Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-07-05
IN :. 4 I IS4
VINO Thought HImsoiS cowsr

| All you've got 10 20 10 mahe 'en
Davis Jump into the Arkansas river
IL to point . corncob pipe at him.
Recently some men on train were
tanning over this remark, made not
long ago by a personal and political
adversary OF the senator from Arkan-
sas.
We'll, ! don't know how true this
remark may be as applied to the DAVIS
person." observed a Texan in the
group, but 1t Is my opinion that such
a remark could be truthfully applied
20 very few men. Most men are cour-
ageous in tight pinches even the men
who imagine deep down In their con-
seriousness that they are instinctiveiy
| and Inherently cowardly.
! Take, for example, the case OF
| Judge Freeman of Texas. Freeman
imagined himself q coward. lie had
lneyer-fortunately, he said-been put
to a test, but he was dead certain that
; he would crawfish in tight place and
show himself to the world as a cow
ard.
This was before he ever ran for
Office in Texas. When he first ran
for Office in a Texas town q peculiarly
vitriolic editor Of a paper published
i'm the Texas town began to attack
Freeman in a manner that could only
mean blood.
Judge Freeman's friends got
around him and told him that he q
have to kill or at any rate wing the
/ editor or get out Of Texas.
Freeman came to me in his
trouble.
"I feel like I'm going to show the
white feather in this business. he
said to me. You know what I've often
told you I'm q natural born coward
I've got a yellow streak. Just now the
yellow streak is working this way.
Two days after that the editor pub
listed another vile Sroadside and
then we all knew It would happen.
The editor left his office for home
that afternoon. He hadn't taken
dozen steps before he caught sight
| Of Judge Freeman emerging from the
postoffice, about 60 yards down the
| street.
| Both men drew and fired at the
same instant. But they were poor
shots, both of them, and their bullets
went wide They continued to fire
as they advanced upon each other.
| There was nary sign of weakness
in Freeman. On the contrary, he
looked perfectly cool
| There were only four cartridges in
the editors gun. and he fired all OF
| them without making hit. When he
+! had fired all four shots he threw his
| gun ON the ground to indicate to his
| opponent that he was through with
firing, and that editor looked to me
like a man ready to run.
Judge Freeman still had two car
tridges left in his gun. But when
he saw his enemy throw his pistol
| away, the big heart OF the man APP
| peared. He lowered his gun and stood
in the middle Of the sidewalk. calmly
waiting.
| The editor advanced upon him,
seemingly for the purpose Of thanking
the Judge for his generosity in not
continuing the firing. and OF making
! up. The judge, seeing this. followed
| his cnemy's example and threw away
| his gun, In which the two cartridges
remained. So there he stood, entirely
| unarmed.
AS soon as Freeman cast away his
| gun, the editor. who had advanced
close 10 him. suddenly whipped out q
bowie knife from beneath the collar
! OF his coat and began to slash at Judge
Freeman. 1t was ours trick. and
| that editor never was allowed to hold
up his head in Texas again.
Now here. II not before, was the
| spot for Judge Freeman to show his
! yellow streak, II he had one. The ed
itor was chopping away at him. and
Freeman didn't have so much as a
pocket knife on him. But the man
who SO foolishly imagined himself &c
be q coward was not only equal &c
| the occasion-he rose nobly above it.
| "IIe reached out and grabbed the
! editor around the waist. and, being a
| powerful man, he threw the editor
TO the ground. Then he planted q
foo, upon the forearm Of the hand
tina; held the knife and wrenched the
big blade from the PROSTATE editors
hand. Grasping the bowie. the judge
ben: over his bitter enemy and put
the blade to the mans throat
{; Are You through! he asked
| the man who was down.
II am IL you are replied the ed
itor
| "'kH right: get up he said to the
J man whose iiie he could have taken
as easily as Sitting the throat Of .
/ possum.
The editor got up ard slouched
away.