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Show TO THE MOUNTAINS, 99 with his compliments and a five-gallon keg of the best whisky in his stock. He had beaten us in the race, and that was all he cared for." Hon. W. A. H. Loveland, who was on a visit to Golden, and had quietly taken in the story, said, in a good humored way, "turn about is fair play, so I'll tell you of West's duel." "In the fall of 1859 West established a paper at Golden called the Western Mountaineer, publishing the same during the following year, when he sold out to enter the Union Army. During the winter of '59-60, a very rough element had gathered here to spend the winter. There were many Southern sympathizers in this locality, most of them good fellows, but quite free, in the vernacular of the period, ' to talk with their mouths.' Among them was a young fellow known as ' Dick Turpin,' from Western Missouri-a rabid secessionist, and somewhat addicted to drink. When full of 'tangle-foot,' he was particularly loud-mouthed and reckless. One day he mounted his horse, and pistol in hand, rode through the streets, cursing all who claimed to be ' Yankees,' however distantly they might be related to that ' nationality.' In the next issue of the Mountaineer, West gave him some pretty severe taps for his recklessness and general cussed-ness, at which he took umbrage, and called at the office to demand satisfaction. "He had taken the precaution to 'brace up' several times at the liquor saloons en route, and by the time he arrived, was pretty full. He demanded to know if West was the author of the attack, and being assured with great urbanity that such was the fact, he issued a peremptory verbal challenge to mortal combat. In fact, blood |
