The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-05-15
DEADStIOT
How the Name of a Mining
Town Was Changed
By F. TRACY EDr1ONDS
BY F. TRACY EDr1ONDS


on the face of North American soil.
One visiting it now would see an at
tractive town with paved streets and
sidewalks, rows OF neat dwellings and
spires piercing the branches of shade
trees.
But fifty years ago-then there was a
different picture. There was but one
street, and that was a dirt road lined
with log cabins and board shanties.
The most pretentious of these were
drinking and gambling dens. There
was no law nor semblance Of law. A
few respectable women had gone to
the place, but at the time this story
opens they were preparing to leave.
The citizens OF Deadshot had encour-
aged the coming of the women, hoping
that their presence would have a salu-
tary effect on the rouGher element, for
the most brutal affairs were perpe
trated by a few individuals, and now
since within a week after their arrival
the ladies were about to turn their
backs on Sodom a meeting was called
with a view to the adoption of meas
ures that might change their resolution.
The meeting took place in the EN-
pire saloon.
Pete Henshaw arose and said that
he had heard one of the women say
that if the citizens Of Deadshot wanted
to become civilized the first thing they
must do was to build a church. He
therefore proposed that a collection be
taken up for that purpose.
No objection being made to the prop
osition the hat was passed, and when
the offering was summed up the value
of all the donations Of various kinds,
including a dirty pack of cards, was
found to be dollar and fifty-six cents.
The movement was q failure.
Cy Allen then made a proposition
that met with much more favor. He
suggested that the first man who shot
another should be fined thousand dol
lars to build the church and that q
committee of three of the quickest and
surest shots be appointed to see when
the transgression occurred that the
transgressor put up the amount at once
or suffer the consequences.
1t did not occur to any one to ask
what the intended consequences were.
All understood at once that the delin-
quent was to be riddled. The motion
was put and carried, the committee
whose duty 1t was to see that when
the fine needed for the church was
due it should be paid was appointed,
and the chairman named another to go
70 hp oil
their departure until it could be deter
mined whether the action taken would
be effective. The latter consented to
give time for a trial, and Deadshot
waited for the man who was to build
the church.
Pools were made as to who would be
the offender. Arkansas Jack, Pete
Skinner and Andy Grimshaw were the
favorites. Andy Grimshaw was the
winner, shooting his man down in cold
blood within two days after the pas
sage of the resolution. The committee
appointed for the collection of the
funds called on him and asked him to
fork over. He laughed them to scorn.
There was q fusillade, and he fell
pierced with three bullets. One of the
committee was wounded, but not seri-
ously.
The next man to lay himself liable to
the fine was Arkansas Jack. But, TAX
Ing warning by the fate of his prede-
cessor he "lit out" before the COM
mittee had time TO pay him a visit
Results thus far were favorable. One
of the worst men In the town had been
eliminated by the bullet; another had
gone of his own accord. The only un-
fortunate circumstance was that no
fine had been collected for the building
of the church.
Pete Skinner, one of the pool favor
ties, still remained in the town and
above ground. He had disappointed
his hackers in not turning out a win
ner and was therefore disappointed
himself. The reason he was inactive
and unharIned was that he had not
succeeded in picking a quarrel with
any one before his colleagues had sin
ned and suffered. He was disgusted
with the working of the "city ordi-
nance" for he had no mind to give
up his fayOrite amusement and had no
money with which to pay for indulg
ing in it.
The ladies were only partially salts
fed with the results of the effort to re-
form the town, and so long as Skinner
remained there above ground they had
no confidence in reformation. Two
left, and the others began packing up.
The citizens were hoping that Skinner
would kill some one and give them an
excuse to eliminate him. But Skinner
got wind Of their desires and kept the
peace.
There were three young men in
Deadshot who had been attracted to
three young women who were getting
ready to move. These men owned
property in Deadshot and not only
wished to keep the girls, but to recon
struct the town so that they could in
duce capital to come in and develop
what they believed would give them
fortune Pete Skinner stood not only
hafwaan them and the girls hut he