Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-05-10
NJ UNLY khhESI.

Sam. Mentioning my desire to the
United States marshal for the north.
ern district OF FLORIDA, it was gratifi-
ed. was at once ushered into the
presence Of the United States Judge,
held up my right hand and, with
heroism worthy OF a better cause.
swore to support the Constitution OF
the United States. though at the time
was hardly able to support my own
constitution. Taking my formidable
commission and supply of station
airy, went back to the village of
Dead Pine to await orders.
Dead Pine is small town so nam
ed because there is large live oak In
front of the principal saloon. Dead
Pine is not an imposing place. AT
that time it had little depot, some
stores, some mortgaged farmers
and three saloons. It also had q
malarial back country, with plenty Of
"bad men" living in it, couple of
half starved churches, and some
Christians loaning money at from 2
to any per cent. monthly to their
struggling neighbors. It was also the
center Of a lumber and turpentine dis
trict. where prominent citizens steal
state and government timber and call
it business.
In a few days my trouble began. l
received portentous document from
headquarters at Jacksonville. It had
four impressive and sinister looking
official stamps on the envelope, and
ordered me to at once seize the body
oil Thomas Perkins. supposed to be
lurking somewhere in the country, and
bring said body before the United
States court, then in session at Jack
sonville. By n careful reading of the
somewhat diffusive warrant, discov.
ed that Thomas had been guilty of
perjury in violation of the statutes in
such cases made and provided.
An hour later the following dispatch
was handed to me:
u,
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
To United States Deputy Marshal, Dead
Pine, Fla,
Understand Perkins desperate charac-
ter; gut help necessary; take him dead or
alive.
MARSHAL.
That dispatch made me very indig-
nant. Get help indeed! Not Il ] was
feet / inch in height, weighed 1875
pounds. If / couldn't alone arrest
one man was unworthy to wear the
bright red ribbon on the lapel of my
vest labeled Omitted States marshal. !"
Besides, il | got help, there would
not be enough glory to go around /
wanted it all for myself. and deter
mined TO bring in the prisoner elect by
my own unaided efforts, or occupy
one of the misfit collins at the village
undertaker's.
The first thing was to locate the
gentleman, who, suffering from some
affection of the intellectual liver. had
resorted to perjury. | located him.
Six miles from town, in veritable
wilderness, two miles from any other
house, lived, moved aud had his be.
ing, Mr.. Thomas Perkins, in whom
this great government of our was so
intensely interested.
The next thing was to make neces-
sary preparations. / made them. In
the morning by the bright light, of q
beautiful winters day, a STOUT wagon,
drawn by two sturdy and reflective
mules, was drawn up in front of the
village hotel, which was very map.
propiately named "The Delmonico."
On the front seat was my negro driver
and pilot, Bill On the rear seat sat
the writer. Under a blanket at my
ieet was Winchester rife
and q double barrel shot gun
well loaded with buckshot. al
though was oppressed with
narrowing doubt as to whether ]
hadn't put the buchshot in first. In
the pocket of my overcoat was a
Smith & Wessou double action sixty
eight, and IN the breast pocket of
my inner coat a bowie knife that
had once belonged to a Texas evanee-
list.
A curious crowd had gathered to
see me of. They knew my mission,
though none OF them knew who | was
alter. They cheered me with novel
suggestions and we'll meant advice.
81 say. Cap" said one, Eyed better
take a bottle OF whisky erlonc wi you.
There amt no barroom whar you're
goin.'
My driver looked approvingly at
this speaker.
"He won't look very pretty comm
back here with furrer driv cfar
through his chist, will her" said an.
other.
'Twouldn't do fer him to go out
bar hunt;n' at night with that red
nose shinin', would hit?'
That last remark hurt my vanity.
My nose was rather red, but it come
from an undue partiality for stewed
tomatoes, not from any other cause.
"When you fire at him, Cap. watch
that off mules hind leg. fer he's goin'
| the outskirts of the crowd
Even the negroes had something to
say. Approaching me with Difference,
one OF them whispered to me conf
dentially:
BOSS, ye'd best tie dat fool niger
what's drivin' ter the seat, fer soon's
he hears a cap pop he's gwine ter jump
out an run like de debil."
Bill gave the mules stimulating
touch of the whip and away We went
For two miles out We had
good roads. After that, the
toughest and worst that | had ever
seen. Stumps, tangled roots, hills, gul
lies. swamp. coduroy, and the county
commissioners know what else, made
regular penacea for the twin evils
of dyspepsia and love, according to
| the jolting up theorists. Now we
were in the wilderness, asolemn, awful
| silence, broken only by the trampinl
| of the mules, the creaking OF the wag
| on and the hiccoughs of the driver,
who was about hall drunk when We
started. 1t pine wilderness, and the
| underbrush all gone, no song of bird
no scent of flower, no hutter OF insect
| life, strange, dreary desert of forest
Here was majestic trees aged with q
century of growth. Gazing at their
stately tops, one could well imagine
| that in DAYS agone perhaps under the
very trees we we're passing 10, the
poor Indian" had once assembled to
shake dice to see who should pay for
| the beer.
Twas absorbed in these meditations
when the wagon ran into ahuge stump
and away went sailing out intospac
The shot gun about this time decided
thas it was tired of riding and came
along also. Neither of us were hurt
and We resumed our seats in the
wagon. the gun rather unwillingly
| thought.
We were now getting near the camp
of the enemy and a rather curious