Many old timers knew Fritzie as the onelegged cowpuncher who, for a time, ran Miner's hotel in Sidney. Fritzie's infirmity was caused by the intoxication, carelessness, and magnified sense of humor possessed by his buddy. Said buddy arrived home late one night, after an hilarious time in Sidney. Fritzie was sleeping when his buddy entered, and buddy decided it would be funny to shoot into the bed near enough to make his partner jump. He did, the partner jumped, his leg was shattered by the bullet, and later amputated.

After that Fritzie had paralytic spells. They came on suddenly and left almost as quickly.

He was at Kane's ranch near Bronson once when attacked. Two wild horse trailers had captured a band and had them in Kane's big pine pole corral. The trailers were Jerry McGahon and Walter Harris, called "Wild Horse Jerry," and "Wild Horse Harris."

They were excited over Fritzie's paralytic attack, and Harris was going to Sidney for the doctor. Their own horses were rambling

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

out on the prairie somewhere, and Harris said he would ride a wild one. Jerry held the lantern and Harris threw a rope at random into the corral. He caught a wild-eyed mare. They snubbed her up to the fence, saddled her,' and Harris mounted in the saddle. In the lantern light she reared, knocked out the light and disappeared in blackness. Jerry struck a match, and saw Harris aholding the animal down.

"Open the gate," he said.