Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-08-27

Jenny and your child are dead Pat.
'Dcad?' he yelled. dead! dead.'
The two last words came out in hor-
rified, bewildered gasps, and springing
to his feet, The staggered back again t
the wall as whitc as ghost.
Yes i explained hurriedly. i was
out oftown the whole winter, and / only
learned the particulars IA day or two
ago. The gang i'll obedience to the
majors orders, first turned her into the
street, and then hunted her from
place to place so that she could not pro-
cure employmen t.
"And then while he stood there gasp
ping and glaring at me ! gave him the
whole sad and bitter story much as
you had it but more in detail.
Oh, the iicnds, the demons he 1T
last moaned, beginning to wiring his
hands, but without II tear onhis white
horror-wrinkled face And YOU Me-
Ardlc--cvcn YOU did not lift Il hand to
save her.
BY heaven, lIarnden.' cried, had
! been in the city and known your
vito was in trouble Grin want, I'd have
lost my right arm ut the shouldcr-blade
sooner than let her perish. 1t was no
fault Of mine
ooh, it matters not. WOrds-words
are nothing now cried the poor be-
reavcd fellow, suddenly towering be-
fore me, with blazing eyes and cloudy
brows like m ayengcr Of old. AT last
am alone alone in the world, with
every hope, every tender feeling blast
ed. They have killed my wife among
| them, Mac--my own Jennie that was
all the world to mc--pnd my child that
was ~ innocent ~ the angels IN heaven
Oh, had they no mercy Could they
| Listen to me, Mae, and what sam
about to SolcmnIy swear before High
heaven. I'll have life for life, hunting
for hunting, slcuth-hounding for sleuth-
bounding, so may the God of Justice
and of vcngcnce, hcl p me in my hour
of bitter need! ! swear, by all that is
sacred, to live but for one objcct-to
tear the mask of mystery from the
majors face, and to hunt him of the
face Of the earth And not him alone,
but MI of them, all, ALL all! Not II william
shall escape, male or female. Every
one Of the nccurscd Silver Gang every
mothers thief Of them shall feel il
thicf's power, j tnici's vcngenre, |
| shall constitute myself their Nemesis,
To hunt and hound them down forever
mOrcV
Harden fairly shrickcd forth those
Wild threatening words, after which he
staggered i,.to the chair again breath
ing so hard and looking 50 white that
hastcned into the adjoining saloon To
procure him some refreshments fearing
that he would faint But when | re-
turned he lad partly recovered, and
gently but firmly proilcrcd him, and
the former indulgence in which had
amid crime and sin.
81 may conclude my sketch by saving
that he has never touched 4 drop of
liquor since, and that he fulfilled the
requirements of his terrible onth, wild
and htful rs they seemed ut the mo-
mont Of their uttcrancc, to the very let
trt
lie turned detective, then, and
hunted down the mcmhcrs Of the gang
one by onc?'
Yes, or IN pairs or groups, replied
my narrator, ''Of course, it was some
time, owing to his antccedcnts, before
he could be intruStcd with regular de
tcctivc work But it was not long he.
fore he made himself cqalv admired
Ivy the force and feared by the thieves
in nm auxiliary capacity; and when he
was regularly commissioned rs II de-
tectivc, the cold-hloodcd, patient, re-
lcntlCss and systematic tenacity and
persistence with which he began to hunt
down, cntmp, inveiglc and pick oil the
members Of that gang was caution :
Sand the major"
"Nhy he was the fourth or fifth that
lIarndcn disposed of ~ i strange and
exciting strntngcm, auaccount ofWhlch
would make i capital sensation story
IN itself
His arrest, mmasking and exposure
was ono Of the newspaper hits Of three
Years ago He turned ont to he hig
gum named Montcith, who, while plan.
ming rohhcrics in secret for a long time
had been living ut the best hotels, and
cutting a swell in fashionable circles
which afforded him ample opportunit-
les for connecting the long series of
burgnries which he planned for his
suhordinatcs tn execute. He was sent
mp for twenty years, chiefly upon
llarndcn's testimony, and died miSer-
ably in prison, ofpncumonia, contracted
the quarrcs, only II short time ago.
And the two thieves convicted the
other day were, then, the last If these
banded criminals"
"Ncs. Harndcn has only been tive
years III pursuing the gang, often NJ the
imminent risk " his life. and numer-
ons and powerful rs they were, not
one Of them remains to-day to curse
our community, Either dead, fugitive.
or within priSou-walls, they have all
disappeared thanks to the piteeus
event that transformed n thief into mn
honest man, and brought about the
making of the Detectives Oath
cupid ~ n Bulldozer.
Cunning lt'al Clarion
James c. went To Jacksonville
L. i