The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-12-28
.juns, were coming down on .scalping trsil

inJuns" were coming down on = scalping trSil
upon the diggings, Ne1t, he hurried down the
street, beating heavily with his fist on every
frane door, aud kicking bard at the log walls
81 the successive shantles. In a few minutes
the whole pike was out and alive. Unwhole-
some-iooking men, IN upwashed flannel shirts
and loose trouses, mostly barefooted in their
haste, came forth to inquire, with an unneces-
cary wealth of expietiyes, what the something
was stirring. Pete, breathless aad wrathful IN
the midst, iivid with rage and Disappointment,
could only shrek aloud: "Cap'n Plerpoibt has
cleared out of camp and taken all the plate
with him!" There was at first 40 incrednlous
shouting and crying; then . general stampede
toward the bank shanty; aud, finally, as the
truth became apparent to everybody, . deep
and angry howl for vengeance on the traitor.
In one moment Capt. Pierpoints smooth
faced villainy dawned as clear as day to all
Avlmer's Pike; aud the whole chorus of gam
blers, rascais and blacklegs stood awe-struck
With horror aud indignation at The more plansl-
bic rogue who had succeeded in swindling even
them. The clean washed, white-suir ed, fair
spoken villain! they would have his blood for
tnls, If the United States marshal lad livery
mothers son of them strung up in a row for II
after the pesk business was oucs fairly over.
When the boys really understood that they
had been completely duped, they swore vou-
Seance in solemn fashion, and they picked ont
two of themselves to carry ONT the oath lna
regular assembly. Eacn contributed of his
subs alce wlias he was able; and Pete and
pStibS Nv t4hht "ApAA tos''''
wratl, than all the rest put toseiher, were
unanimously deputed to follow the captains
tracks to San Francisco, aud to have his life
whatever ard whenever they might chance to
ind HIM. Pet and Hiram accepted the task
thrust upon them, con amore, and went forth
zaaIonslv to hnnt mp rllstdoomsd life oil Capt.s
Montague Geresfosd Pierpoint
4 Society in Sarnia admitted that Capt. Pier
point was really quite an acquisition a. a
1 49,, tt~, 81 ea,t all ,-l "a lao -, ~, pv.a l.o ~
ly well born, the son of an English country
Clergyman, educated at \ respectable grammar
school, and CAPABLE of being all thing. t" all
men in whatever station of life II might please
Providence to place him. w.
somehow or other, everything seemed to go
wrong with Capt. Picrpoint's cargoes. He was
always losing scow laden with the best fall
wheat from Chicago for Buffalo, or running q
lumber vessel ashore on the shoals of Lake
Eric, or getting a four-master jlmmel' in the
ice packs on 1.-THE, St Clair river; apdNthough
the Insurance. companies continual y declared
that Capt. pierpoint had got tho better of
them, the captain himself wa, wont 10 COM
pam that no insuran :e could ever possibly
coyer the losses he sa stair 81 by tho clreics'-
ness of his subordinatss or the constant per-
versity of wind and waters,
However this might be, it happened curious
ly enough that. III spite of all tns !os5 =, Caps.
Pierpoint seemed TO grow richer AMI richer
visibly to the uakel eve, Wit each reverse of
his trading efforts. He took a handsome house.,
set up u carriage and y in, aud madsIov1 TO
the p%rettiest and sweetest girl in all Sarnia
The prettlest and sweetest elrl wa not proof
against Capt. pierpoiut's sul"c tongno aad
handsome house: aud. she mtrrlei him Ia very
lsgood faith,f hon estly believing III him, as good
woman VII TIA scoundrei, and ciingtn5 to
him fervently with all her ncart aud soul. No
la ppier and more loving par in all Sarnla than
Capt and Mrs, Pierpoiut
Some months after the marriage Capt. Pier
point arranged to take down a scow o. nat
bottomcd boar, laden with grain, from Miiwsu-
kee for the Erie caaal. took up the scow
himself, and. beforehe Started for the voyage,
it Wi. a curious fact that he went inpsrsan
down into the hold, bored eight large holes
rightthrnugh the bbtton aud hlled each mp, as
he drew out the anger, with Z caulked plug
made exactlyto fit it, aud hammered firmly
into place wlth a wooden IN tlet, There was II
ring in each plug, by which it could be pulled
out again without much difiicuity; and the
whole eight were ali placed along the san6waY
of the hold, where no cargo would lie on top
of them. The scDw's name WAS the Fortune.
1t took only two men and tie skipper TO nav
igata the Sow, for lake craft lowed by steam
propellers are ALWAYS very lightly manned, and
when Capt Pierpoint reached Milwaukee,
where he was to take in cargo, he dismissed the
two sailors who had come VITA him from
Surnia, and euga.cd two fresh hands at The
h4rbor. Rough, miner-hoohinS men they wcre,
with very little of the sail"r about them, bu!
Capt Pierppints sharp eyes soon told him they
were the right sort of men for HIS purpose,
and he engaged them on the spot wIthou II mo-
menl's hesitation.
Tnev had disguised themselves rs well as
they were able, AMI III their clnusey knavery
they thought they had completely deceived the
captain. But almost from tao moment the
captain saw them no knew who they were, AMI
he took his measures accordingly. ''Stupid
louis ~ he said TO himseif, with the fine con-
tempt of an educated scnundrel for the un
sophisticated natural ~rnffian; "here'a a iine
,l,ny,pn al liIIipr iIyn iir1s with n 4'nnnl'i
and when the captain said the worl "killing"
he said it in ms own mind, with a delicate,
sinister emphasis. which meant business.
AS soon as sh, was once clear Of the wharf,
and while the busy shipping OF tho great port
still surrounded them on every side, Capt.
Plcrppintcalmlv drew his revolver and took
his stand beside the hate les. 9Pete and
Hiram" he said quietly to his two assistants,
Il wait 10 have u little serious talk With you
two before W. go any further 4s@Fpt
If he had fred upon them outright instead
of merely calling them by their own names,
the two common conspira'ors could not haze
started more unfoisnelly, or looked more IN
speakably cowei. than they did at that mo-
menL Their first impulse was TO draw their
owe revolvers in rc,urn; but they saw in u
second that the captain was beforehand with
them, and that they had better not try to shoot
him before the Very eyes Of all Milwaukee.
Now, bnys,n the captain went on steadily,
with his finger on the trigger aud his eye fixed
straight on the mems faces, Eve three quite
understand one another. took your savings
for reasons of my own; and you have shippei
here today 10 murder me on the voyage. But /
rocogniz d youbefore engaged you, and | have
left word u, Milwaukee tlatif anything happens
to me on tais journey, You two have a grudge
against me, and must be hanged for il. I've
laken care that if this scow comes into any
port along the lakes without me aboard, You
two are u be promptly arrested" (THis was
false, of course, but to Capt. Pierpoint Il small
matter like that was a mere trihe.) "And I've
sAipped myself along with you just to show
you Pm not AFRAID of you, But if either OF
lyon disobsys my orders in ~anything for one
minute, / shoot at once. and no jury in Canada
or the States will touch q hair of my head for
doing it. am q respectable shipowner and
grain merchant; you're q mir of disreputab'e,
skulEing miners, pretending TO be sailors, and
you've shipped aboard here on purpose to mnr-
der and rob me. If you shoot me. it's murder;
if / shoot you, !t'sSjustitiaple homicide. Now,
boys, do you understand that"
Pete looked at Hiram and was beginning 70
speak, when tho captain interrupted him in the
calm tone of one having authority. Look
here, Pete" he said, drawing a chalk line amid
ships across the deck, 'yous stand this side of
that line and bypu Stand there, Hiram Nov.
mind, ifseither Of yon chooses to stap across
that line. or to confer with tho other. | shoot
You, whether it's here before all the eyes of
Milwaukee, or alone in the middle of Huron.
4 You must each take yonr own counsel and do as
youlik for yourselves. But I've gota Little plan
of my own on, and if you choose willingly to
help ms in it your fortunes made. Look at the
thing squarely, boys; what's the use of your
killing me? Sooner or later you'll get hung for
it, and it's a very unpleasant thing. l can assure
you, hanging."2 AS the captain spoke lie placed
his nnoccupiedsh hand loosely on his throat and
pressed it gently backward. Pete aud Hiram
snuddered Il little As he did so. 'Well. what's
tho good of ending your lives that way. eh ?
BuETm doing a little speculative business on
these takes, where / want Just snch a compile Of
man assYou tMo-men thatll do inst as they're