- Joined
- Dec 19, 2002
- Messages
- 22,510
Just started reading this book. For those who don't know about Dixon, he made a fantastic shot of anywhere from 1200 to 1700 yards that dismounted an Indian at the Battle of Adobe Walls.
From page 20-21:
The day before we left Fort Collins a fight took place in our camp between two bull-whackers, Edward Ray and Jim Lynch, over a game of cards. Ray shot Lynch, and the later was left in the hospital at Fort Collins.
And let this be a warning
to you card playing sinners. From page 29:
Leavenworth City was a tough place in those days, filled with all kinds of rough characters. I saw three men lying dead in the street one day, as the result of an extraordinary occurrence. Four men were sitting under a tree playing cards, as a severe electric storm formed and swept over the city. One man suggested that the game should be postponed until after the storm had passed., to which another replied, "D--n the lighting." At that moment a bolt struck the tree with a blinding flash, killing all the men save the one that had asked that there be no card-playing while the storm was raging. The bodies of the dead men were laid on the floor of the fire station. Their deaths caused much comment, as many perosns felt that they had provoked the wrath that fell upon them.
Shootings were as common as the arrival of a bull-train, and excited little comment. The man who was quickest on the trigger usually came out ahead - the other fellow was buried, and no questions asked.
Dixon actually dictated his story to his wife, Olive, who wrote it down. Because he passed away before the "ghost" writer could finish the manuscript for her, Dixon never got to review it himself. Some statements could be more of the ghost writer's imagination and desire to meet the expectations of their target audience.
From page 20-21:
The day before we left Fort Collins a fight took place in our camp between two bull-whackers, Edward Ray and Jim Lynch, over a game of cards. Ray shot Lynch, and the later was left in the hospital at Fort Collins.
And let this be a warning
to you card playing sinners. From page 29:Leavenworth City was a tough place in those days, filled with all kinds of rough characters. I saw three men lying dead in the street one day, as the result of an extraordinary occurrence. Four men were sitting under a tree playing cards, as a severe electric storm formed and swept over the city. One man suggested that the game should be postponed until after the storm had passed., to which another replied, "D--n the lighting." At that moment a bolt struck the tree with a blinding flash, killing all the men save the one that had asked that there be no card-playing while the storm was raging. The bodies of the dead men were laid on the floor of the fire station. Their deaths caused much comment, as many perosns felt that they had provoked the wrath that fell upon them.
Shootings were as common as the arrival of a bull-train, and excited little comment. The man who was quickest on the trigger usually came out ahead - the other fellow was buried, and no questions asked.
Dixon actually dictated his story to his wife, Olive, who wrote it down. Because he passed away before the "ghost" writer could finish the manuscript for her, Dixon never got to review it himself. Some statements could be more of the ghost writer's imagination and desire to meet the expectations of their target audience.
