Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1871-03-01
THE MAH-HUNTER.
BY J. LESLIE LARNER.

Halt william! On your lie, matt.
The lightning flashed out for mo-
ment on the dark road, lighting up the
pale features Ofa young man upon whose
face was written fixed and desperate
purpose.
You are a william, Jem Harding re-
piled the person addressed, fiercely. Il
tell you the money is mine, and l will
have it,
James Harding raised his rife. The
horseman was not ten feet away.
'One step further, Hugh Brainard, and
you die'
The horseman drew up instantly.
iShOotp he cried tauntingly; Shoot an
unarmed man.
Twill, rather than permit you to hunt
down the innocent, replied the other,
still pointing the rifle at the hOrseman's
head,
Tnnocent! ha, han Knocked Hugh
Brainard; then, looking sterniy at his
assailant, he, said, banteringly:
You dare not fire, Jem Harding
Maddened by these taunts, the one
with the rife fingered nervOusly the
trigger. This mans life and another
were in his hands. At that moment
steps were heard approaching. James
Harding lowered his weapon and rush.
ed into the woods.
4 would save him. he muttered, but
cannot; they will hunt him down.
He looked toward the road. Another
| flash of lightning revealed a party Of
men hurrying down the street from the
village.
perhaps I can warn him. The dis
tance is much nearer through the
woods. At any rate, will try
/ With these words he threw down his
rife and dashed madly through the for
est.
The man he was striving to befriend
was a supposed murderer. Three nights
before Herbert Clayton, the newly ar.
rived young doctor of the village, had
been found dead by the roadside, with
an ugly cash in his temple, plainly in
dicating that it was q murder.
Circumstances pointed to Raul Rush.
ton, wild, fiery youth, as the guilty
party. He had been heard to threaten
the doctor only the day before; he had
! been seen with the victim near the fata
spot only a short time before the mur
DER knife was found near by with his
name engraved upon the handle. Al
these facts were deemed sufficient II
warrant his arrest.
I
could not be found. Everybody wa!
now convinced of his guilt, and the eX
cited villagers offered five hundred dol
lars reward for his capture. FOremOs
among the VOIunteets came Hqgf
Brainard, The accused had been hi
rival, and he hated him with an undy
ing hatred.
Incited as much by passion as by tht
offered reward, he searched day anC
might, determined to hunt down his foe
On the third day he tracked the fugu
tive to his retreatin neighbOring city
and, accompanied by , the officers
brought him to the village in triumph
The reward was his.
But Paul RushtOn was desperate, anl
that night dug his way out of the damn
cellar in which he had been confined il
lieu of a Jail.
Again was his blOodthirsty foe on Inf
tack, and again did he discover his sc
cret hiding-plaee,
1t was at the house of his friend, jaime
Harding.
Determined on the capture Of his enc
nv, Hugh Brainard was riding hard t
inform the village authorities of hi
discovery, when he was thus summaril
stopped, as above described by Hardin
himself.
Fooled in his endeavors to keep hi
friends hiding-pIace a secret, Hardin
now fastened to warn him of his dan
, ger. But the night was dark, the fol
est dense, and, guided only by the occa
siOnaI flashes of lightning from the ar
preaching stOrm-cloud, he made but iii
tie headway against the opposing bUshe
and brambles which beset his path.
+ Il shall be too late,' he cried. The
7 will take him; they will drive him away
and-oh, il will kill Graceu
T Frenzied at the thought, he dashe
+ wildly on, but the next moment fel
stunned and bleeding, to the ground
In his blindness his head with great V
olence had struck the limb of hug
} tree. The cold beating of the rain o
> his face awakened him to conscious
i ness.
D The storm had burst upon the fore
with all its fury. Rising hastily up, /
4 groped his way on until his own lit
clearing was reached, Eagerly he lool
: ed toward the house. 1t was SURROUND
(. ed by group of excited men. He WI
n too late.
Bang! Crash! He heard them beatir
down the doors. He heard Hugh Brail
, ards harsh voice demanding to be show
: the way to the cellars. He saw thToug
the shattered door fairyOung girl stri'
ing with uplifted arms to keep hi