The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-08-19

I fell IN the regulation way and gradually
I became quite intimate with the old gen
tleman. After the days toll was over
+ they would sit together IN front of-one
of the houses, smoking their pipes and
I talking about everything that came into
! their minds, with the exception that
| John Wesley was never alluded to 10y
either. They spent hours in this FASH
] ion, and at other times would gather IN
the village store near by, which answered
as the post Office, where they would join
in gossip and discussion while smoking
their pipes-in the manner so popular
| all through oTIr country.
4 The months passed in this fashion, and
/ the summer was pretty well gone, when
ole day the elder Hardin took letter
] to the office to mail 1t was IN g
7 cr1ndpfed, velfov envelope, ana cfSf ected
in a scrawling hand. The detective
walked to the store with Hardin, who
carried the letter in his pocket, and he
made up his mind that it was intended
for his son, John Wesley. This was the
very clue for which the officer had been
waiting all these months, and this was
the first time he had seen the reverend
gentleman take a letter to the Office 1t
was necessary to see the directions upon
the missive, and not only that, but he
y
without attracting the slightest suspicion
TO himself. He saw no chance to do
either while ON the road.
Within the office, the Rev Mr.. Hardin
brought a three-cent stamp, solemnly
licked it and then pounded it upside
down on one corner of the soiled envel-
ope with his horny fist, and finally
passed 1t over to the village postmaster.
WbIla ha ,t-oc anr,,raI -, tt,,e l,IsH,,.
ate proceeding the detective approached
the counter and asked the postmaster
for newspaper. The official turned to
look for it. The instant his face was
averted the officer glanced over the
shoulder of Hardin and read the super
scription on the envelope. He saw that
it was directed to a Mr. Samuel Jones.
of whom he had never heard, aud whose
postotiice address was n remote town in
Florida. 1t made no difference. The
detective was convinced he had discov-
cred the whereabouts of john Wesley
Hardin, Tor whose capture such a large
reward was waiting
The conversation went on rs usual
through the evening. The same parties
congregated after night. and the detect
i've and the Rev. Mr.. Hardin met and
smoked their pipes rs before, while the
weeks and months passed by. Finally
Mr.. Hardin's neighbor said he guessed
he would take n run mp to Austin to see
about selling some of his cattle. Ac-
cordingly he bade his friend good-by
for several days, mounted his mustang
and galloped of. He never stopped
travelling dispensing with his horse as
soon as possible-until he reached GER
tam remote town in Florida. where,
gotten mp as an ordinary everyday
laborer, he took little tramp through
the surrounding country. He was for
tunate enough that day to catch sight
II the mythical parsonage at work IN
eheek-bones, the small, piggy eyes, the
beardless face and slight muscular fig
ure belonged to John Wesley Hardin
and no one else That young man walk
ing about was a moving treasure-box of
500, ,00g, waiting for some one to come
and turn the KEY and walk Off with the
contents Did the officer do 1t? Not
by any means. He simply took the one
all-suficient glance and passed by and
out of sight. He would no more have
ventured over the fence into the field to
to arrest the desperate than he would
have attempted to put bit in the mouth
OF raging Bengal tiger.
In desuItory talk with the station
agent, who was also the telegraphist
near by, the officer learned that Sam
Jones was accustomed once or twice
week to take the cars and ride to sta
ton about twelve miles above, where he
was paying his addresses to some lady.
The officer made an arrangement by
which the agent agreed to telegraph him
of
lcal Sam Jones should board the train.
OF course the agent could be trusted to
keep the secret, as that was a part of
his business, though he was far from
snspecting the Importance of the case.
Having done all he could, the detective
took the cars to the station above, where
he spent several days in lounging about
and smoking bad cigars while waiting
for the dispatch. At the end of three
days it came.