"Understand, gentlemen," he said, "I will shoot down the first man who undertakes to murder anybody coming out of this place!"
Finding the sort of man they had to deal with, the ruffians banded together for the purpose of killing Hogan. Lots were drawn to see who should perform this work, and the choice fell upon a fellow known as "Scotty," and one Burke.
Waiting until midnight, the assassins entered the bar-room of Hogan's place. There was nobody present but Ben himself and the barkeeper. The moment his eye fell upon the men, Ben suspected mischief, and drawing out two seven-shooters, he said quickly:
[Illustration: _HOGAN PLEADING HIS OWN CASE IN TIDIOUTE._]
"Gentlemen, you will oblige me by retiring at once. Go out, if you please, as you came in; and the first one who attempts to turn about or to draw a weapon will drop!"
This unexpected greeting knocked the plans of the conspirators into a cocked hat. There was nothing to do but to obey, and so they backed out of the room, looking very much crestfallen.
The next night Ben heard a loud knocking at the door, and as he went down to answer the summons, he heard low voices outside.
This sort of conversation was not very cheerful to listen to, as the midnight visitors had evidently called with the intention of committing murder. Ben, however, quietly opened the door and discharged a couple of shots, which put the fellows to flight.
These incidents are given to show that Hogan was constantly hounded by desperadoes while in Babylon. They will explain, in part, the circumstances which led up to a serious matter, in which Ben figured very conspicuously. I shall proceed to narrate the facts in the case precisely as they occurred.
A gang of twenty-five men entered into a compact to kill Ben Hogan at all hazards. Under the direction of this gang, a man named Dwyer called at Ben's place at midnight and wanted to engage in a fight. Hogan told him that he did not want to fight, and tried to persuade him to leave the house. Suddenly Dwyer seized hold of a tumbler and struck Ben upon the head. In self-defense, Hogan then grappled with the man and threw him down. He did not want to hurt him, but simply to prevent him from doing any more injury.
