Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 822 — page 3: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

. y V4 : “sy a, Tee at Deadwood Dick, Jr.’s, Boom. es ie re, “You are hereby given fair warning that your days as king of this camp areatanend. We.refuse to pay further tribute to you. Further, you are warned to get away from here as quickly and as quietly as you can, We claim the pocket as our own. You have robbed us long enough, and we mean business, as you will find. ** By OrpER OF COMMITTEE.” CHAPTER III. SOAPSTONE SAM SPEAKS. ‘‘Greatr lacerated old hambone what lubricated ther gullick of Joner!’’ cried Old Avalanche, brandishing his fists. ‘‘ What did I tell ye? I reckon thar will be some fun now, ef I know meself. Oh! if Dead- wood Dicky would only put in his appear at this minute, ’d jump fer joy.” “The trouble has now assumed a new shape,” observed Carleton. ‘‘ They have now taken a step in the aggressive and we must meet them half way. I shall calla public meeting at once—” ‘* Better not,” advised Garry. ‘cc Why it ty ‘These cusses would be in the majority, if’. 3? , “Ha! that is so; I did not think. ~ What, then, would you suggest? 1 am only one, even though | am mayor.” ‘‘Hambone o’ paralyzin’ paradoxashuns!” cried’ Old Avalanche, ‘‘I’ll tell ye what ter do, Call ther council together fer a con- flab, an’ while that’s bein’ conflaberated, me an’ ther rest will arm ther men at ther mines.” ‘*A good idea. Thatis what I will do.” ** And it won’t be the first time Deadwood Dick has had to fight for his rights here,” remarked Garry. ‘‘No, you are right, but he has won by force of arms before, and I think he can do it again. Anyhow, we will do the best we can in the matter pending his arrival. And so, for the time being, the matter was settled. 2 i aoe Yar Garry and Old Avalanche went to the mines, to inform the superintendent what was required, while Billy and Johnny went around quietly to call the members of the city council to a meeting, hey were soon all together in the mayor’s office, where the situation was discussed at eat length, and various schemes were tched for putting down the mutiny; none of which, however, seemed to be the right thing, or equal to the emergency. At last, though, a plan was agreed upon. They tried to make up their minds, as nearly as they could, what action the pro- prietor himself would take in the matter if he were there, and the outcome finally was a manifesto, which was to be printed in bold type and posted up in the most conspicuous places about the the camp. An hour later saw it published, and great was the excite- ment it created. A man among the foremost in this revolt against Deadwood Dick, was one Jackson Stonecut, better known as “‘ Captain Jack.” He had not been long in the camp, having «ome in since Dick had gone away on his latest campaign against evil-doers, and hence na cera the redoubtable Richard only by Teport, | . Captain Jack was a big man with a savage ee face, and was held to be a particularly ‘‘ bad + aay ” ~~ man.” -_-- He had come to the camp with the avowed intention of opening a saloon. | - Now at Bristol City the saloon was a The building he had purchased, by the way, stood on Dick’s ground. No sooner was the shingle out, than one of Dick’s marshals swooped down upon the place and ordered it taken in. The order was disregarded, and the marshal was defied. Stonecut said as he had bought the build- ing it was his, and he allowed he would do as he pleased with it. It was admitted that he had this right, so long as he did not go against the laws of the city, er did not interfere with the rights of others. He had not bought the city. And then came trouble. : The sign was pulled down, and Stonecut jumped in and whipped a couple of Dick’s deputies in great style. The police came down then, took him in, and he was locked up in the local jail and forced to pay a heavy fine before he would be let out again. Hence he had no friendly feeling for Deadwood Dick. In the mean time, while he was in jail, the stock for his saloon came along and was promptly poured into the creek, the mayor drawing a check for its value and handing it to Stonecut to make good the loss he had suffered. Bristol City would have no more saloons! And so it was, when the new movement was started, that Stonecut became a con- spicuous figure in it. But he was not the ringleader, as there was reason to believe. He was, he said, fighting only for his rights. ) Here he had bought a building all in good faith, with the intention of starting a re- spectable saloon, and now he was disbarred from exercising his rights in the matter. On the other hand, it was pointed out to him, the laws of the camp were few and simple and all well known, and he had made his purchase with his eyes wide open; but camp at defiance anddo as he pleased any- how. He had simply made a mistake. None the less, he was ready to fight the matter. . So it was when the manifesto was pub- lished that he was one of the first to call it into question. ‘“‘T want ter know,” he bellowed to the crowd, ‘‘if things ain’t coming to a pretty pass! Just look at this, will ye! I declare ef it ain’t enough ter make saints swear.” He stood off, as he spoke, and pointed at the placard with his cane. This took place in the Monte Carlo Saloon, which place, by the way, was under a new management now, and was a worthy place— if any saloon can be so called. This manifesto was worded in this wise: ‘*PUBLIC NOTICE. ‘** Notice is hereby given to all the tenants occupy- ing land owned by Richard M. Bristol, that settle- ment will be made upon just and equuenr terms; thus. tenants may pay the same low amount of rentals as heretofore, according to the terms) of their leases: or, they may buy outright at the pres- ent current prices for lots and parts of lots; or the roprietor will buy out their buildings and other in- tareata, for cash at justly appraised prices. Per- sons refusing any of these conditions, will be dealt with according to law. “ FURTHERMORE. “Threats having been made against the said roprietor, we, the Mayor, Council, and the other loyal Citizens, declare our intention of upholdin the law and maintaining order at any cost, and malicious persons are duly warned that serious con- sequences will follow close upon any mucinous out- break on their part.”’ : laws of the Territor “That is the way ter talk,” Stonecut cried, ‘‘ Weare free men in a free land, not in bondage!” ‘We ar’ ther people, you bet!” ‘You are not slaves in bondage, I say,” repeated Stonecut. ‘‘This matter is no fu- neral o’ mine, any furthert’ han I’m in it with that saloon job; but I hate to see hon-— est men imposed upon.” “That's what we ar’!” ‘We ar’ bein’ ground down in ther dirt by a bloated millionaire!” ‘Down with Deadwood Dick! We own this hyer. camp, and we have ther best right to et, you bet.” “?’Course we do!” ‘““That is just it.” encouraged Stonecut. ‘*Ther last man ter come here has as good a right to land as ther first, and every dollar of rent you pay is makin’ a present to your worst foe. Why, there is no end to the skin game; you keep right on payin’ and get nothin’ in return.” ‘* No more rents!” ‘Down with Deadwood Dick’s throne!” “Gentlemen,” spoke up a clear, strong voice, at that juncture, ‘‘while this is no funeral of mine, as the saying is, will you allow me to chip in a word?” Looking in the direction of the voice, the crowd discovered the speaker to be_ the sport, Soapstone Sam. This personage was a stranger at the camp. He had come there a few days be- fore, had taken a room at the hotel, and seemed to be a gentleman of leisure. A good-looking man, he was dressed in the finest of cloth and his clothes were of the very neatest cut. He was dark, and wore a thick, full beard, neatly trimmed and parted. Said one man: ‘Kt’s a free country, Sport, so say what ye please.” “Yes,” added Stonecut, ‘‘express yer views freely, sir. You have as much right ter do et as I have.” ‘‘ Well, I merely wanted to raise a point or two of objection to your argument, that was all. Yet it is, as I said, no affair of mine, and I don’t care to mix up in it,” ‘““Mebby not; but, what’s your point?” ‘*Did any man here ever stake out a claim and call it his own?” ve ‘Yas, I have done that ’ar,” one man. : | ‘* Well,” asked the sport, ‘‘did you share it with the next man who happened to come along?” Me ‘**Wull, hardly, I reckon!” “Then how can you expect Deadwood Dick to share his claim here with Tom, Dick, and Harry ?” “This is a different case,” declared Stone- cut, . ‘* How is it any different?” ‘Why, Bristol staked his mine, and that was all right; but, when he gobbled up ther hull pocket, that was all wrong.” | ‘I don’t see how, sir. It was public land, and he settled on it and claimed it under the and the country at. large. When he had fulfilled the conditions, the land was his. He was the one to claim it first, and the one who lived up to the re- quirements.” | ‘‘And he has got the right to take rent for it, givin’ nothin’ in return, till it has been paid for over and over again, while the man that pays the rent never gets a claim on it, eh?” | ‘‘Exactly. The land, as I understand it, i answered @ _ limited quantity. There were two, of the —¥% __ first-class order, as saloons go, besides the ‘a ~—_._ leading hotel, and that was all. All the Beri pxenenr: ones had been closed up, and Dead- mi me wood Dick was determined to allow no more | __ there while he stood at the head of affairs, fo, | aa _ for he was the bitter opponent of rum. |} . This man Stonecut had come in, bought a ling that would answer his purpose, and is all for sale; if a man had rather pay rent — A than buy, that is his lookout.” __ Nii DY niga «But, he won't sell at what it was worth = in the first. place.” SER LS) ee ee ‘‘He’s a fool if he did.” NS ret Pe “Yet he hasn’t done anything to make it valuable.” heal Sg) tle RRSTE A. Re At SG ‘*T don’t see it in that light. Didn’t the — And that was signed by the mayor and the members of the council. “Yas, I want ter know ef it ain’t,” the fellow cried again. ‘‘ Here is this Deadwood Dick, or his agent—it’s all the same, settin himself up for a littlelord, and wants us all to bow down to him. Citizens; are ye going |. | to stand it?” : | opening of his mines draw people here and — ‘*-You bet we ain’t!” _| make a city?” Cyd a, RP ay Coe \ a] Se. =" J 4," ! ,@ 1 +, *»! ’ + ’ had intended from the start to set the / / ME lis Ws ° - - > ¥ a 40 . ‘ ’ nA” "J z L». etry alga. | >). . i iy a “ . . 's ¢ ° & w , & »% y ’ ae ’ (i ~ 5 ae ¥\ ™* r j .. on ; \. Fi i ay | * yy ; 7 DS a , a : 4 ? 2 ™ ty > 3 y : = » al o's, « “ a Peak . . wt et es rt i- a> oy ee ars cee r | ~ “74 Me ¢ rg x "el Fr bi: - Dds pi nbeaae aA: w a ss - = y —_~ . . vn. a, ‘ oe