The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-04-13

1t was too late to leave the cabin unob
served, but there was the closet. Acting
on the thought, hastily gathered my
gun and accoutrements, slipped into the
recess, and pulled to the door. l had
hardly done 30 when several men en-
tered; how many it was impossible to
discover in the darkness. There was less
difficulty in distinguishing the character
of the visitors. Their rude discourse,
interlarded with coarse and brutal Oaths,
related to some deed of violence already
done, or nearly completed. As they
continued, learned to my horror that
my own robbery and murder had been
planned, and that these men, by whom
was suspected to have about me con.
siderable sum, had been looking all day
for me in the woods.
81 say, Blant Durton," spoke one OF
them, "yOu'll have TO do better shootin'
this bout than you did the last time
'twon't do to miss thisy chapp
You needn't brag, Jim Snipples; !
kin take the consate o. you, right now,
efyou're mind to try" was the answer.
80! as likes not" replied the other
one mans shootin's as good as another's
in the dark"
"That needn't be no excuse" put in a
third voice. "We kin hev light wood
fire in two jiffies, an leetle sport'll sarve
to pass away the time."
The fire was kindled, by the light OF
which, through crevice between the
closed door and the jamb, / saw three
worse cut.throats than l had supposed
could be found even in Shelby county.
"Ill Jest stick a ritle-patch on this yer
door for mark" said the last speaker,
approaching my hiding place, can you
kin take your revolver an 60 to t'other
end of the room an pop away"
A thin board of soft pine is but poor
protection against a Colts Navy" To
break from my concealment, or lie close
and take the chances, were the alterna-
tives l had to choose between, and that
quickly. Either course seemed desper-
ate. If remained, my body was di-
rectly behind the mark, with no room to
turn to either side and to leave my shell
ter was to rush into hands waiting to
shed my blood.
There was another chance. !, too,
carried revolver, and was not without
skill in its use. The crevice already
mentioned gave me a full view of the
man called Durton, who was already to
take the first shot.
Cautiously cooking my pistol, ! raised
it and took deliberate aim at the villain 8
heart. / experienced none of the tremOr
l had felt in the morning. My life de-
pended on the steadiness Of my hand,
and it was steady. Durton's pistol was
leveled at my breast, when the report of
my own broke the stiffness. The bandit
fell forward, his limbs convulsed in the
struggle of death!
His companion advanced step, as If
to his assistance, then glared wildly
around, and, like men appalled, by a
sense of unknown danger, turned and
fed in terror from the scene. Nor was
my own departure longd delayed.
Wolves and catamOunts were better
company than l had met with there,
and, at the risk of encountering them, l
plunged into the forest.
Luckily it was soon daylight, and l
shortly fell in with couple of hunters,
who, after hearing my story, accom-
panied me to the cabin.
"Blant Durtonp p exclaimed one of
them, as his eyes fell on the dead body
the biggest scoundrel in all Texas, and
down on our book for an early lynching.
You've saved us some trouble, stranger"