I’m Kilt

Jeff Davis, brother to Buck, who had lost the horse race, himself also a jockey, had been shut out of the store at the commencement of hostilities, and had remained crouched on the beam of a “lean-to” at the rear of the building, and in a precarious position. Unarmed, the poor fellow had hid to escape the onslaught of Marion Perkins. The fighting now having become concentrated on the east side of the store, Jeff thought his chance to escape was come, and dividing his attention between running and watching for Redbones, he tore out. A volley of shots put more speed into his legs, and whether a bullet actually struck the flying jockey or whether he collided with a sapling, or perhaps both, is not clear. Anyway, he burst a bottle of whiskey he was carrying in his shirt bosom, and feeling the liquor running down his legs, the fellow thought he was hit, forgot all caution and hung his entire faith on speed. “I’m kilt(1), I’m kilt, and my bowels are running out,” he cried as he ran on. However, the supposed loss of his digestive tubes only lighted the man for greater speed, which was such we are told, that marbles might have been played on his coat tails. While knowing that he had left Dr. Hamilton behind in the store, but perhaps feeling that the medical man’s wife had acquired a knowledge of first aid, Davis fled to the Doctor’s home yelling, “I’m kilt, I’m kilt,” as he ran into the yard. But Mrs. Hamilton knew that Jeff could not be very badly wounded, and realizing very well the danger which would at once accrue if Davis were seen taking refuge in her house, refused the frightened man entrance, but recommended instead that he continue his flight into the adjacent creek swamp, and hide behind the trunk of a large tree which had fallen close to the hog trail beyond the barn lot. Davis vanished into the swamp and with this, passes from the story of the Westport Fight, only to be remembered as the flying jockey who was more fleet of foot than any race horse he ever urged down the turf.

1 common vernacular to this day…’cept now it usually just means to be tired