Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 June 1877 — Terror Number One. [ARTICLE]

Terror Number One.

Evehy dat the bull-trains, mulo teams and stages roll into the Black Hills with their loads of “ fresh lish,” as the veterans sSgSrafl&Sfe&S houses and saloons, get a meal or a lunch, and are presently soen up and down the sheets of the frontier city or collectjnrfoif (lie fofaerg, to* hep tljte latest news from the dfegtngs-anathfe pVdsfects of striking a job, yx The other,day, when 8 waeou-load of bull-hCanswasdntnpedoaMn CuaMtCity, as ,waeo«-loads had been dumped out every day before since grass started 1 , the first n>an to welcome them to the infant city was u chap five fcet'high, and weighing accprdihgly• There was a blbod-stain on his left fefteek, a scfcr oh-hih*lHght,' i ah(l SMMMHLW^ShE He was whittling qut fi tenpin with a big bowie-knife aa the/Wfgoo drove up, and, pushing the. knife down the back of his neck, he pfted up a Henry rifle, rah his eye over th<? crowd, and called pat, in an awful voice: 5 ‘ Is there anybody in that crowd looking for Terror No. IV Kase, if' there is, here I am; and I’m just aching to be shot fulLof bullets weighing a pound apiece!” Jfo ope was looking for him. dome looked it him and some looked across the street on purpose not to see him, while therfe was a uniform movement toward nip-pockets. *• ' ‘ *•‘l didn't know but that some of vou might have come! out here! from New York on Boston to plant, me under the sweet jessamine or the climbing mornine-giory!” chuckled tiie Terror, as he rested the butt of his rifle on thq_ ground M»d fished up a six shooter from hie boot-leg. / There were men from New York and Boston in the party, but they didn't want to bury anybody just then. “ ifcoi’tfown tlii/ optitinaed the Terrof, ad he laid rfsflnlul ajnjjr § acres* tlie head of a barrel. I don’t own a foot of ground »Fr, a 'i 8 4W of the public buildings erected at tlieexpense of tax-pay€r£ hut when oir,W**fcing. ton Square and utter one yell, tni» whole town quakes. I’m Terror No. 1. There’s one or two other Terrors around here, but I’m the boss—l’m the reg’lar death’shead and cross-bones of the Black Hills rngfoa! 4 ’ ••• ' Before he had ceased speaking most, of the newcomers had disappeared, some looking pale and anxious and others feeling shivers race up and down their backs. An hour later, when a party of five strangers from New England were making the acquaintance of the infernal beverages on sale in ope of the shanty saloons, and at the same time pumping the proprietor about prospects, in walked the Terror. He looked as fleroe as a cataBlount cheated out of her dessert, and there was an awful growl in his voice as he Called out: *

i Five o'clock by Omalia time, and I haven't killed or been killed this whole day long! Tarn loose your pet grizzlies, knkiteh your whirlwinds, and let a dozed irttd lions come for me at once I” “ Take something to. drink, my good friend,” 'raild3y replied the saloouisL m#ou ale always welcome 3r»id to»pw o«t wai^*^ * "To tell the honest tgnth, Wteve,” said the Terebr, ip bftjsHttedoat nearly half a pint of the worst whißkV ever made, "l nauwin heve.tOidiati someone: bat yon are a white man clear down toyoui toe-nails, and I won't SraWßriti row. That's good whisky, that isl and if you, want anyone 4n Caster (Sty.pwt ;under ground, jptt give .me bis name. Can you think of anyone?” The saloon-keeper reflected for a moment, as he ! sldwly wiped'off his bar with an old chlicO apron, and finally he replied : ■- ■ . ~ u No, I don’itluiik of anyone just now; but something wiili probably turn up in a day or two. Anytime you feel thirsty come in and help yourself.” One of the five men had formerly been a molder in a Troy stove-foundry, and he had been closely watching the Terror. " All df a sudden lie held out hie 1 hand for A shake, cheerfully'observing- > I'll bet 100 to 1 that we used to work, board and room together.” . ,• •

The Terror reached out his hand, olosely scanned the moMer’s/face, and after a moment he shid «te the .whole-five: ■" Gentlemen, come out doors .and take -seataon thn .bench. .Xhattin to know this man, and I don’t want to answer any « Well; find you the biggest cowards east of Chicago, and now. I’m one of the biggest west of that to tvli' 1 <fwtf tight up, because 1. knew, you on strike b blow.” • „.*>X 'jew- '; ; “ i4>»t mum v rfiT«Wi nnp- “ And it s ail tall'p'TaßflJSt.the Terror, ae he picked his teernwkh his bowieknife. " I floated out herefrom Chicago,. poor,aas..rat 4 iuid the biggest coward in the whole Xrjntf. Tr tuck hadn’t favored me X snoiila hkve been under the sod long ago. , I've got an awful voice, and' I dan look as ttgly as a bekr in a trap; 1 and somehow or othef fßfe'rinjry got afloat that 1 killed two men in Chicago, was rescued frew afraid of me. and I soon got the cue. dfetgtmfaqiVtf) p- Ttfdr ih orcjtf to make an houest living, anfl I’ve got the 1 thing right down fine.” - . . p u And £ou are not a fighter, and a shooter, and' slasher?!’ ' U " Gentlemen, it’s kind o’, mean der a man to run ihis own character down; but, . to be honest about it, I don’tkuppose there is a man in Custer City who couldn’t woliop me inside of one minute by the watch. Igo around simply to make’a asset gore, frightened him half to death.” *—“ri> es,-ereryboay sssms afraid of you,”; observed thqman fromTrpy. “ Afraidlseßgneai they jtfbJ Whsa.ll walk into a place everybody begins to a JHa||tfl>lood'jß Ihfiitown. There-comes UPHST) tfhtrißtsaPpity JSkMlial, Sheriff, Chief of Polictor whatever vou may ca’l him. He is sSffiJbilh 200 pounds, and yet see how I can bluff hint.” The official referred to was doming up (lie street at a leisure gate, and when he came along opposite the group, the Terror leaped out with a wild yell, and shouted: “ Looking for me, ire you ? Want to see me bad, do you?” "For Heaven’s sakel don’t raise a row with met” whispered the Sheriff, as be

looked around for cover.' dUlrt '»raut yoii-*ybu don’t want'met” i M Yoto see how « works,’! continued the littlu man as lhs oflicial moved on. u that man could make my heiila break my nhcic, and yet he is afraid of me. Here ire some grizzly beat'jc’awq which I bought in Omaha for two dolli-rs. Ev: erybody around here thinks I pulled the beast out of a bole in the hill, held him by the ears with one hand, and cut the claws off with the other. There are twenty notches in the stock of this rifle. These' talks around here have got an idea that I have killed, twenty men in rows or fair fights—but I never even shot atone.”, ■f There was a period of silence, and then tlie Terror continued: V There's money in it, and it’s rather {pleasant to be top of the heap, but this hlng can’t, last long. Borne day before opgl shall light down on the wrong man, atjd he’ii dress me down and drive me to the hills. .1 hope yon poys will have lots of luck. I’ve been square and honest with you, and row don’t give mp away.” 'At that moment three men on horseback c*me down the street, and the Terror jumped out with a screech and shouted: “ Here’s the hollyhock you are looking for. Here’s the modest violet who wants to be carved up and fed to the wolves!"’ They weren’t looking for him, and they got away on a gallop. The party from the East went out among the diggings and were absent a whole week. When they returned to Custer City they inquired lor the Terror, and a hotel-keepen replied: “Yes; they did use to call him the Terror, I believe, but they didn’t know him. He was whooping around here in his usual awful style three or four days ago, sweftring that he must kill somebody, when a tinsmith from Dayton, Qhlo, took his rifle and bowie-knife away, spit tobac-co-juice on his hat, and then kicked him the whole length of this street. The Terrpr was an awful coward, gentleman—a regular rag-baby, timber the. bed—and he’ll never be seen in Custer again.”— N. F. Sun.