Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1873-03-27
straightway in the door appeared Lots

side?"
"My husband is not able to attend to
business, tonight"
"But our business is important, and
cannot wait. If he does not come out,
we must come in"
Gentlemen, you cannot see my hus-
band to-nightP' Her voice was firm,
even, decisive; perhaps trifie more de-
cisive than usual.
The dog, crouching at her feet, gave a
low growl.
"Woman, we have no time to handy
wordsl Let us passF
The dog rose partly up, with q manac-
ing growl. The woman behind him
seemed to rise and expand in the white
heat of passion that possessed her. Her
voice rose high and shrill
"And | say you shall not passi you that
come, twelve armed men, with murder in
your hearts, to take an innocent man out
from the midst of his helpless children.
I swear that you shall not touch a hair of
his head to-nightp'
As she spoke, drawing with dexterous
hand "Colt's navy" from the folds of
her dress, she held it at full cock, bearing
straight upon the leaders heart. Not a
man among them but was touched at the
sight of this dauntless devotion; yet emo
tion must not prevent the discharge of
duty.
.'But this man has committed murder
the gravest crime known in the eyes of
the law. Public safety demands that we
deal with him according to the letter of
the law" expostulated the leader, more
moved than he cared to acknowledge.
A superb scorn overswept the woman's
features. Bending to touch the dog with
her hand, the huge creature drew himself
erect, angry and bristling, with lips drawn
threateningly back from his formidable
teeth. Then boldly throwing open the
cabin door, she pointed with upraised
finger, still holding the deadly weapon
aimed full at the leaders, breast. A
scathing contempt rang in her words:
"Does that man look like cut-throat? 4?
Can you all, looking inside this cabin,
to his wife and children this one last
night?"
She paused moment, glancing swiftly
around the circle of rough faces pressing
close upon her. The tableau within
showed Lot, crouching upon low camp
stool, pale, disordered, and shaking with
terror, clasping in his arms his youngest
born; the two girls, firm and fearless as
their mother, were planted at his knees;
while between him and the door, the ten
year-old, with dilapidated chair as q
rest, stood behind his fathers rifle.
The she-bear and her cubs were grit to
the backbone.
"Who are yoa?" she cried, eloquently
gesturing to the crowd with her unoccu-
pied hand, "that take the business of the
Almighty into your own hands, and send
the souls he has made unbidden into his
presence, without prayer for mercy?
Which would be the better,
you or him? Leave him to US
this night, and as surely as there is
a heaven above US, in the morning you
shall come in without hindrance! You
can guard the cabin. There is no danger
he will escape your
There was murmur among the "Vigi-
lantes." Their task was harder one
than they were prepared to execute; and
perhaps a thought of wives and children
at home moved them a little to this un.
wonted leniency. A brief conference,
and the leader said:
"Have your way. Make the most OF
your time. Well not disturb you until
morning."
"Yo1 are not deceiving me?" she said
watching the while with eyes which
seemed to pierce like sharp steel points
A hoarse murmur ran through the
crowd
''Nol mol Fair playl"
For a moment the woman's strength
seemed to fail, and she leaned heavily
against the easement; another, and she
disappeared within, the faithful dog fol
lowing pretectingly, close behind.
The men bivouacked around the cabin
disposing themselves for the night, two
or three appointed sentinels keeping Wig
liant watch. The other members of the
camp, unable to sleep, had kept wakefu
vigil, using our little influence and know
ledge of the accused's lnoffensive disposi
ton to mitigate, if possible, the prejudic'
which we found greater than the rea
weight of evidence against him.
In an affray, two men had been stabbed
one seriously, one fatally; and Lot
hand held bloody knife. Innocent n el
have been hanged, even afterfull judicia
trial, under circumstantial evidence ia
less convincing than this.
AS the night wore away, I restlessl.
paced the camp. An occasional sount
wise all was still.
Once, about midnight, after prolong
ed scratching at the door, it wa
opened to let out the dog. A stream
of light flashed cut, but I caught NJ
| glimpse of those within. The dog
poor fellow, as though his canine spiri
seemed to comprehend the fatal DANCE
impending over those he loved, wit
dropping head and pendant tail, slunl
through the open space.
"Good Lionl Poor fellow! Com
herer' I called.
He lifted his head at the sound of m
voice, raised his muzzle mournfully i
the air, then dropping it again, went on
soon disappearing in the adjacent chapal
raj.
At the first faint streak of day tn
"Vigilantes" bestirred themselves, and i
knots discussed the grave business befor
them. The excitement of the past nigh
had worn away, and in these calme
moments not one of those most eager fo
duty then, but wished himself relieve
from the painful responsibility devolvin
upon him.
There was yet no sign of life about tn
cabin.
Never, think, did the solemnity O
the occasion appeal more forcibly to tn
hearts of the "Vigilantes." The
were confident terribly confident
that the prisoner would be found guilty
| w I'LL NOlCCS SUBOuCu, dau 4ultL
they awaited the action of their leader
who humanely postponed, to the last pc!
sible moment, his official summons.
Just as the suns disk appeared abov
the horizon, three of the committee aG
vancing, knocked upon the door. Wit
eyes red and swollen with weeping, Lot
wife opened it wide.
With a sickening sensation I fail t
describe, awaitad what was to follow
A suggestive rope lay where it had bee
thrown, at the foot of a neighboring tire,
With a shudder I recalled the man
times Lot had sat under the shadow c
its branches, his children playing abor
his knees.
Chris and George had followed at th
heels of the other party.
A resounding slap upon the shoulde
nearly sent me reeling to the earth.
"By the great Moses, that little WI
mans brickr'
what is it, Christ" asked in astol
ishment; for his lively tone was anythin