Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-12-23

| rougnS m0ttied gray eye and Goa
black beard and natty French hcels a,
he tripped from bar to bank and from
bank back to bottle. But he always
seemed the same even to SO suspicious
an eye as Valiton's.
There was no way to get hold of him.
1t is true Walton knew, as did all the
old-timers in the camp, how Burroughs
had jumped Widows claim and
worked it by main force, arming his
miners with pistols and shot guns, I'M
til the widow had drowned herself in a
deserted shaft, and there being nobody
left of the earlier, sparse inhabitants
to succeeds TO her rights, and fight her
battles. And Walton knew, as did
many others, how Burrough had al
ready taken good many thousands
out OF that same mine and had so laid
the foundation of his marvellous for.
tunes. But no hand had ever been
raised against him ON that account.
Bygones were easily bygones in those
flush times, with new faces and new in
terests coming into camp every day.
People had said it was strange that
Burroughs had never seemed to grow
older, and kept his beard and his thick
head of hair so jetty black, and his
teeth so white and even and his boots
so finely polished. But Walton, who
had marked all that long ago, thought
there must come break some day in
king" Burroughs unexceptionable APP
pointments.
Already, it was nearly 8, the street in
front of the sidewalk was choked by a
mass of men waiting for the mail and
the news. Hoarse shouts and the per
petual shuflling of a great crowd made
a constant noise that filled all the sa-
looms and drew scores of other men
away from the games and the bars to
the crowds outside. Burroughs had be-
come nervously active, had scarcely
stood in one spot longer than time
enough to pour down glass of whisky.
Presently the stage coach drove slow
ly up the street and finally penetrated
through the crowd to the postolfice
door,
The mail bag was thrown of and
the little tin box in which the driver
carried kilograms and money was hand
ed down to the postmaster. The crowd
babe him climb to the top of the stage
and read out the news. A succession
of yells tore the air; everybody in the
camp. it seems, had crowded to hear
the great Meat AK decision. Bur-
roughs, feverish with anticipated tri-
umph, climbed up and stood on top of
a wheel. Walton had crawled through
in time to get q place not six feet
away. The postmaster opened the dis
patch box, tore the envelope from the
telegram and read:
WAsHINGTON, d. c., Dec. 5, 1885,.
The Supreme Court has decided the Meat
AK claim in Jim Burroughs favor
A great uproar followed, interrupt
ing even the farther reading of the dis
patch.
The crowd roared and surged in its
frenzy. Jim Burroughs, who had
climbed nearer and nearer the top of
the coach, jumped to the postmaster's
side and jerking the dispatch waved it
wildly over his head with one hand,
while with the other he gesticulated fu-
riously. All at once in the frantic fer
vor of his rejoicing he snatched his
coal black wig from his head-his hat
had fallen off-and waved that about
him.
In an instant shrek, womans
cry, as sharp and piercing as the wind
itself rang out high and shrill over the
hub-hub. 1t was old Valiton's form
that swayed and no other than his lips
sent out that terrible appeal. Two
brawny miners caught him up and held
him shoulder high SO all could see HIM.
His features twitched and worked con-
vulsively.
THAT man." he cried, murdered
Pete Walton in California ten years
ago. l can prove it. | have the de-
scription of Valiton's murderer pub
lished at the time at Sacramento. l
have tracked him-I have run him
down. know him by his red hair that
no one in this camp ever saw before to-
night"
All this painfully between gasps.
And the crowd murmered hoarsely,
chiefly for wonder that the old mans
lips should send out a woman's plead
ing voice. Then she went on
Men, help me avenge my husbands
murderer. am an old woman, but |
have been strong enough to 90 about
in the mines as a man and hunt this
wretch down. Look at him! Examine
him! If he is not the man this paper
calls for, the Vigilants may hang me
before morning
She reached down a tattered paper
from her pockets, that showed how Pete
Walton had been murdered by stran-
ger he took into his cabin over night,
and robbed of bag of gold dust The
men read it by the coach lamp, aloud,
while a dozen voices picked up and
shouted the words to those far out in
the throng. And dozen strong arms
grabbed Burroughs as he leaped to the
ground and forced him to listen.
Then his captors carried him into his
own saloon to examine him. And in
the meantime there was plenty to SYM
pathize with the widow Walton. for
sympathy wasn't running much in Bur-
roughs' direction about that time. And
when Burroughs was brought out
again, hauled up to the top of the
coach, cowed like a craven. and held
there in the light while his tormentors,
who were also his judges and his jury,
tore off his false beard and held up the
false soles from his boots, worn to
change his height, and exhibited the
scar on his chin, all corresponding to
the description of Pete Valiton's MUIR
| derer and when after il all tho