He informed the gathering multitude that he could "lick any wildcat God ever made," and plunged his bare hand between the bars of the cage in an attempt to grasp the enemy. The cats were s~me fighters themselves and tore his hands almost to rags. Opportunity withdrew his torn and bleeding hands, looked at the crowd with apparently injured feelings, and remarked that "I guess I can't lick any wildcat that God ever made," and hurried away to some more secluded spot.

The first justice of the peace in Chadron was an old time Methodist minister, J. A. Wilson, and his justice parlor was in a building on the second lot north of the Methodist church on Morehead street, in recent years owned by Mrs. Caroline Kraut. Judge Wilson was a fine old man but had a method of his own when dispensing justice. John Henry was a black negro, so black that charcoal would make a white mark on his face. His appearance on the street was that of a King of Cannibal Islands ; he was always clothed in smiles and a jag.

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

usually extremely polite but sometimes quarrelsome. On one occasion he had trouble with another gentlemen of color and threatened to carve him with a razor. This did not quite meet the approval of the party to be thus carved so he procured a pistol just to be on the safe side. Shortly after as he was walking down the street he saw John Henry approach him from the opposite direction. He commanded him to stop on penalty of death but John had nerve and kept advancing till .the man with the gun fired. His aim was bad and before he could fire again the marshal nabbed him. He was taken before the justice of the peace and arraigned on the charge of shooting with intent to kill.