Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1909-09-03
GAME
BY ADELAIDE RUTH HIT.


BY ADELAIDE RUTH HILL.
$Lcopyright, 1909, BY American Press Assoc
ciation.l
! The old fashioned fight Of the far
west said the veteran from Idaho
s'fhas died out with the stagecoach..
l Now and then there's some monkey
business goin' on there, but It's not
what it used to be. I've seen and
heard Of a number Of EN-, but nole In
my remembrance for reel fightin', sich
as men fight who're goin' to fight at
all, equals that between Mcclure and
Riley away back in the fifties.
The 5fust of it all was d dispute over
cards. 1t didn't amount to much, ex.
cept it made bad blood between the,
two men. After'Eard they met on a
ranch, and Riley accused Mcguire of
purposely brandin' stock as didn't be,
long to him. MCGUIRE tried to kill him
then and there, but was interfered
with by Riley's friends. Soon after
that some one, KNOWN that the two
men were bound to have it out, sug
gested to Mcclure that they go off
alone for the fight. Mcclure agreed
and sent word to Riley that he'd meet
him the next mornin' at sunup on the
trail between Beeswax and Bully
creek and they would then and there
settle whether or no he had branded
stock thas wasn't his'n Riley agreed.
There wasn't no seconds, no surgeons
nor any Of the claptrap that men have
in toy duels. They was just goin' Out
to fight.
Well, the next mornin', when it was
still dark, Mcclure mounted his horse
and rode off toward the trail. There
had been nothin' said about weapons,
each man bein' left to take what he
thought he could do the most damage
with. Mcclure carried two six shoot
ers and a knife. AS he rode along the
stars was a-dyin' out and there was
consid able light where the, sun was
gittin' ready to come up. He looked
toward the few little shanties that
was Beeswax and saw somepin black
comm from that direction. 1t was
Riley, and he was armed just about as
Mcclure was. They was mile apart.
Not wantin' to bring on the fight
too near Beeswax, Mcclure waited
awhile, then moved on slow. When
Riley got into range Mcclure suddenly
ducked under his horses neck and
fired. His bullet didn't do any dam
age at all. Riley he ducked Indian
fashion, too, and fired. Both on EN-
was ridin' around In circle lookin'
for chance to plug the other. Finally
R1ley's horse went down, hit by one
of McGuire's bullets. Riley, KNOWN
this would give his enemy an advan-
tage, shot McGuire's horse, and each
made a breastwork Of his animal.
Il "'Riley got the first plug. Mcclure
cuttin' a scratch around the side Of
his head that filed his shootin' eve
with blood. He put his handkerchief
under his hat to ketch it and kept on
2Sfightin'. stS.. .5sSl N III
Before the dozen shots each OF ZEN
started with was exhausted both of
'em had three or four wounds. Net
Their Of 'em dared go out from behind
his horse till then, but when the last
shots had been fired they started for
each other with knives. Both on 'em
staggered as they eyed each other,
watchin' for a. chance to gitsiTl d blow.
But they was both about equally tuck
cred out and neither on 'em had an
advantage, and neither on 'em could
git in stroke to KILL
"By this time the population Of the
three huts that made up the town O.
Beeswax, bein, wakened by the shots,
come out to see the show / was one
on 'em. eGulre and Riley was hack
In atteach other, Both staggeran' from
loss o blood, havin' more Of 1t outside
than inside and just enough in their
blinkers to keep 'em from seeins where
TO strike. It was beautiful sight +
tell you, these two game men settIins
their dispute In true manly fashion.
without seconds or surgeons. u q I,
Bimeby they got SO weak and SO
blind that their blows was nothin' that
four-year-old boy couldn't dodge;
then they stopped altogether. We,
picked ,em up and carried 'em to the
town. There wasn't but one room that
could be spared, and we put ,em3 on
hunks side by side. Each on ,em had
from ten to fifteen wounds, and they
was pretty well played out, but We
watched 'e1n for awhile, Y thinkins Ii
they got strong enough they'd go ,at
each other ag'in. You see, we didn't
want 'em to die on our hands, we to
send for burial things and nothin' to
pay for ! EN-.
We did git a doctor for 'am, and
be looked out for 'em both. He said
he thought Riley would die, though he
couldn't be sure about either on 'em.
It was some time before either knew