LIFE IN THE AMERICAN BACKWOODS.

Waipawa Mail, Volume 5, Issue 606, 4 December 1883, Page 3

LIFE IN THE AMERICAN BACKWOODS.

Life in the outlying cities and towns of America is exciting. There is a rough-and-ready style about the citizens which is interesting, if not charming. Was it not in Leadville that Oscar Wilde saw the only rational method of art criticism he ever came across—viz., the remark written over the piano in a dancing saloon, “ Please don’t shoot the pianist, he is doing his best.” How simple ! Leadville is just now exercised about a fracas of a rather lively character. According to a local authority, “ Edward D. Cowan, city editor of the Leadville (Colorado) Herald,” was brutally assaulted by Alderman Joy, of that city. The parties were discussing local politics,

“ when Joy took exception to a remark of Cowan’s, knocked him down, and with drawn revolver kept the crowd at bay while he jumped on Cowan’s face with his heavy boots and kicked and stamped on him until almost unrecognisable. He will probably die. Joy has escaped to the mountains. Cowan is well known in the West as a brilliant young writer, and bears an excellent character. Joy is a notorious bully, keeps a low dive, and is absolutely devoid of character.” These notorious bullies sometimes meet their match, as the following incident shows :—An information was made before the Mayor of Pittsburg, United States, on August 31 by a pugilist known as “ Jemmy Weeden,” charging Miss Mary Smith, of that place, with having challenged him to fight for 50 dollars. Miss Smith’s brother (Jim Smith), it was stated, had gone to Weeden’s saloon and created a disturbance. He was thrashed by Weeden and turned out. Miss Smith resented this treatment of her brother, and proceeding to the saloon asked Weeden for an explanation. His account of the affair not proving satisfactory to Miss Smith, she hit Weeden a blow over the right eye, causing a severe contusion, and followed it up by another blow on the stomach, which took his breath away, and completly “ doubled him up”. She then returned, and pulling fifty dollars out of her pocket then and there offered to fight Weeden for that amount. The challenge was declined by Weeden on the ground that it would be undignified on his part to fight a woman ; and, acting on the advice of his friends, he decided on bringing the matter before the mayor. In the meantime Miss Smith, by latest accounts, has declared her intention, whatever the issue of the proceedings against her might be, to thrash Weeden to a jelly on the first opportunity. She is represented as being a remarkably powerful person, of indomitable energy, and fully capable of at least endeavouring to carry her threat into execution. Weeden’s friends are said to be anxious about him.