up
In the cemetery on the side of the
hill.
1t happened that in the camp there
were three cronies bearing the nick
names of bad BILL" Curly Des-
mond, and "Scar Face Wilson.
They were the "baddest" of the
''bad" men. and they gloried in their
badness. They were partners in
everything, and If man fought one
Of them he had to fight the entire
trio. Other rival bad" men might
wipe each other out of existence in
their jea1ousies, but these three ter
rors never by any chance fought
among themselves.
Finally, there came time when