Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-06-30
y he would hang the nine prisoners he

! Out she started, with the greatest re
luctance; and she had gone barely two
hundred yards away, lost to sigh
among the pines. when we had proc
not only that she was right but tha
the Indians must have been scouting
the very edge Of our camp.
!, A frenzied shrek brought out de
tail Of us at the double quick. We
found her speared and dying.
+, And when. q week later. | was or
to Fort Goodwin, the nine gaunt hos
tages were still dangling among the
shadows where she fell
! In the autumn of 1864 We were
marched back to Mesilla, ard there
discharged.
Our enlistment finished. Cox and
drifted together again. Dangerous as
running mate though he was. could
not resist a fondness for him faecina-
ton that wrapped whatever Judgment
I had. for as fearless and reckless
but always cool and carefully calculat-
ing fighter. he made the gun experts
of that tough frontier look like pikers.
| And. moreover. to me he WIS never
ANYTHING hut kind and helpful.
! We had plenty Of money. and for
some time ranged through the placitas
Of tho Rio Grande valley. loafng lot,
gambling little. ENJOYING our release
from tho CALLING routine Of pest and
camn discipline.
And as to gambling. Of course Cox.
rast master of all games Of chance
then known and deolt in the West,
could never get his own consent to
lose an opportunity to throw q monte
card or do one-handed shuttle of a
stack of roker chips.
Nor was he often long lacking such
opportunities. for there was more real
monev drifting M and down the valley
then than ever since. the product Of
Uncle Sans. disbursements on pay
rolls and on ouartermes;s"s cerfjti-
Gates for forage and food supplies
bought Of the natives.
Everybody gambled, and II the truth
must be told. there was probably not
single deck in the valley which was
not so crooked that not one of its jacks
could look one Of its queens straight
in the face.
So it was always keep your eyes
about and shuttle and deal your
smcothest. or get skinned forty differ
ent ways from the ace.
For Cox. at a gaming-table. other
roople's money was so easy for him.
that when he caught another trying TO
turn the tables, he used to resent 1t,
not IS a threat Of losing money. for
which he cared little, but as an insult
to his intelligence.
Thus it was no surprise to me that
trouble was not long getting busy with
US. It harrened at the placita of Rim
con. near Fort Craig, during "bronco
bale"
Cox had been invited to open q
monte game. and ccurteously accepted.
For some time the game proceeded
without unssual incident. That Is TO
say, Cox won steadily as usual with
him.
Presently Cox saw Mexican
covertly slip a monte card from the
table. and aniahlv suggested that if he
worthless. The only reply was
lated into English.
In an instant the two men were fly.
ing at each others throat, but before
they got together other Mexicens
grabbed the aggressor. dragging him
out of the jacal. Seeing which. I
slowed the gun I had drawn and
grabbed Cox.
AS the Mexican was pushed through
the doorway, he was swearing he
would kill Cox the next time they met.
Had Cox been idle at the time. the al
fair would doubtless have been ended
then and there, but the game in pro-
gress was not a bad one, and he re-
turned to it.
A fortnight later the pair of us land
ed at a similar dance, this time at
Paraje. where Cox soon had a mob
around his monte layout, mostly Next
cans. but including few soldiers
from the post.
Midnight came and passed. The
soldiers had withdrawn in body ana
returned to barracks. leaving the pair
OF us alone with roomful OF Next
cans While Cox was occupied with
the game. his Rincon enemy. with SIX
of his crowd entered the room and
the table before we
recognized them.
Once we saw who they were we
knew 1t was only matter OF seconus.
And in the instant Of delay. before this
new feature of the ball opened, an
amused curiosity took possession OF me
to see how easily Cox was likely to
handle that bunch by his lonesome.
So decided not to take hand I'M
til he really needed it or one OF the
gang should turn ,on me. But, OF
course. was not scratching my head.
NV offhand kept loafing pretty close
to my gun. .r
As highly finished piece Of work
in producing gun, that Next
can was entitled to be loaded down
with as big Jag Of medals as one man
can tote. for he got the drop on Cox.
the only time I had seen or heard OF
its being done--had his pistol out and
stuck in Coxs face before Cox could
bat an eyelid.
Had it all his own way for second.
But right then he made the biggest
mistake man with a gun drawn on
another can make. He began to talk.
If he had only stopped to study a
fifty he would have realized 1t was up
to the other fellow to talk, not him.