The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1866-02-08
9 Short Story.
INTRAPPING A MURDERER,
A SPECTATORS STORY.


Red River country with a view OF
speculation in horses, lands. or
anything that might give promise
of a profitable return for a cash in.
vestnent. OF course | carried
good deal of money with me, but
knowing ! was going among wild,
lawless class, Of every grade ard
color-among uncivilized Indians,
negroes, gamblers, thieves, rob
bers, murdcrcrs and assassins, with
perhaps few settlers with some
claim to honor and honesty, if they
could be siited ont from the mass-
| thought it would he the safest
plan not to seem we'll off in the
worlds goods. Accordingly | SC.
cured my money in belt about
my body, put on a very coarse,
rough dress, which by Intentional
carelcssness, soon had n very mean
slovenly appearance, and allowed
my hair and beard to manage nat.
ters their own way. without any
troublesome intor ercnce with razor
or comb. Thus prepared and arm
ed with two revolvcrs and a bowie
knife, | had passed over some dan
gerous territory in compare i've
safety, and flattercd myself that
no one guessed my ri hes through
my apparent poverty.
In fact, on two occasions, | be-
gan to think it might have been to
my advantage to have looked a lit
tie more respectable. The first of
theso was when, in travelling
through tho Choctaw nation, !
found a drove Of horses that pleas
ed me very much and was told by
the owner. in reply to my qucs-
tion as to what lie would take a
head for the entire lot, that he was
not in the habit of making his pri-
ces to every wandering beggar that
chose to satisfy an idle curiosity
| was disposed at first to put on
some dignity and get indignant,
but concluded, aft a careful sur.
vey of my person, that the man
had good eau for speaking as he
did, and 81 merely assured him
that | knew Of an individual who
wished to buy horses il he could get
them at a fair price. The horse
owner, however, was not disposed
to believe my statement and SO |
passed him by, with the resolve
that, il nothing better turned up,
| would give him another call un
der more advantageous appearan.
ccs. AS the second instance allu-
ded to was similar to the first, it
may be passed over without any
further notice. .
But out Of this same cause grew
a very remarkable adventure which
is my p esent purpose to relate.
While passing between two 90
tls.. over lonely. gloomy
horse. path, leading through dark
hemlock wood, and while in the
most solitary part, there suddenly
came bef re me. leaping from a
thicket on the right, . human fig
ure of the most startling appear.
ance. 1t was man of medium
height, but of a stout, powerful
frame, all covered with tattcrs, that
he appcaredto have worn and wal.
lowed in for years. He had no
covering for his head nor feet and
his skin was SO coated with CRIME,
it was difficult to tell whether he
belonged to the white race or not.
His face. high upon his cheeks, was
covered with a dirty brown beard,
and his matted hair hung in wild
profusion all over his head, except
a little space before his blood-shot
eyes, and altogether looked like q
mailman or human devil. His
hands held and swung formida.
Bile club, and his attitude, as he
leaped into the road before me,
was OF fierce menace and defiance.
/ stepped in s'arm, and, while
fixing my eyes sharply upon his,
quietly slid my hand into con
vcnient pocket and grasped the
butt Of my revolvers, firmly de-
termined to keep him at the short,
distance that divided us, or kiln
him If he advanced. d3iu
For perhsps half a minute, we,
stood silently regarding and sur. !
veying each other, and then res /
ting one end of his club on the
ground, and partly leaning fo' ward
0n the other, he said in . coarse.
gruff tone, with a kind Of chuck.
ling laugh; ~