Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1888-12-21
When left the car he followed me to I

tho Office, stopped Mt the door to speak
to messenger, aud he asked the mes
sengcr who ! was Then he had me
dead" as the saying is, and thcro was
room for no further doubt. 1t 30 hap
pencd that at that time / was detailed
on case in the city. But for this I
should have beon going and coming,
and lie would have had hard work to
keep me in view. was very regular in
my routine. had my meals at the same
hour each day, and at thol same place.
at certain hour in the evening l went
to accrtain hotel, played three games of
pool drank one glass of beer, sat and
smoked cigar, and then took the car to
my door and went to bed The dullest
kind of n ploughboy could have picked
up my trail.
On the evening of the second day my
would-bc murderer appeared ut the bill
lard room OF the hotel as l was playing
my first game of pool. was expecting
him, and SO arranged it as to ask him
to play the next two games. He was
puzzled and nervous. If he was ner-
vous over the idea of handling n cue
alongside of o man whose life he was
plotting to take, | was excusable for
fcelinS'a bit queer to find my would be
assassin Offering me cigar and pralsing
my skill. entertained him better than
Inc did nc, because knew his game and
he supposed me ignornn. of it. When L
was ready to leave for home I invited
him to meet me Mt the hotel the next
evening. lie smilingly asscntcd, but
next instant compressed his lips. This
meant: "This detective IS not the fell
low supposed he was. lie is pleasant
and chatty, and wants to be friendly,
aid rather like him. But he sent my
friend to prison, gand 1 have sworn to
take his life He shall not escape mo. u
That night some one broke skeleton
key in the lock of my street door. How
foolish to suppose | would trust to locks
1t was no doubt my friend. making his
first attempt on my life. 1t is curious
trait. i'll criminal nature that two out of
five men will abandon an undertaking If
meeting with disappointmcnt on the first
attempt. Those who pcrsovere become
more danger Gus than before. 1t was
question now Of how my enemy would
act but | was satisfied as soon rs I set
eyes on him the next evening. At sight
of me he compressed his lips. The fail
nrc had fired his zeal, and I realized
that from this on must certainly be on
my guard every hour in the twenty
four.
We played three games together, sat
side by side and smoked cigars, and an
outsider would have supposed us the
bo't of friends. The man perhaps
feared that | would wonder. and specu-
late about him, and he handed me his
card and explained that he had come on
from the East expecting to engage in the
lumber business. His name was printed
as rs. r. Mcknight" Could l be mis-
taken in him, you ask? had no doubt
that he was the writer of the threatening
letter. If ! had doubted, something
occurred MS we sat smoking that would
have rcassurcd me. A man who was
known to me to be crooked entered the
billiards: room for drink. lie started
i'll surprise ut seeing Mcknight, and was
about to approach him with extended
hand when Signal stopped him. Unless
Mcknight was "hy" man he could have
no knowledge Of the other. Iprctended
to see vacancy, and parted with my
enemy in the greatest good nature. That
night an attempt was made to bore n
panel out of my door, but the bit was
stopped by the sheet iron.
| did not see Mcknight the next even
ing nor the next, but lo showed up on
the third evening and explained that he
had been to Milwaukee. Ikncw better.
lie had been trying to work out some
new plan to get Mt me, and had spent a
portion Of tho lime ut n crooks resort.
lie had hit upon n plan. | knew this
from the .coidiality of his greeting, and
all through our games was wondering
xVlnf cphopnn In l,l l.,
revealed to me Mt midnight that very
night. ] had n bell on my door, and at
that hour it was vigorously pulled. In
case OF my being wanted Mt the Office the
messenger was instructed to ring in a
certain manner. As this was not his
ring | waited for few minutes, when
the bell tangled more vigorously than
before. slipped on my pants and went
down and opened the slide in the door.
Mcknight stood there, and when asked
what was wanted he replied:
"Realy, old fellow, | am sorry to
have troubled you, but l come to ask
your advice. j was handed very queer
letter after left you, and want you TO
read it aud tell inc how to act. I'll go
up stairs with YOU"
| told him that one of our men was &C.
cupyinS the room with me that night,
and advised him to see me at the Office
next morning. He had planned to get
to my room and pouncc upon me, but
snulfcd the game. lie did not show up
agiin. lie may have believed that sus-
pected him, and was determined to keep
out OF my way until he Appeared to strike
the fatal blow. Next door to me, on the
downtown side, was vacant lot. One
day, week after last seeing Mcknight,
several dry-goods boxes were brought
to this lot and piled up in such way
as to form good hiding place next to
my door. l scented an idea as 1 in
vestigated, and that night when within
square OF the place, met couple of
young fellows and offered them quarter
to go and sploce the boxes, explaining
that vagrant had taken up his quarters
there. They went with whoop, and n
man rushed out of hiding and ran off.
1t was Mcknight.
The next day was sent out of the
city and was gone two weeks. l had not
been back two hours when / discovered
that boy was dogging me about. He
wns no doubt in the pay of Mcknight,
WIN yvnul1 now hn roo1,- for oo,.,o III. 4. .