The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-07-03
THE HRIGANlS Of THE WEST,
j Q H N = . N O,
WOLF OF THE PRAIRIES.

At the close o; our last chapter. we left the
fugitive murderers OF Colonel Davenport con-
cealed at the den OF old Mother Long, in Owen
county, Indiana. Two OF their stolen horses
had been sold at Bowling Green, by Hiram
Long and Shack Phlpps. and they still retained
the race mare and fine gelding for the pur-
pose Of further speculation, and OF further
travel. They had now ceen four days at the
house OF Phlpps aud at this stage OF their pro-
ceeding, Long, with characteristic caution,
evinced desire to change his quarters. lie
had been unwilling to select the Owen county
station for stopping place at the beginning,
and now that two horses had emerged from
the seclusion and appeared for sale in Bowling
Green. in the hands OF men so suspicious as
his brother and Shack Phipps, he could not dis
possess himself Of a preseutiment OF danger
that seemed to be continually impending over
his head. He therefore proposed to his COM
rades that thew should leave owen county at
once. and prosecute their main intention, with
out any further delay. Fox. however, discour-
aged his extreme haste, and urged that they
could certainly remain day longer. and then
/ he would have received some word from his
father, to whom he had dispatched a message,
which would leave hum a. liberty 70 keep them
company.
While this debate was going on, the sheriff
of Clay county. in which Bowling Green was
situated was making his preparations TO pro-
ceed 10 the residence of old Mott er Long to
seize the thieves wbc had appeared in that
town with the stolen horses. and also to
take into custody su other marauders and
felonious property which be might find at that
atrocious haunt. By evening he was ready,
and with large posse under his command, he
moved from Bowling Geeen. under the cover
of darkness towards the brgand lair.
lt was about midnight when he aud his par
ty dismounted at the distance OF few hundred
yards and cautiously approached it on foot
Surrounding it on all sides with his men, the
sheriff went in person to the door and sum-
moned the inmates TO open, but as he did so,
he exhibeted the caution OF Withdrawing his
body on one aide OF the entrance, so as TO be
oat OF the road OF any pistol which one Of the
desperate inmates might discharge \ long
pause succeeded this announcement. lt was
lOlONSu DN dilOIDcI huOChlDE, Dul sun lIO an
swer came. In reply however, 10 third sum-
mons, there was rustlng within. and the
voice OF the Old hag OF the station was in the
next moment heard at crevlce by the latch,
asking the meaning OF this disturbance OF an
honest household at such an unseemly hour.
The sheriff replied that he had not come all
the way from Bowling Green TO hear nonsense
or to be refused. He had sufficient strength
with him to force the door, or if that failed he
had means to burn the dwelling down. To be
brief then, he must come in At this moment
Shack Phipps approached the door and joined
his remonstrances to those of the old crone,
but the sheriff's inexorabe answer was that il
everything abou. the house was right, as they
pretended, there would no harm come to any
Of the inmates, by showing it, but whether il
is right or not, concluded he, we are here to
overhaul it, and open 1t must come
Up to this time no voices had been heard ex-
cept those of Mother Long and PhIpps, but the
sheriff could now hear, by laying to the logs
the sound of other persons stirring themselves
about and whispering. as II in council as TO
what was to be doue. lie broke in upon this
muttering delay with another laundering sum-
mons, and gave additional force to it by threat
enipg to sci fire 10 the building unless the door
was opened in FIVE minutes.
At the expiration OF that time the door was
opened and forth from the dark pitch aperture
sprang three men, There was no blow struck,
no pistol was fired to ilume the night outside.
but il was simply desperate bound OF strong
men for liberty and life. The preparations
however we're too close for this purpose to be
accomplished. and not one OF them broke the
firm circle that was drawn before the hut
Nevertheless, though none escaped. the three
marauders dwindled as il by magic into two'
and one Of them melted completely out Of the
captor's hand. That one was Hiram Long.
and the two in custody we're Fox, the robber
of the race mare, and Shack Phipps. Birch
and John Long had left in the afternoon
The escape of Hiram was managed with pecul-
lar adroitness, and was worthy OF the genius
even of his more renowned brother. In des-
perate exigencies like that we have just des-
cribed, it is usual for men to select course,
each for himself and carry it out with all the
nerve and spirit possible, without regard to the
particular expedients to be adopted by their
comrades. Hiram, on the basis Of this, every
man for himself policy, had resolved at first
to rely upon an effort to break the phalanx by
sudden burst. but finding that Intellectual, he
suddenly changed his intention and seizing his
comrade Phipps by the collar, acted as one of
the posse for his apprehension. lie himself
was seized at the same moment, but catching
the name OF the man who had hold Of him
from the chance expression OF fellow at his
elbow, be addressed him familiarly and with
laugh told him he had better change his hold if
he wanted to help secure the right customers.
Some plunges Of Phpps for extrication from
HIram's grip gave color to this remark, and
with laugh, the Bowling Green officer let go
Of one rogue and took hold of the other
Hiram then shook Phipps al the stronger for
attempting to make resistance, but while pre-
tending TO push him towards the shed where
the horses we're fastened, he seized favor
able opportunity and slipped off into the
woods. The entire prize of the captors, there
Tore was Fox and Phipps, while John Long
md Birch, saved by the canton or presenti-