Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-10-18

although We had no bloodhOunds In
those days, there were lots of dogs who
would bark at stranger IL they saw
one.
Gentlemen. my heart seemed TO
stand still. Although ] didn't want
to escape at first, now that l had, it
seemed To me doubly bitter to be re-
taken. do not know how to explain
it TO you, but the second capture was
far worse than the first. But what could
/ dop There wasn't tree for miles
there was no broken ground nor rocks
TO hide In. Nothing but that wide roll
ing plain, and that line of men slowly
riding towards me. 1t made me feel
sick
II took the only chance / had, and
lay down in hollow place where they
might overlook me, and SO l waited.
could hear the shouts OF the men as
they came nearer, hear the barking OF
the dogs, and l could do nothing. l
tell you / seemed to fairly melt with
perspiratiOn. A, last they came quite
close. A dog saw me and began 10
bark. ! sprang 10 my feet and as l
did so "a man fired at me and shot me
in the shoulder, which is stif yet.
This man was John Bogart, the
deputy sheriff. OF course there was
no fight had nothing to fight with.
Sheriff Hughes came up, put me on a
horse, and back we went to town.
This time | had shackles fastened TO
my feet My case was worse than be-
fore, because every one was now sure
that had killed poor Bob. tell you
/ paid dearly for that hasty speech to
him.
Naturally my capture soon became
known, and Polly, rs she has told me
since. was nearly beside herself at the
result. She blamed herself for 10 all,
especially as every one told her that
my running away proved my guilt.
The poor girl got sick with anxiety
ana fear, and had to take to her bed.
Meantime, the time for my trial
was coming mighty near, and | do not
believe that juryman could have
been found in Sacramento to say that
| was not guilty. In fact. any twelve
men would have sentenced me without
hearing the evidence. Ny shoulder
bothered me not little, too, and
Bogart, the jliler, used to tell me.
with grin, | must get well in time
for the ceremony, as he called the
hanging. Cheerful, wasn't it?
lone evening, Polly, who was get
ting little stronger. was sitting on
the porch OF their house, when she
saw a man walking up the street. She
has always said she does not know why
she did it. but something made her
follow him. She just could not help it.
She did follow him down a by-lane,
until he reached hillock Of sand Just
outside OF the town. On the further
side of this. she saw him dig some
things up which he put into his pock-
cts. Then, after filling in the hole,
he made his way back, passing close
TO where the girl was crouching be-
hind a pile of rubbish, so close that
she recognized him. She followed
him again and saw him walk towards
the Jail. Reaching that building. he
went into little house at one side.
and Polly crept softly up. and looked
through crack between two of the
boards.
What she saw was enough to make
her go to the sheriff's house as fast as
she could walk. Hughes had gone to
bed. but Polly insisted on his getting
up and talking to her. When he heard
her story, he put on his hat went out
and got three men he knew, and made
his way with them TO the house by the
Jail. Here they walked in, and quietly
searched the room.
IL suppose you have guessed what
they found. All of poor Bob's things
his watch, his money. revolver with
his name on it. and his pipe were hid
den away under board in the floor
under the bed. 1t was while they were
looking at the things that step was
heard. and the door opened for Sec
ond. Before they could jump, the man
had turned and run. only TO fall into
the arms of stout Mike Cassidy, the
guard Hughes had left by the door. with
orders TO let any one in but no one out;
and when they hauled the man back
into the room where the light was.
Hughes had the pleasure OF looking at
his own deputy and Jail keeper. John
Bogart.
ITO make long story short, Bogart
was the guilty man, and he took more
prominent part in the ceremony than
he had anticipated. As it afterwards
turned out, he had embezzled some
money belonging TO the county, and
hearing that Bob had several thousand
dollars with him which he was taking
home, he had stolen up behind him in
the street and crushed in his head with
an iron bar. He might not have done
IL had he not heard of the quarrel be-
tween Bob and myself. In the morn
ing. when the body was discovered. he
had suggested that was the murderer,
and. of course, the suggestion was taxi
en- up. He confessed everything before
he died.
"The next day Polly insisted on tell
ing Ine the news. and. naturally. she
was allowed TO. l am not going TO say
anything about that meeting. but after
we had been together an hour Hughes
came in. saying he wanted to congrat-
ulate me, too. 1t was not long before
was out on bail, and people could not
do enough for me. got cases as fast
as | could take them. and IL was not
long before l was as prosperous as had
been poor before. As for Polly-why,
il you have done smoking. we can join
her in the parlor. ALFRED Balch, in
II