Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-06-12
banks friends, I thought to myself,
getting up and walking to the open

get1iue Up Auu waking I'd the open
door.
There, )by the wavering reflections
cast out from the wood fire in the fire.
place inside, / saw ten or eleven men on
horseback facing me, each with revolt
yer pointed straight at my head.
Throw mp Your hands !" cried 8 stern
voice from behind one of the pistols.
/ obeyed instinctively, resistance was
out of the question; I had, concluded,
fallen INTO the clutches Of road agents.
"We've unpleasant business with you
my friend, the leader continued. aYou
probably know what's coming-since
you've paid no heed to our warning :"
and he pointed to the placard on the
tree by the shanty. -"
I utterly failed to understand, or
gain so much as hint Of their mean
ing. Even as the leader spoke, they
all sprang off their horses, which two Of
their number took to hold; two others,
stepping determinedly forward, seized
me by my appraised arms, one on each
side, while the fifth, whipping lariat
from beneath his sscoat, threw moose
over my head which drew rather un-
comfortably tight and held so.
Inow saw that it was a case of pro-
spective lynching, and that I was prob
ably mistaken for some other man
fairbanks. most likely. immediately
and most vigorousl y demonstrated with
them:
"Whom do you take me for?" I OK
claimed with great heat. "What are
you hanging me for ?" etc.
s'Forward?' the leader ordered; and
in the midst of my remonstrant out
cries, 1 was forced along, out through
the willows to the trail and thence on
ward to orag beside it, where two &C.
dars grew, oyerhanging the path below.
My shouts, my frantic denials of hay
ing been guilty of any crime, anil my
vehement assertions that my name was
not Fairbanks, made not the least i'm
preston on my captors, and were re-
ceived with nothing more than an in
credulous laugh.
The leader now spoke again. al
Fairbanks, alias Henry Dothan, alias
Charles Campbell" he said slowly, i'm
placably, eve know all about you. Mon
tana's no further use for ye. We gave
you a fair chance; and if you had been
disposed to be decent man, none of
your old record would have been dug up,
though you were double-dyed criminal
when you came here. You robbed
sluices at Deadwood and Silver Gulch.-
We knew all about ye when ye first
came here. But we gave you chance
for yourself. You would go on the old
road though. Last week you broke in
to camp at Bannock; and not month
ago, you shot and robbed a miner not
two miles from here. Fact, we've let
you run altogether too long. If you've
any remarks to make, we'll listen-two
minutes"
Again protested that was not the
man, that my name was Stuart, that I
had but just arrived at Fairbanks cabin !;
and for moment or two I hoped that
my frantic asseverations had produced
some effect. The leader took lantern
which one of the party carried and held
it close to my face. They looked at me
searcbingly.
"Thls is Fairbanks fast enough!" one
said; the others agreed with him.
Don't waste your breath in use
less lies about yourself" said the leader
of the committee.
I thought of home, and of my sister,
the only living relative whom I now
had. IF you will murder me-" ex-
claimed, "send my watch and my pock-
et-book: to my sister. Miss 7. r. s.,
Pennsylvania.
"Give that address again, please, :"
said the leader, taking out notebook
and pencil. I repeated it and he wrote
it down, saying, "All right; they shall
go as you direct"
While he spoke two others of the
party seized my arms. Suddenly they
stopped and spoke to the leader, who
stood in front of mo. He went round !;
T felt that they were examining my
wrists. But why?
wv. S. on both of them" one said.
Then I recollected the initials ON my
wrists, in Indian ink, with which, when
q boy at school, I had been pricked on
each arm, and along with them an
anchor.
"Those are my initials-for William
Stuart!" Exclaimed. "They were put
there years ago. That is my name."
1T is just possible" the leader said
to the others. eve will keep him till
tomorrow.
Forthwith I was hurried back to the
shanty, mounted on horse and thence
taken, closely guarded, across the coun-
try, by moonlight. to Bannock City.
Here I was thrust into a cellar, and
left in darkness till the following even
ing, when three men appeared at the
door and babe me come up.
With some natural anxiety I respond
ed to the call, when brief apology was
made me for the Inconvenience" to
to which I had been subjected. was,
moreover, advised to keep close
mouth as to what had occurred, and al
pany I was found in future.
Fairbanks, alias Campbell never
saw nor heard of afterwards. It is
quite apparent that having received q
"permit to travel" from the vigilants, he
had seen fit to do so and leave me to ex-
plain to these summary gentlemen as
best could.
I found the law of keeping ones self
among good associations was the way
of safety even in a new country, and I
was glad enough afterwards to follow
the advice of my new friends, and to
be more cautious in whose company I
was found" s%.
Planting Gardens.
The floating gardens in certain parts
of Mexico are among the greatest curl
osities to be found in that country.
Says recent visitor: -c..
when q tract Of vegetation composed
Of reeds, water.plants and bushes, in.