The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1880-06-10
"The old smooth bore is as deaf as a

"The old smooth bore is as deaf as
stone," he remarks, having Satisfied
himself as to my deafness, and then he
went on with q narrative which had
been interrupted.
l soon ascertained that they were on
their way to Penfeld, to rob a mer-
chant. They had everything arranged
to commit the crime the next night,
and the one who put up tho plan gave
all the details as to how the robbery
was to be committed, where they would
run:to, and guess as to each ones
share.
:'What about Luke?" inquired the
other one, after the plot had been dis.
cussed.
"Oh L Ike will be there on time," re-
piled the man. "He has kept devilish
shady since that business at L--,
but now wants to make a haul and dig
for the far west. You needn't fret
we can depend on him."
Before we got to the village the men
tried M again, but I could not hear ex-
cept wh,l they shouted in my ear, and
they wele sure that the conversation
had beer, strictly private. While tney
put up at the hotel, I went to the house
of deputy sheriff, intended to remain
concealed all the next day. had OF
course to state my business to the off,
Ger, as I must have his aid, and he,
the simpleton that he was, related the
whole story to his wife after they had
retired. Thus it naturally came
about the day, while I was ]y-
ing shady, but planning how to capture
the burglars, the woman was retailing
my plans to the neighborhood. When
night came there were six Of us ready
pounce upon the burglars, but there
were no burglars to be found.
The fellows had got wind of tn @ affair
and were off, and / had lost the second
only reliable clue to the Arnold MUIR
der which had been ever able to find.
Som es after this, while in the city
of Rochester, caught sight of hand
resting on the window-sill of a horse-car
"a large red hand. The hand was
nothing strange, but the thumb was
! missing.
I did not wait an instant to think.
leaped from the car, entered the other
and there sat my friends of the stage.
coach on either side of the owner OF the
hand-"a big man with red hair and
whiskers." They all jumped up as
entered, butl hung fast to Luke, and
soon had the bracelets on him allowing
the others to get away. He had no Idea
who was, and took care not to hint at
the charge against him until had him
back at L..
My arrival created much exciter ent,
as pursuit of the murderer had from
the first, been deemed hopeless. Many
commended that I had not secured the
right man, and Luke protested never
to have been in that part of the state
before. The child was several miles
away from the village, but I sent for
him. It had been a year since the
murder. Little Jack bad almost for
gotten the circumstance, and of course
the murderer had changed some; but /
had strong hopes that the child would
be able to identify the man, and l was
not disappointed.
Waiting until evening, I conducted
Jack into a. room where Luke and a
dozen citizens were sitting. The little
fellow had no knowledge of what we
intended, and for some time did not see
the murderer. When he did he uttered
a loud shrek, ran to me, and exclaim-
ed:
"There's the big man who hit grand
pa and grandma!'
Luke braved it out to the last; even
when the purchaser of the watch testi-
fed to his identify he kept bold face,
and went to some pains to attempt to
prove all alab;; but when convicted,
mainly on the testimony of Little Jack,
who sllivered and trembled at the
sight of the man: the prisoner knew
he was done for, and cried out in
anger.
swell, am the man! I saw the boys
eyes looking at me after had finished
the old 'uns, but had done enough,
and could not kill him, curse the brat!
I now regret nothing except that did
not split his head open!"
And standing on the gallows, about to
be launched into eternity, the man
used his last moments to curse the
child witness who had cow icted him OF
the awful crime.