The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1871-02-23


. with this gamblers epigram, he ethrew
away his useless pistol; and rode back
with his captOr.
1t was a warm night. The cool
breeze which usually sprang up with
: the going down Of the sun behind the
2 chdD0TTdl-crested mountain was that
evening withheld from Sandy Bar.
. The little canon was sitting with
heated resinous OdOrs, and the decay
- ing drift-wOOd on the Bar sent forth
faint, sickening exhalatiOns. The fe-
!. Iverishness Of the day, and its fierce pas
siOns, still filed the camp. Lights
moved restlessly along the bank of the
= viver, striking no answeringrefiectiOn
! from its tawny current. Against the
a blackness Of the pines the windows Of
: the old loft above the express office
stood out staringly bright; and thro'
: their curtainless paines the lOungers
- below could see the forms of those
Z who were even then deciding the fate
of Tennessee. And above all this,
etched on the dark armament, rose
the Sierra, remote and passiOnless,
crowned with remoter passionless
stars.
The trial of Tennessee was cOnduc-
ted as fairly as was consistent with
judge and jury who felt themselves, to
some extent obliged to Ojustify, in their
verdict, the previous Irregularities of
arrest and indictment. The law of
Sandy Bar was implacable, but not
vengeful. The excitement and per-
sOnal feeling of the chase were over;
3 with Tennessee safe in their hands
they were ready to listen patiently to
any defence, which they were already
satisfied was insufficient. There be-
ing no doubt in their own minds,
they were willing to give the prisoner
the benefit Of any that might exist
Secure in the hypothesis that he
ought to be hanged on general princi-
pies, they INDUCED him with more
latitude Of defence than his reckless
hardihOod seemed to ask.
The Judge appeared to be more
anxious than the prisoner, who, 9TH
erwise uncOncerned, evidently took
grim pleasure in the responsibility he
had created. "I don't take any hand
in this yer game" had been his invaF-
liable, but gOOd-humored reply to all
Questions. The Judge-who was also
his captor-for a moment vaguely re-
GREETED that he had not shot him "On
sight" that morning, but presently
dismissed this human weakness as
unworthy of the judicial mind. New
! ertheless, when there was a tap on the |
door, and it was said that Tennes-
sees Partner was there on behalf of |
the prisoner, he was admitted at once |
without question. Perhaps the young
er members Of the jury, to whom the /
| proceedings were becoming irksome- |
| " thoughtful, hailed him as a relief. |
For he was not, certainly, an i'm 1
/ posing figure. Short and stout, with |
| a square face, sunburned into a pre- |
! ternatural redness, clad in loose duck /
| Jumper" and trousers streaked and /
! splashed with red soil, his aspect un-
| der any circumstances would have
| been quaint, and was now even ridicu-
lous. As he stopped to deposit at his
! feet a heavy caTpetbag he was carry
| ing, it became obvious, from partial
| ly developed legends and inscriptions
| that the material with which his
trousers had been patched had been
originally intended for a less ambi-
tiOus covering. Yet he advanced with
gravity, and after having shaken the
hand of each person in the room with
labOred cOrdiality, he wiped his seri-
Gus, perpleXed face on red bandana
handkerchief, a shade lighter than
his complexion, laid his powerful
hand upon the table to steady him
self, and thus addressed the Judge.
81 was passin' by" he began, by b
way of apology, "and 1 thought I'd
just step in and see how things was
gettin' on with Tennessee, thar,-my
pardner. It's a hot night. disre-
member any sich weather before on
the Bar"
He paused a moment but nobody
volunteering any other meteorological
recollection, he again had recourse to
his pocket handkerchief, and for some
moments mOpped his face diligently.
"Have you anything to say in be-
half of the prisoners" said the Judge
finally.
''That's it,U said Tennessee's Part ,
ner, in tone of relief "I came var
as Tennesse's pardner,-knOwing him !
nigh on four years, off and on, wet
and dry, in luck and out o. luck. His ,
way amt alters my ways, but thar
amt any p'ints in that young man, !
thar amt any liveIiness as he's been
up to as I don't know. And you seZ
to me sez ou,-confidential-like and
between man and man,-seZ you, DO l
you know any thing in his behalf?'
and 1 sez to you, sez I,-cOnfidential- I I
like, as between man and man.
What should a man know of his pard-
ner?"
'Is this all you have to say?" ask
ed the Judge, impatiently, feeling, !
perhaps, that a dangerous sympathy ! !
of humor was beginning to humanize
the Court.
THAT'S So" continued Tennessee's
Partner. '1t amt for me to say any
thing agin him. And now, what's
the case? Here's Tennessee wants :
money, wants it bad, and doesn't i
like to ask it of his old pardner. Well =,
what does Tennessee do 2 He lays for L
a stranger, and he fetches that stran- L
ger. And you lays for him, and you q
fetches him; and the honors is easy.
And l put it to you, being far-mind-
ed man, and to you gentlemen, all,
as far-minded men, eff this isn't So"
'sPrisoner," said the Judge, inter-
terrupting, have you any questions
to ask this man ?" Z
f'NO! now continued Tennessee's L
Partner, hastily. "I play this var {
hand alone. To come down to the c
bedrock, it just this: Tennessee, thar, u
has played it pretty rough and eX-
pensive-like on stranger, and on II
this yer camp. And now, what's the ID
fair thing Some would say more $
some would say less. Here's seven o
teen hundred dollars in coarse gold a
and a watch,-it's about all my pile a
and call it squarep' And before a c
hand could be raised to prevent him II
he emptied the contents of the carpet u
bag on the table. d
For a moment his life was in jeOp- D
ardy. One or two men sprang to $
their feet, several hands grOped for v
hidden weapons, and suggestion to .
"throw him out the Window was on q
" overridden by a gesture from the
Judge. Tennessee laughed. Anda ap- I
parently ObliviOus of the excitement q
Tennessee's Partner improved the {
opportunity to mop his face again 7
with his handkerchief. I
When order was restored, and the Il
man was made to understand, by the d
use of fOrcible figures and rhetoric, a
that Tennesse's offence could not be Q
condoned by money, his face took ;
more serious, sanguinaTy hue, and Ii
those who were nearest to MIN notic-
ed that his rough hand trembled (
slightly on the table. He hesitated q
as he slowly returned the o
gold to the carpet-bag, as if he had o
not yet entirely caught the elevated {
sense of justice which swayed the .
tribunal, and was perplexed with the Il
belief that he had not offered enough.
Then he turned to the Judge, and say
ing, 'SThis yer is a lone hand, played
and without my pardner," he bowed
to the jury and was aboutto withdraw
when the Judge called him back. 'If
you have anything to say to Tennes- n
see, you had better say it nOw." For 4
the first time that evening the eyes of n
the prisoner and his strange advocate
met. Tennessee showed his white
teeth, and, saying, "Euchered, old c
man ~ held out his hand. Tennes- s
sees Partner took it in his own, q
and saying 'I just dropped in s.
as I passin' to see how things was I
gettin' on" let the hand passively e
fall, and adding that sit was a warm u
night, " again mOpped his face with t
his handkerchief, and without snoth- Ii
er word withdrew. d
The two mpU never apaiO mot I n