The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1888-12-29


stairs. had the inside Of the door
covered with sheet iron, and arranged
a spring gun for the stairs.
Was / afraid? No, / had plenty OF
confidence in myself, and / wanted to
get the drop on the stranger first. He
had pitted his wit, nerve and courage
against mine, and my professional pride
was aroused. He had big advantage
in knowing me and my habits, and it
was only fair to offset this by taking
some extra precautions.
lgave the writer of the anonymous
letter thirty days to come out of prison,
and ten more to get himself in shape
to begin the campaign. was not far
wrong. On the thirty-eighth day after
receiving the warning, as boarded a
State street car to come down town,
my man was a passenger. He was a
man who exactly correspondent to the
picture l had drawn, and it never oc-
CURED to me that / could be wrong.
While was sizing him up from the
corner of my eye, saw that he was
taking my measure. / purposely
turned my head to let him see scar
on my neck, and when / glanced at
him again / was sure that he was salts
fed of my identity. Now, the chase
had begun. He had sworn to have my
life, and knew by the set of his jaw
and the compression of his lips that he
had still further resolved. Where had
he been in prison, and what for? His
face was strange to me. Had desired
to take an unfair advantage, could
have run him in as a suspect, or trumped
up some charge to hold him and in
vestigate his record, but wouldn't do
that. 1t was to be fair fight. He
would ask for no outside help and
pride would forbid me to.
When left the car he followed me
to the Office. / stopped at the door to
speak to a messenger. and he asked the
messenger who was. Then he had
me dead" as the saying is, and there
was room for no further doubt. 1t so
happened that at that time was de-
tailed on a case in the city. But for
this / should have been going and
coming, and he 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 the
same place. At a certain hour in the
evening l went to certain 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 a
plow-boy could have picked up my
trail.
On the evening Of the second day my
would-be murderer appeared at the
billiard room of the hotel as / 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 nervous over the idea of handling
a cue alongside of man whose life he
was plotting to take, was excusable
for feeling a bit queer to find my
would-be assassin offering me cigar
and praising my skill. l entertained
him better than he did me, because l
knew his game and he supposed me
ignorant of it. When was ready to
leave for home invited him to meet
me at the hotel next evening. He
smilingly assented, but next instant
compressed his lips. This meant:
This detective is not the fellow sup
posed he was. He is pleasant and
chatty, and wants to be friendly, and l
rather like him. But he sent my friend
to prison. and have sworn to take his
life. He shall not escape me-"
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 in criminal nature
that two out of five men will abandon
an undertaking If meeting with disap-
pointment on first attempt. Those
who persevere become more dangerous
than before. 1t was question now of
how my enemy would act, but was
satisfied as soon. as set eyes on him
the next evening. At sight of me he
compressed his lips. The failure had
fired his zeal, and l realized that from
this on l must certainly be on my
guard every hour in the twenty-four.
We played the three games to-
gether, sat side by side and smoked
our cigars, and an outsider would have
supposed us the best of friends. The
man perhaps feared that would won
der and speculate about him, and he
handed me his card and explained that
he had come on from the East expect
ing to engage in the lumber business.
His name was printed as IS. r. Nc
Knight" Could / be mistaken in him,
you ask? had no doubt that he was
the writer of the threatening letter. If