Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1881-12-15


we hadn't all been out of sorts with our
luck, we should have had a word Of
welcome for the stranger as he entered
our camp that wretched afternoon. AS
it was, fifty of us saw him leave Chinese
Trail at Dead Mans Elbow and walk
into our camp, and never man rose up
to salute him.
| The stranger seemed to expect Just
such reception. That is, he didn't
seem bit surprised. He passed down
the single street we had named Road to
Riches, turned to the left at the lone
pine tree, and without once looking
around him he staked off claim and
began to erect shanty.
"Bad man, I'm afeared," growled
hJudge Slasher as he partly closed one
eye and gave the stranger the benefit Of
the squint.
"Bin bounced out Of some camp fur
stealin'," added the big chap from
Kentucky.
"Tell you, he's got a hang-dog look
put in the man known as "Ohio Bill
Every man in the camp was down on
the fresh arrival, and that without cause.
Ordinarily we were jolly set, and a
stranger coming among us met with
words of cheer, but that afternoon the
devil was to pay. The three mules
belonging to camp had strayed off and
been gobbled by the Indians, and on
the heels of this discovery came the an
nouncement that we had only salt
enough to last two days, while the sugar
was entirely gone.
So we were GLOSS grained and out of
sorts, and it was lucky for the stranger
that he gave us no excuse to pick
quarrel. The next day was bright and
fair, and if it hadn't been for Judge
Slasher some of us would have gone
over and excused our manners and
asked the stranger to chip in and be-
come neighborly but the Judge said !:
"He's bad un, he is. kin tell it
by the way his head is set on his body.
Fust thing we know committee will
come along here and gobble him up fur
robbery or murder"
Two weeks had passed and while
some of US had given the stranger curt
''good morning." no one had struck
hands with him, or entered his shanty
to smoke friendly pipe. Then
climax came. The six of us occupying
one shanty were working in common,
and our bag Of dust was buried in
corner of the fireplace. One morning
this bag was missing, and you can i'm
agine that there was first class row in
no time. There was the hole where
some one had dug under the stones and
carried off our treasure, and wnom were
we to suspect? We had faith in each
other, and we could notsuspect outsiders
because none of them knew where our
bag was concealed, and because this was
the first case of stealing ever known on
Betsy Jane Hill.
Bet, we were mad, and in the excite
ment Of the first discovery we came
near having a free fight among our-
selves. 1t increased our anger to dis
cover that we could not reasonably sus-
pect any one, and this fact made every
one Of us try the harder to pick up
clew. At length Judge Slasher sprang
to his feet with the exclamation:
"By the Bones Of Kidd but I know
the thief.me
"Who is he9"
s'That hang-dog, sheep-stealing
strangerl Hang me if didn't dream
of this coming in here last night to
borrow shovel, and 1t was his digging
under the stones which started that
dream He has held aloof from us,
and that's proof enough that he comes
here for no good purpose"
1t was straw to catch at. We had
lost in night all we had gained by
months of hard work, and we didn't
stop to reason. 1t was decided to lay
the charge at the strangers door, and il
he could prove his innocence so much
the better for him.
The news that the White House, as
we called our shanty, had been robbed,
spread like wildfre, and as we started
for the strangers claim our crowd num-
bered full hundred. He was outside
at work, and as he saw us coming he
was startled. The angry murmurs and
black looks must have frightened him.
You will say that an innocent man would
have stay ed and braved the storm. As the
crow swooped down on this man he
started off at run.
"Halti Halt, or well shoot r shouted
score Of men.
"He's the thief-stop himl stop
him r. roared the Judge.
Five or six shots were fred almost as
one, and the fugitive tumbled forward
on the rocks. Three bullets entered
his back, and as the foremost men bent
over him and turned his white scared
face to the heavens he gasped out:
"You have murdered me God for
give your
"Now to search him r. eaid the Judge
as he came up, and half dozen hands
made quick work Of it. Resting on his
breast, and made fast to his neck by
ribbon, was package wrapped in oil
skin. There was hutter OF excitement