The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-07-10
5000 DOLLARS REWARD.
NARRATIvE or A 4o.gR.

shading his sun-browned face with one
hand, while with the the other he
pointed to a group of toiling figures
far up on the hillside.
Hood and myself, with half q dozen
others, constituted the entire population
of Nugget Gulch, which must have
been named on account of the scarcity
of the yollow metal i'm the nugget
shape or any other. By hard and
patient labor We managed to collect
enough dust TO enable us to subsist,
and 80 were hardly inclined 10 give
very cordial welcome to new comers.
Poor devils, lawyers clerks and sich,
continued Jack, contemptuously; i say,
pard, if we kin rake or steal the dust,
let's vamose this hell-hole and stake it
for Frisco
Agreed y cried, Strengthening up,
partly to see if my back was broken,
and grasping the horny hand extended
to me; 'but if this wash don't pan out
any better than it has today, we'll never
get started to which unauswerablc
reasoning Jacks grizzled head shook a
sorrowful assent
Jack, | queried. as We went turning
in that night after our usual visit to
the grocery. liquor saloon and general
rendezvous, all IN one-'did you ever
see this man = and extracted from a
mass of letters greasy photograph.
and submitted it to the critical gaze of
my partner.
Five aces =" he CALCULATED. staring at
q. furn nv that IS hn
strangers down to the parsons ranch,
(the above mentioned saloon was run
by decayed preacher), the tall cuss
with the bad eye.'
Now, Jack, read this writing on the
back
Pard, yer think every one be's a
scholar because you be. l kin write
my name. Jack Hood'-wlth a faint
dash of pride-'but yer know as how /
can't read 'riten.'
Thus reminded. managed to de-
cipher the half obliterated scrawl, and
read the following:
This 10 the likoness OF Claud Devries the MUIR
derer Of Mr.. A. Howard, OF Winterville, n. Y.
perpetual reward OF $4,000 is offered for any
one who procures his arres. Address c. Howard,
Winterville. n. Y or Louis Is. Howard, 46 c.
street. San Francisco"
Now old man | haye concocted a
little scheme to win that stake; there is
some little risk, bnt we've both smelt
saltpeter before
And here's suthin, that'll spit in
terrupted Jack, proudly holding out
his six barreled Colt
And now about this murder. Jake.
Although all the boys call me Nick,
my real name is Nickerson, and / was
once in business in Winterville, where
this murder took place. 1t was done
for money, and this miscreant, Devries,
secured about l 800 by clubbing an old
man TO death. My idea is this: One
of the sons who offer this big reward
lives in Frisco, and if we can get the
fellow out of camp and tote him to
Sacramento. we can get him arrested
in good shape and divide on the dust.
Then we cau-'
Who's thar shouted Jake, as he
leaped for the flap of the tent which
served for the door, upseting me in his
passage.
No response came from out of the
darkness, but the stealthy tramp OF re-
ceding footsteps could plainly be
heard, warning us that our scheme was
known to some evesdropper.
Strange do year s'pose the young
feller rockonized year dow ter the par
sons:
Now that come to think of it, l did
remember that the dark, glittering eyes
of the suspected man fastened on me
with peculiar, inquiring gaze, and /
readily fell in with jacks opinion,
that Il we have ennything ter do with
that snake-eyed cuss we shsll have our
hands full
Without further conversation we
rolled ourselves in our blankets and
were soon buried in that dreamless
slumber that comes from complete ex-
haustion. know not how long / had
slept when l swoke with thrill and
an oppressive, suffocating feeling that
impressed me that l had been the vic
tim of nightmare.
In changing my position my left
hand accidentlly fell across my bed
fellow. and instantly withdrawing it,
| found that it was wet.
In an instant all the cobwebs of sleep
were brushed from my brain, and every
sense was strained To its fullest tension.
l silently passed my fingers to my
mouth. and knew at once by the salty
taste that they were stained with
blood.
For moment my own blood seemed
to thicken in nv veins with horror.
and my vivid fancy pictured phantom
arm. bearing the ensanguined knife.
ready to pierce my quivering frame.
The shock was brief, however, and
my first action was to reach under the
over-coat which served for q pillow,
and secure my trusty revolver Then
l lay mctionless. but Or the alert,
hoping that the cowardly assassin. who
had doubtless murdered my beloved
Jake, would betrsy his whereabouts in
the tent by movement.
And meanwhile my brain was busily
at work, striving TO invent some plan
to capture him and save my own life.
For | suspected this nights deed of
blood was not yet com pleted. and that
the murderous knife was withheld from
my own vitals only until sleep should
render me an uuresisting victim.
At last my plan was formed.
Jack had been first assaulted because
he lay upon the outside of the bed. and
determined to change places with him.
and thus compel my assailent TO reach
over me in order TO strike st my sup