The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1921-08-18

ii was q cheerful company that sat
down upon the grass around the table
with loaded plates. Their food had
It's extra seasoning q merry jests and
loud laughter: Sarah ,Was g little
shocked at the fortnight dirsftness
Of their eating, III knives or forks 0r
napkins being needed in that process.
Having eaten, washed and packed
away their dishes the women went
home at two. Before they had gone
Samson's ears caught d thunder OF
horses feet in the distance. Looking
In its direction he say 4 cloud OF dust
In the road and a band Of Korsemen
riding toward them at full speed. Abe
came to him and said:
II see the boys from Clary's Grove
are coming. II they get mean, let me
deal with 'em. It's my responsibility
I wouldn't wonder IL they had some
of Ofut's whisky with them"
The boys arrived In q cloud OF
dust and q chorus OF Indian whoops
and dismounted and hobbled their
horses. They came toward the work
ers, led by burly Jack Armstrong, a
stalwart, h%ard-faced blacksmith of
about twenty-five with broad, heavy
shoulders, whose name has gone into
history. They had been drinking some
but no one of them was in the least
degree of his balance. They scuf1ed
around the jug for q moment In per-
feet good nature and then Abe and
Mrs. Waddell provided them with the
best remnants of the dinner. They
were rather noisy. Soon they went
up on the roof to help with the rafters
and the .clapboarding. They worked
well q few minutes and suddenly they
came scrambling down for another
pull at the jug. They were out for q
spree and Abe knew it and knew furth-
.er that they had reached the limit
of discretion.
"Boys, there are ladies here and
we've got to be- careful" he said.
Les stick to the job till four o'clock.
Then Wen knock of for refresh
ments." ..-
The young jewellers gathered in a
group and began to whisper together.
Samson writes that it became evident
then they were going to make trouble
and says:
1--WE had left the children at Rut-
ledge's in the care of Ann. I went to
Sarah and told her she had better 20
on and see If they were all right.
Don't you get in any fight she
said, which shows that the women
knew what was in the air.
Sarah led the way and the others
followed her"
Those big, brawny fellows from the
Grove when they got merry were look
ing always for a chance to get mad
at some man and turn him into a
plaything. A chance had come to get
mad and they were going to make the
most Of it. They began to growl with
resentment. Some were wigging their
leader, Jack Armstrong, to fight Abe.
One Of them ran to his horse and
brought a bottle from his saddle bag.
1t began passing from mouth to mouth.
Jack Armstrong got the bottle before
it was half emptied, drained it and
flung it high in the air. Another
called him a hog and grappled him
around the waist and there was a des-
perate struggle which ended quickly.
Armstrong got a hold on the neck Of
his assailant and choked him until he
let 60. This was not enough for the
sturdy bully Of Clary's Grove. He
seized his follower and flung him SO
roughly on the ground that the latter
lay for q moment stunned. Armstrong
had got his blood warm and was now
ready for action. With a wild whoop
he threw off his coat, unbuttoned his
right shirtsleeve and rolled it to the
shoulder and declared in a loud voice,
as he swung his arm in the air, that
he could "out jump, out hop, out run,
throw down, drag out an lick any man
in New Salem"
In a letter to his father Samson
writes:
ABE was working at my elbow. l
saw him drop his hammer and get up
and make for the ladder. I knew
something vas going to happen and
I followed hlm. In a minute everyone
was off the roof and out of the build
ing. I guess they knew what was
coming. The big lad stood there
swinging his arm and yelling like an
Injun. It was a big arm and muscled
and corded up some, but I guess If I'd
showed the calico off mine and held it
up he'd a pulled down his sleeve. I
didn't know just how good a man
Abe was and / was kind o. scairt for
a minute. / never found 1t SO hard
work to do nothin' as l did then. Hon
est, my hands kind o. ached. I wanted
to go an cuff that feller's ears an
grab hold o. him an toss him over the
ridge pole. Abe went right up to him
an said:
"tJack, you amt half so bad or half
SO cordy as ye think We are. You say
you can throw down any man here.
I reckon I'll have to show We that
you're mistaken. I'll rassle with We.
We're friends an we won't talk about
lickin' each other. Les have q friend
~ rassle.'
"In a second the two men were
locked together. Armstrong had
lunged at Abe with a yell. There was
no friendship in the way he took holds
He was going to do all the damage
he could in any way he could. Half
drunk, Jack is q man who would bite
your ear off. It was no rassle ; It was