“DUE NOTICE.”

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXX, Issue 10107, 4 August 1893, Page 2

“DUE NOTICE .”

(Detroit Free Press)

A man, whose height is scarcely five feet six, and wbo»e weight is cot rui ounce over 140 pounds. Ho baa a mild blue eye, a frank face and hia voice is pleasant to tho ear. Ton’d pick him out in a crowd sa a mild-mannered,.tender-hearted man, and yet he is "Dakota Jack,” and has killed nine or ban men. He has been slashed and out, and shot and clubbed, but ho seems to bear a charmed life.

It is high noon, and the long, straggling street of" tho frontier town is almost deserted by human life. Not because the sun beats'down fiercely, nor that the half civilized population in asleep, but because the town marshal said to Dakota Jack last night at 10 o’clock : “If you aro in this town at noon tomorrow*! will hunt you down and kill you like » dog !” Well, twelve o’clock baa como. The threat came from a man whoso bravery is unquestioned, and whose skill wMi the gnu is marvellous. Ho had uttered similar warnings before. Some of the desperadoes had lett for other Saida; others had remained in defiance and fallen by his ballets. That he meant what he said in this case no man doubted, and yet Dakota Jack r-mained. Ha did nob bluster or threaten in return. He was taciturn and uncommunicative when hia friends asked what ho intended to do. At ten o’clock in the morning ho was abroad as usual. At eleven o’clock he entered the shanty in which a gunsmith was doing business and had his revolvers cleaned and reloaded. At a quarter to twelve ha took his position in tho centre of the public square and waited. Then men fled from the street and said to each other :

** JTow you will seo some of the prettiest shooting ever done in this town ! Dakota Jack .is bound to see it out!”

The town marshal sat in his office a block away. Word had coma to him that Dakota Jack refused to leave. At eleven o'clock ho also cleaned and reloaded his guns. At a quarter to twelve he was all ready, but he sat with hia watch in hia hand. He bad said high twelve, and he would not move sooner. He would even give Dakota Jack five minutes’ grace. “ Time’s up !” The marshal -knew where to find hia man. They caught sight of each other when afar off—too far to risk a shot. Dakota Jack backed across the square to a broken-down waggoiV, The marshal crossed the street to have the shelter of the awning-posta and telegraph poles. Five hundred faces appeared at doora and windows, and spectators spoke to each ether in whispers. The marshal advanced to within thirty yards and then halted. The weapons of both men were still in their holsters. They glared at each other for a long minute without moving a hosud or utteria&a word. The spectators held their breath, 'lha one was defiant, the othei: determined. V o uld Dakota Jack take water? Would the marshal crawfish ? If nob, there would » e a killing. “ Jack, are you going ?” " I’ll see you d—d first!” Men within ten feet of the marshal could not follow the movemnnb as he pulled his puna. It was the snmra iu the case of Dakota Jack. Both left cover for the open street, and began firing. Bop! pop! pop! Both firi-d right and left-hamded. Both advanced as they fired.

“Jack’s hit!” “ Tom’s hit!” " That’s elegant shoutin'!” " That’s somethin’ to be remembered!”

The firing did not last over three minutes, but che tiaae seemed to bo a quarter of an hour to the spectators. They saw the maraiial stagger to and fro, and they cheered Dakota Jack. They saw the Bad Man lurch to the right and left, and they cheered the marshal. "Jack’s down!” “ Tom’s down!” "Hold on—wait!”

Two last shots rang; out as one. Both men were down. but. they had made a dying effort, only twenty feet apart, as they lay on their back® gasping out their lives. Of the twenty-four bullets, twentytwo had been fired The hot lead had bored its way througjli shoulders, arms, bodies and legs. Blood had mixed with tho dust of the street and made a hideous coloured mud. Bones had been splintered, muscles severed, arteries cut. They lay there with pailied, blood-srained faces upturned to tho noondiay sun, each hand still firmly clutching a pistol, and the crowd gathered and looked down upon them, and someone a’sid: " Boys, it was a game fight, and a good show—let’s liouor !”