River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-06-09

of the precipice, two thousand feet be-
low to where the shadows were dark
ening over long stretch ofpines. swell,
jim Cortland came up the river, this
afternoon, on the ontside of them
woods came up on the inside"
Here met the steady gaze of the
trapper, and was struck with a sud
den fear. | had come up to the river
along the edge of the pine forest.
Could he suspect me of being a muir
derer?
But on the second thought felt east
err. The other stranger might have
come up where | did, and could east
ly prove an abb at the time of the
murder by my friends in Virginia
City.
All this passed rapidly in my mind
while the gambler was saying:
"Are you sure you've spotted the
right man? You never saw him. All
you've got to go by is the description
given by the Beaver Ridge menu
II know the man Fam AFTER" assert
ed Lewis. "He's about your size"
closely watching the gambler, who
never changed muscle as he gazed
in the fire. Under the sarcumstan-
ces, kin describe him pretty close.
He's got black hair, black beard and
square shoulders. His face is little
tawny, and his nose peacked. He's
tough-lookin' cuss, but he won't kill
another man, unless he gifts over me.
I'm on his trail, and one or tother of
us'li have to kick the bucket
answered to this loose description,
and so did the gambler, but there was
no other point IF resemblance between
us.
eff you are certain as to the man."
said the stranger, with cool glance AZ
Lewis, "let's all go for him. How far
ahead is he now, do you think? Come,
old man, give us a hand in the game"
I'm do that, stranger. But the muir
derer amt ahead of this crowd-not
much he amt"
ooh, then you've passed him-you
are on the lay for him?" said the gam
bier, looking uneasily down the rugged,
dmkenng slope which we had ascend
ed,
ale amt behind neither" said Ace
Lewis.
what! Then it must be this galoot."
with one hand, while the other rested
on his revolver, and his eyes were fixed,
not on me, but on Abe Lewis.
Before could make a move the old
trapper cleared me of the charge.
NO sir" voci:erated Lewis, at the
same instant drawing his revolver.
Jim Cortland whipped out his weap-
on, and both men fired
The gamblers revolver flashed first
but the ball sped harmlessly over the
head of the trapper.
Young Andrews had knocked up the
villains arm at the right moment,
The shot fred by Lewis took effect
in the murderer's brain, and he fell
backward over the log, dead
The trapper Immediately approached
the body of his victim, and lifting it up
as If it was mere child's, he bore it to
the brink of the precipice and hurled
it down over the loose rocks.
Several big stones accompanied it in
its downward course, and 1t was soon
swallowed up in the gloom that was
deepening over the canyon.
81 couldn't bury him to better add
vantage among these rocks If he
comes to life, he can't climb out of
that hole, said Abe Lewis, cody re-
Stunning his pipe before the fire.
But the chances of any spark of life
remaining in the body of the murderer
of poor George Atwood, after the we'll
directed shot from old Abe's revolver
had reached its mark, was very small
indeed; and so, without further thought
on the subject, we wrapped ourselves
in our blankets, and turned in" for the
night.
We were reused from our slumber
early next morning by Abe, who had
prepared our morning meal, after par
taking of which as our paths lay in
different directions-I being ON my
way to join my old ''pardner" in the
mountains, and Abe and his young
Yankee friend being engaged in their
regular business of trapping, we parted
company.
Thus, after long years of pa lent
search, had Abe Lewis avenged the
murder of his old partner George At
wood; and with consciousness that
he had done his duty by his dead
friend, we separated as we took one
last look over the yawning precipice
where had that day been an eye-wit-
ness to "The Tragedy of the Cliff"