Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-12-16
HE TELLS HANDS UPn AT OUR BAD MAN

HE WELLS HANDS UPn' AT OUR BAD MAN. come when q man wearing two guns and a knife would holler for jestice instead of using his tools no man to believe it now, for have the evi- dence right before my eyes.
 My friends, over there sits Bill Wheeler, and over here sits Tom Stokes You all remember the ease Bill Wheeler was sort of terror around here for a year or so. He was never tired of reading over the list of bad men he had wiped out. He held this town i'll awe of him. No matter what we said behind his back, we was Sunday school children to his face. We wondered if he had the sand he claimed to have, but none of us cared to experiment.. We let him swagger around and run the town. Tears spring to my eyes when think of it.
 Take a look at Tom Stokes. You might travel hundred miles and not find another such humble looking kuss. He's got the face of kid. He's as humble as lamb caught in the bushes. You all know him too. He's been hanging around this town for years. He's never had an opinion on any sub ject He's always waited to agree with the majority He's been bluffed and booted more times than he's got hairs in his head Nobody would have vast ed q cartridge to remove Tom Stokes Had he died of sickness they wouldn't have dug grave over two feet deep for him.
 Three months ago our Bill Wheeler got signing for other worlds to con ker. He got too big for Sandy Bend He wanted to find a crowd in which some one would call him a liar, In fact, he got dog lonesome to be bad man all through, and so he pulls up stakes and heads for Golden Hill He had guns strapped to him. He was mounted on an amblirg cayuse. He held his head high. He had money in his pocket We turned out and gave him farewell. and the last we saw of him he was disappearing gayly over the hills
 Meets Tom Stokes.
 And what happened him? Twenty miles away he meets Tom Stokes. It was still broad daylight. He was still feeling that he wanted some crtter to look cross eyed at him. He had them same guns at his belt Tom comes along with an old pistol without ham, mer or trigger and consequently with out a cartridge in 1t, and he yells out Hands up" at our bad man.
 "Gentlemen. does the proud and naughty Bill Wheeler ride onward aft CT one contemptuous glance at Tom and his bogus gun?
 Does he come to a halt and yell to Tom to beat 1t or take the conse- quences?
 Does be reach keerlessly behind him and draw gun and send the humble soul of the humble Tom fly ing to the four winds of earthf"
 1.-The ddon't. Excuse this emotion. but he don't. What does he do? Well, It was brought out on the trial. He climbs right down and begs for his life like a ten-year-old boy and lets Tom strip him to the hide and take his cayuse besides. You don't want to believe it, but you've got to. He has owned up to 1t. Tom rides off with a grin, and then Bill hoofs 1t back to Sandy Bend and hunts me up to say that he's been robbed and wants jes- tice. When he told me the story in the Red Dog saloon. of which place il IS wen known l am proprietor, gay knees wobbled with weakness and my breath came in gasps. May note ot you ever have the feelings that came over me talked and talked, but stlli Bill howled for jestiCe.
 Well. I had to issue a warrant, and after two or three days Tom Stokes was arrested and brought in. He de nied nothing. He stood pat on the legends of the great vest, ]. stood