Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-12-06
Mistsllaaeuus Rsading.
eUNLEss, HE KICKED BAD MEN
viekers Pitted His Fists Against
Shooting Tools.

Vickers, who many years ago in the
western country was called the mar
too bad to pack a gum" said New
York roamer. He's a peaceful, quiet
spoken old man now.
Jack Vickers always was quiet
spoken man for that matter. He got
his name because he beat to the ground
with hands and teeth a whole passe
Of bad men who attacked him at differ
ept times. He had a theory that a
man who could think quickly and
handle himself quickly and knew a lit
tie bit about the art of acting didn't
need any shooting tool to put 1t on the
skilfullest gun fighter that ever fan
ned IA.
"Vickers had been everything about
the west and southwest-prospecto
miner, freighter, cow gouger-before
met up with him. He was an editor
when l worked for him in Leadville
He was a printer by trade, from Phila-
delphia, Of all towns. He was rather
undersized but muscular
During the time was with Vickers
only one of the gunners got after him
Vickers in the paper took fall out OF
braggart named JEFF Hudson.
"Vickers had known Hudson In
Tombstone and had his record pat. He
spread the record on the minutes, too
Hudson was doing lot Of claim jump
ing around IIeadville and getting away
with that stuff on his reputation as a
gun man.
There were lot Of eastern chaps
in the Leadville rush, and these were
the kind Hudson picked out to impose
upon. One Of these easterners told
Vickers how Hudson had run him off
fairly staked and duly registered
claim, and then Vickers got his pune
turing tools out and began to hand 1t
to the hard one from Arizona.
Jack wrote the stuff and set 1t up
himself. He said that Hudson was an
imitation and bogus; that he'd killed
three men in Arizona and New Mexico
by shooting them in the back, and that
he'd shot one man In Kern county, Cal,
while the man slept In his bunk; that
he really didn't have the nerve Of a
fiddler crab, but just big way of talk
ing; that he'd never earned an honest
dollar in his life; that Leadvflle didn't
need him the lesat bit, and that II the
decent folks Of Leadville intended to
preserve their self-respect and to keep
the camp from becoming a hog camp
It was up to them to boot jeff Hudson
over the south trail just as soon as
they could spare the time to do 1t.
And all like that. Fighting, killing
stuff, Of course.
when I saw that stuff slapped bang
In the middle Of the first page figured
that that office wasn't going to be very
sanitary pretty soon. I was just out
from the east. Moreover I had met
up with jeff Hudson, and I considered
him pizen bad.
You're going to get killed, Jack I
said to Vickers the minute read that
Jeff Hudson thing.
"vickers only laughed drily and went
on smoking his cornoob pipe.
when the story was read and d.
gested a lot of Leadville's quieter folk
dropped In on Vickers and told him
that he was taking a needless risk.
"'You don't stand to get anything
by jumping Hudson. jack they told
him. He's in camp to stick You
can't run him out, Moreover, he'll kill
you as sure as eggs Is eggs. Better
vamp back to Arizone, ehe'
Hudson will do the vamping, was
Vickers's quiet reply to that, am 60
ing to run him out Of this camp and
I'm not going to be killed, Let 1t go
at that
Hudson was In Denver when the
thing came out. and he didn't get back
into camp until two days later. He
heard about the attack on him In the
paper as soon as he lit back, Some
barkeep flashed 1t on him,
Hudson had HIS usual rum parcel
with him, and when he read the story
he did a teeth grinding speciality that
made the barkeep duck under the coun-
ter. Hudson didn't recall Viokers,
hadn't met up with him in Leadville,
and so he didn't know who was hack
Of the wallop,
WHO Is the eoyote% he howled at
| the barkeep,
Little feller-a sawed off-named
Jack Viokers; come here from Tucson;
some quick In handling himself, too,
explained bystander,
Hudson started right away for our
office. I'd heard that he was In camp,
that that's why happened to decide
that there were some new stamp mills
way on the west edge of the camp that
I'd been wanting to inspect for some
time.
1T was late In the afternoon when
Hudson climbed the rickety stairs OF
the two story wickieup where the pa
per was got out. Jack Viokers, seated
at his desk, a pine table. with his right
side turned to the one door, was read
ing over a bunch of the patent insides
for the next days issue when Hudaon
stalked without knocking. Hudson in
stantly recognized Vickers,
| "'Oh, you're an editor now, you sand
toad, are you?' was Hudson's greeting
as he stopped In the middle of the room
with his right hand on his starboard
gun. $50 you're the Tucson mule
whacking shrimp that writ this thing
about me, hey?
"Vickers pretended to look scared
almost to death. He placed his pipe
on the desk with a hand that seemed
to shake with a palsy Of fear. Then
he began to stammer inconsequential
things. Vickers's acting in the tight
pinches was what helped to get him
out Of these messes.
None O. that damned whimpering!
bawled Hudson, taking a few steps