The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1874-03-26

A TALE OF THE HEROIC ACE.
By EDWARD EaGLEsToN,
Auskor Of. Xoosier School. lMas-
ter" End Of tie World" etc.
From the Christian Union.l
irron, the Christian Union.l

ter" i. End Of tie Worid,' etc.
From the Christian Union.l
CHAPTER XVIII Co,tinucd)
When Morton awoke the next
morning In his rude bed in the loft,
be became aware that there were .
aumber Of men in the room below,
md he could gather that they were
talking about him. He dressed quick
" aud came down STAIRS. The first
thing he noticed was that the settler
Who had refused him bdging the
night before was the center Of the
group: the next, that they had taken
possession Of his rife. This settler
had reused the areggilstors," and
they had ceosss& -thsA Aoscek in fat
boat some miles below and come up
the stream determined to capture
this young horse-thief. II is . sim
gular tribute to the value of the horse
that among barbarous or half-civilized
people horse stealing is accounted an
offense more atrocious than homicide.
In such community TO steal mans
horse is the grandes, Of larcenies--it
is to rob him of the stepping-stone to
civilization.
For such philosophical reflections
as this last, however, Morton had no
time. He was in the hands Of an
indignsnt crowd, some Of whom had
lost horses and other property from
the depredations Of the famous band
of Micajah Harp, and all Of whom
were bent on exacting the forfeit
from this indifferently dressed young
man who rode horse altogether too
good for him.
Morton was conducted three miles
down the river TO a log tavern, that
being public and appropriate place
for the rendering Of the decisions Of
Judge Lynch, and affording, more
over, the convenient refreshments OF
whiskey and tobacco to those who
might become exhausted in their
arduous labors on behalf Of public
justice. There was no formal trial.
The evidence was given in a dis
iointed and spontaneous fashion; the
Jury was composed Of the whole
crowd, and what the Quakers call
the sssense Of the meeting was gath
cred from the general outcry. Ed
ucated in Indian wars and having
been left 1t 6rst w.tliout any courts
Of forms Of justice, the settlers had
come to believe their own expeditions
modes Of dealing will, the enemies Of
peace and order, much superior to
the prolix method Of the lawyers and
judges.
And as for Morton, nothing could
be much clearer than that he was ono
of the gang. The settler who had
refused him . lodging FIRST spoke:
"You see, seed in three winks,"
he began, .sthat that feller didn't
own The l,oss. lie looked kinder
sheepish. Nell, poked a few ques-
tions at him and / reckon ] am the
beatin'est man to ak questions in this
neck Of timber. l axed him whar he
come from, and he let it out that he'd
rid more n fifty miles. And | kinder
blazed away At praisin' his hoss tell
l got him off his guard, and then,
unbeknownst to him, treed him
suddenly. Jest axed him ef the
hoss vas his'n; and he hemmed and
hawed and says, says he, We'll, not
exactly mine.' Then to!e him to
put out"
"Did he tell you the mar wuzn't
adzackly his'nr' put in the youth
whose unwilling hospitality Morton
had enjoyed.
"Yes."
"Well, then, he lied one time or
nuther, that's sartain shore. He tole
me she wuz. And when / axed him
whar he was agoin', he tole me he
didn' know. suspicioned him then,
and tole him to clar ont; and he
wouldn'. Well, ] wuz agoin' to git
down my gun and blow his brains
out; but marin got skeered and didn't
want me to, and l lowed it was bet
ter to let him stay, and | 'low'd you
fellers mout may be come over and
cotch him, or hker'n no. some feller'd
come along and inquire arter that air
mar. Then he ups and says ef the
ole woman dom give him sompin' 10
eat she'd ketch it from Micajah
Harp's band. He said as how he
was member of that gang, An he
said he hadn't had nothin' to eat
sence the night before, havin' rid fer
twenty-four hours"
II didn't say" began Morton,
"Shet up your mouth tell Tn done
Haint you got no manners? | tole
him rs how didn't keer three con
tinental derns+ fer his whole band,
weth Micajah Harp throw'd onto the
top; but the ole woman wuz kinder
sorter afeared to find she'd cotoh a
ralc hoss-thief and she gin him lit
tie sompin' to eat. And he did gob,
BILE it I tell yo,t."
Young rawbones had repeated this
statement Q dozen times already since
leaving home with the prisoner. But
he liked to tell it. Morton made the
best defense he could and asked
them to send to Hissa wachec and in.
quire, but the crowd thought thai
this was only ruse to gain time
and that if they delayed his execu
tion long, Micajah Harp and bi'
whole baud would be upon them.
The mob-cQurt was unanimously
in favor Of hanging. The cry o
ssCome on. boys, let's string him up,
| was raised several times, and "rush
| es" at him were attempted, but thest
| rushes never went further than tn
iAcipient stage, for the very goo'
reason that while many were anxious
to have him hung, none were quite
ready to adjust the rope. The Law
threatened them on one side, and
dread Of the vengeance Of Micajal
Harp's cut-throats appalled, them Of
the other. The predicament in whicl
the crowd found themselves was
very embarrassing one, but thes'
administrators Of impromptu justic