Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-12-02


he stood talking to a man who wore
an apron and was without hat or coat.
You are Swanson, are you not?"
asked.
i am" he answered in a clear
voice. What can 1 do for your"
Fuller is here to kill you," 1 said.
he came up from Sand Greek to-day.
was on the train with him. 1 Just
left him at the Courier Office"
Ay know ham," said Swanson. In
his surprise at the announcement he
unconsciously went back to the Ian
guage he had spoken in the Wisconsin
lumber camps before he had attended
college and became a scholar and an
athlete. With the man wearing an
apron he went into a rear room and
sought safety in the thickest of the
crowd and awaited developments.
Other men were called into the back
room and the crowd grew more dense
ABOUT the bar. II was probably an
hour before Fuller came in.
No sooner had he reached the cen
Ter OF the long bar than he was IN
Vited to take a drink by a tall miner
who had but recently come from the
back room. Fuller refused to drink
and the miner became offended. He
raised his voice and talked loudly
about the insult Fuller tried to shove
him aside, but the tall man crowded
him toward the back of the room and
became more and more abusive.
The ranchman was not a coward.
and when he deemed the proper time
mad come he reached for his revol
vers. The holsters were empty!
At the same moment that Fuller
reached toward his belt the offended
miner drew a revolver and began to
shoot. Other revolvers cracked at
about the same time and the room
was rapidly filling with smoke. Full.
lers shoulder was grazed and his hat
had two holes In 1t. In spite of his
natural bravery it was plain that he
was frightened.
At that instant Swanson emerged
from the back room with q revolver
In each hand, which he emptied in the
direction of the big miner, who
pitched forward to the floor Two
others with revolvers in their hands
also fell, and Swanson seized Fuller
by the arm, dragging him through
the narrow passage and out at the
back door.
1t was more than q year later that
l was coming out of Denver one night
on an east-bound train. In the smok-
Ing compartment of the sleeper I saw
Swanson, we'll dressed and apparently
prosperous and happy. His blue eyes
were bright with laughter as glanced
at him. He was on his feet as soon
| as he looked at me.
I've been searching for you for
over year." he said grasping my
hand. viii you tell me why you
didn't register at the hotel that night
in Gold Gulch?"
had to admit that the excitement
incident to the killing of three men
had upset me and that 1 had forgot.
! ten to register.
Killing of three men," he quoted
and laughed loud and long. Come
back here where my wife is and I'll
tell you the whole story"
We found Mrs. Swanson, who had
been Susie Fuller, In the sleeper, play
/: ing with the baby. Mrs. Swanson was
pretty girl with dark-brown eyes
and hair and color that looked all
the richer beside her fair husband
After learning my name and introduc.
| ing me Swanson said:
You see, as soon as you warned
! me that night in the Red Dog that
! Susie's father was looking for me, ]
! took Doc Bixby-he's the managing
| editor of that place-into the back
room and we fixed up the scheme
The old gentlemans revolvers were
! taken away from him before he was
/ ten feet inside the door, so that he
, could not kill anybody. for he's mighty
/ handy with gun and would have
! cleaned the place out. While things
we're being arranged and while we
/ were waiting for him to come / was
! in the back room drawing bullets on,
of my shells and filing the places
with paper wads.
1T worked out all right and l took
! the old man away as meek as any
lamb you ever saw. soon convinced
him that / hadn't stolen his daughter
and l didn't" he added. with a
glance at his pretty wife, who blushed
and gave closer attention to the baby
She came to me-" Swanson went on
and was at home that night in ouI
little house three hundred yards away
from that stirring scene"
We'll. guess you wrote and beg
ged me to come" said Mrs. Swanson
defending herself. You were afraid
to come after me"
Swanson admitted the truth Of her
statement proudly.
I'VE waited a week after DADDY
Fuller went home" he resumed, land
then l pretended to find Susie. We
had been married a month when he
Aoame to Gold Gplch. but to MAKE