The sun., 1908-05-10
IN A TIoHT PLACE.
Conduct IN en- EmeFgency Of . Man Wh0
Thnarhi HlnlaelI a Coward.

oOrncOD pipe AZ hlfn.
Recently some men on a train were fan
ming over this remark, made not long ago
by a personal and political adversary OF
the Senator from Arkansas. The travellers
agreed that they'd hate 10 have anybody
say anything like that about them.
"Well don't know how true this remark
may be as applied to the Davis person,
observed a Texan in the group, but
II 10 my opinion that such a remark could
be truthiully applied 10 very few men.
Most men are courageous In tight plnohes'
even the men who imagine deep down
in their consciousness that they are in
stinctively and inherently ooWardly.
take, for example, the case Of Judge
Freeman Of Texas. Freeman imagined
himself TO be a coward. He had never
fortunately, he sald-been put 10 . test,
but he was dead certain that be would
! crawfsh In a tight place and show himself
! TO the world as a coward.
This was before he ever ran for ofioe
in Texas. When he first ran for once
in a Texas town a peculiarly vitriolio editor
Of a paper published in the Texas town
| began TO attack Freeman In manner
that could only mean blood.
Judge Freeman's friends got around
| him and told him that he'd have TO hll
OF at any rate wing the editor or Get out
| Of Texas.
Freeman came TO me in his trouble,
81 feel like I'm going TO show the white
! feather in this business, he said to NE
| You know what I've often told you. I'm
a natural born coward I've got yellow
A.. a h mNE
working this way: I'm more afraid OF Kill.
! ing that fellow than am Of getting killed
myself. / hate the business and l hate
TO think that II II comes 10 showdown
| I'll crawl
sTwo days after that the editor pub blished
| another vile broadside and then we ell 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 post office, about SIXTY
yards down the street. Somebody stand
ing In a doorway called out 10 Judge Free
man at the same instant and the Judge
saw the editor advancing upon him.
Both men drew and fired at the same
| instant. But they we're poor shots, both
| of them and their bullets went wide. They
continued TO fire as they advanced upon
each other.
There was nary a siEn Of weakness in
| Freeman. On the contrary, he looked per-
! fectly cool. He was naturally handsome
man and his face looked transfgured and
| fine in that intense moment
There were only four cartridges in the
editors gun and he fired all Of them with,
| out making a hit. When he had fired all
four shots he threw his gun on the ground
TO indicate 10 his opponent that he was
through with firing. and that editor looked
| to me like a man ready 10 run.
Judge Freeman still had two cartridges
left in his gun. But when he saw his enemy
/ throw his pistol away, the big heart OF
the man appeared He lowered his gun
and stood IN the middle Of the sidewalk
| calmly waiting,
"The editor advanced upon him. see M
| ingly 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 enemy's example
and threw away his gun, in which the two
cartridges remained, So there he stood
| entirely unarmed.
aAs soon as Freeman cast away his gun
| the editor, who had advanced close to him
| suddenly whipped out a bowie from be-
meath the collar Of his coat and began te
slash at Judge Freeman. II was a our''
! trick and that editor never was allowed
| to hold up his head in Texas again.
Now here il not before, was the spol
! for Judge Freeman to show his yellow
streak. IL he had one. The editor wa
ohoppins away at him. and Freeman didn'
| have so much as a pocket knife on hun
| But the man who foolishly imagined him
| self 10 be coward was not only equal 4
| the occasion--he rose nobly above Il.
aHe reached out and grabbed the editor
around the waist. and, being = powerful
man he threw the editor to the ground
/ Then he planted foot upon the forearm
OF the hand that held the knife and wrencheC
the big blade from the prostrate editors
hand. Grasping the bowie, the Judge benl
over his bitter enemy and put the blade Il
! the mans throat
Are you through he asked the mar
who was down.
~ am il you are replied the editor.
Judge Freeman stood up and threw the
bowie over the top Of store.
~Au right; get up, he said 10 the mar
whose life he could have taken as easily a.
Sitting the throat Of possum
The editor got up and slouched away.
You're the great old coward, | sup.
pose, said to Judge Freeman an hour oI
! so after the encounter.
aVis reply was curious,
81 reckon | am-iust as much a coward
now as ever was, he told me.
How do you make that outi' asked
him
why, this way he replied. ] WASH
myself when | had the run in with that
fellow was somebody else. Otherwise
| never could have gone through with
those proceedings, | hardly remember
anything that happened, because, YOU zee
the spirit Of the courageous chap went out
OF me after the thing was all over I'm
a outter and a runaway all right
But | only laughed at him as he de-
served to be laughed at. His case, and d
great many other cases that know about
proves that there is many merely timid
man walking up and down the world who
imAgnes himself to be coward merely
because Of his natural timidity, but who
| drop Of blood in his body