Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1855-09-26

want. You struck me with your whiI
yesterday amidst all your men-for tina
Shall shoot you" This he said aseool
ly as though he were extending courtesy
Come, come, this is poor joke, anc
we arc late; we must go on" sale
Brooks.
" Carbon am no trifer'; Off. off,
say from your hcrse, or I'll leave youl
miserable carcass in the road. Fool,
am no miserable arriero, but Joaquin
Do you know me now p Saying this,
he dragged him with violence from the
saddle.
Brooks was not wanting in courage
but this name struck terror to his very
soul. The reputation of his deeds Of
blood had gone through the length and
breadth of California, and he felt that his
last moment was at hand. He attempted
parley, begged on his knees for life, offer.
ed his money, all, for life alone. " Gag
me, tie me to tree, bur spare my life
have wife and children dependent On
me for bread
With a fearful imprecation, Joaquin
thrust his pistol in his belt, and seized
him by the collar, to force him into the
bushes his object was to be concealed
from any chance passerby, though this
idea of making man his own undertaken
was certainly novel.
Finding that there was no hope of mercy
and not meaning to die like a lamb
Brooks at once put in execution plan
that flashed through his mind. Taking
off his money-belt he offered it ta Joaquin,
and as he was. in the act of receiving it,
dashing his fist full in the face of the
robber with blow THAT would have
felled an OK, he sprang, at single bound
on the back of his horse, and putting spurs
to him, galloped down the road. Recov.
ering in an instant. Joaquin leyelled his
pistol and fred the barrels in rapid sue
cession. The first ball went through his
hat, the second shattered the bore of his
bride arm, while third lodged in the
flesh Of the thigh. The shock caused
Brooks to fall forward on his horses neck
while the blood flowed in rapid streams
However, he managed to retain his seat
and his faithful animal soon placed him
out of danger.
Joaquin, seeing him fall, and thinking
doubtless, he was mortally wounded
mounted his own beast at once, and took
the upper road. Fortunate was it for
Brooks that he did not parsue him; for.
completely senseless from loss of blood
he soon fell from the saddle, and would
have been entirely at his mercy. The
horse stopped, and was soon observed by
a traveller, who, much to his horror, dis
covered an apparently dead man bathed
in blood, near by. Fastening to the
camp, he obtained assistance, and at once
dispatched a messenger to US with the in.
telligence
The first surprise over, all was hustle:
saddling our horses, we rode at once to
the upper ferry to stop the assassin
should he attempt the passage of the
| river; with two others well armed and
mounted, | started on the upper road, pur-
posing to cut him off, if. as | Judged he
meant to strike the Oregon trail, for
should he once reach it. all hope of cap
ture would. be over. We took nothing
but blanket apiece determined to over
take him if possible; and, knowing that
all depended on promptness, we drovethe
spurs into our animals and galloped off.
BY sunset we had put many miles between
ourselves and the Bar, and much to our
delight, learned from traveller that a
person answering the description of Joa-
quin, had been seen two or three hoaas
before, making towards the Oregon trail.
We were on the right scent, at any rate.
Ali night we rode, barely stopping FOR
water, and morning light found us enter
ing a cavern, through which the road
wound. Here we paused to reconnoitre:
a solitary miner had pitched lis tent on
the stream for prospecting, and from him
we learned that no one had passed that
way during the night; being unwell he
had remained awake, and was confident
of the fact.
We deliberated should we pause ?
had we in some manner passed our game?
This was the only road, and if he had not
gone through, he must be behind us {; we
decided to await him here. The cavern
| was formed by branch of Feather River
passing through rent in the mountains,
apparently caused by some convulsion Of
nature. The sides were rocky and pre-
clpltous, White the stream rolled through
more than hundred feet below US. The
path was narrow; and overhung this fear
full abyss:
As our object was to capture Joaquin,
if possible, alive; we judged this to be the
very spot for an ambush if we could
only get him on this path he was ours.
| took one end, one of my companions the
other, and the third concealed himself be.
hind rock midway.
At last we are rewarded for eur pains
man is seen pushing up the ascent on a
large, gray horse; tbs the object of oui
search We hurry to our places and
breathlessly await him. He approaches
riding apparently carelessly along, think
ing doubtless, he is beyond pursuit. His
horse, more sagacious than the rider
comes near destroying our plan ths
4 A.., l. 49, -.