The Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1885-1886, 1886-06-22

| back and forced me to sit upright
"Cobe air a-custin yer tombstone, kurnel,
an lowed ye'd like TO git a last look
| To the right of the wagon stood a giant
poplar lifting its shaggy top 800 feet above
| the road In its trunk were three gaping
| wounds, and a moonshiner in broad hat and
big boots was cutting fourth. Two other
| Unlocking men stood near, their guns in
| their hands
"Kurnel," continued my guard, do We
| want ter write yer eIertaph.' The men
| laughed at their chief Them other three
| revies didn't git nary chance ter write
| theirn Boys, air any O. yet got pencils"
Too well l knew the meaning of thai
notch from which the sappy chips were fly
ing My heart quivered as the ak ate its
way into the soft wood My face must have
reflected my thought for the outlaw, giving
me gentle push, sent me on my back.
LAY down, kurnel, and don't git so all
| fired skeered, he said That air mighty
| conf table hole up in the hills-board an
lodgin' free" And quoting my own words,
he fairly made the welkin ring with his
| coarse laughter
Surely you don't intend to murder me,
cap"
That air jes about it, | reckon, kurneL
Ge air cross the deadl line, an yer epertaph
air done writ"
Before / could say more his three com
| panions climbed into the wagon beside me-
| Clucking to his horses he drove on at trot
| through the pass, and rs the sun rose over
the mountain we entered the precincts Of
| Sleepy cove. 1t must have been alter 10
O'Clock, yet into that lonesome SPOT the sun
was Just beginning TO pour his rays. BY ,
| p IN. he would disappear behind the jagged
cliff that formed the western boundary of
tue retreat, and the long twilight would set
| i'll, with its spectral shadows chasing each
| other in the dark wood often had heard
the country folk talk with bated breath Of
| the horrors OF Sleepy cove. Goblins, they
said, dweit in the mountain caves, coming
| forth at Gusk to frolic with the fearless
moonshiners, and dancing at midnight upon
| the slippery craSs Ghouls, armed with
| the tones of murdered men kept nightly
| vigil at the narrow pa. and if any human
beng approached from the outside they
| gathered around the giant poplar and beat
upon the bark till the frightened man dis
| appeared in the direction whence be came
| No man but the moenshiners had ever been
known to come from Sleepy cove alive, con
4
| that wild, uncanny place.
These thoughts were passing through nv
mind when Suddenly the wagon stopped,
| ami the four men threw themselves into at
| titudes of attention, grssp,ng their guns and
casting furtive glancss at each other
Straining my ear | thought | heard the
faint yelp of hound Cap Hawkins
dashed his horses into gallop and We sped
on through the woods for halt a mile stop
| ping again in the shadow of a cliff AT
| their leaders order Two of the men lifted
me out of the wagon, and half dragged me
to spot where the earth formed a Kind of
bench as INST tbs rock wall Placing me
on the ground they began prylng at a
bowlder, which, gradually yiclGng TO Their
hand sticks, rolled over on Its side. expos
ing hole in the cln. into this they drag
ged me for some twenty feet and tossed me
on he'd OF leaves Then one of the men
brought in some food, aud another water
and another wood
| | turned to the outlaw leader and astei
how lon5 he intended to keep me prisoner
He laughed at the question, hut made 10 re
ply. Going to the caves mouth he pcere,'
stealthily out, listene awhile, and cams
hack 10 me. There was an ominous glitter
| in his eyes. 1t looked like murder Ny
God Was he going TO tury me alive
begged him to shoot me, cut my throat
anything but leave me there to starVc. But
he paid no attention 10 my appeals.
"Ef We air live when | git back kufnel
EFF / git back, he said, why Inc an the
boys mought put leetle lead in yer carcass
Ge may hev comp'ny fore night, eny hows
| The revies air arter us hotter II dcmnitiou
blazes They air done cross th. dead line
| Hyar the moosic, kurnet"
Il hope they II give You all you deserve,
| you cold blooded murderer | said, wishing
| that could throttle the villain.
Now, kurnel don't git out q sorts 1t
air mighty comf'table in hyer-board an
lodgin' free Boys, air ye ready Them
bounds air pickin US up Light the fire,
| CODE. hurnel, hyer air knife ter cut ye-
pose arter we leave We. Don't git skeered
O the ghosts, and member We air mighty
CONT table-board an lcdgin' free am yer
epertaph air down on the big poplar Good
by, kurnel
The outlaws were already placing the
bowlder in position, and when Cap Hawkins
had squeezed his way out the rock was
rolled INTO the opening. With a crunohing
sound it settled into place, and l was
| prisoner In smoky hole
listened for the bayins of the hounds
hoping that they had tracked me 10 the
cave, but not sound penetrated the door of
my prison The fire burned brskly, and
Smoky hols glowed in the light of the blaz-
ing pine Anots Ii was the work of few
minutes to cut my bonds with the knife the
outlaw bad given me- and then | took an
inventess of the contents of the cavern.
I he sIace had evidently been fitted up for
the illicit manufacture of mountain dew
and tangle foot and ''red-eyeH Tor there
were the WORKOUT copper suu, the worm,
the mash tub, Jugs, and TASKS, and other
| apparatus of the moonshiner. The cava
was about the size of a railroad box car
Except that the roof was highr and more
arche1. | Jabbed my knife into every
square foot of the walls They were of
solid rock. In vain, mad effort to roll
the howlder from the entrance ] drew the
| blooi from my shoulder 1t was all of no
uso Unless help came to NE frUm without
my doom was sealed
A dull, heavy feeling came over I'M ard
/ sat down near the fra The confined air
was getting close. Suddenly, on looking
up was appalled, 81 the discovery OF n
new danger The roof of the cavern was
no longer visible The Dense black smoke
of the pitch pine. unable to escape, was
banked above ma like an omiuous Cloud,
ever growing Gcl1 and baeker and de
scendlng steadily, rem rselessiy, upon me
like a yeritahle shadow OF death
Already the .phyx;ating gases were caus-
ing my brain tn whiil ] craHled TO the
fire and stamped upol the bla ing knots I'M
til every spark wa, eNtnguishel, tut they
continued h. send 10 heir sti Ing smoke. |
could feel il ascending, hot and pitiless
Falling fat upon the ground l saturated
my coat sleeve with the water the outlaws
had lett me. and placing it against my
mouh secured lew iull breaths of strained
gas But they gave me little respite : he
high pressure Of the atmosphere made my
veins swell almost to bursting, my han Is
and feet were bcnumbed, and | was soon
unable TO move muscle. Then / lonsed
for death.
! Suddenly tn re was loli explosion, fol
lowed by falling of loose earth an rock