Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1889-11-22

may not think 1t, but came mighty
near being hung once.
The whole party started. Any
one less likely to he accused of seri
Gus crime than our host-a distin
guished lawyer and state senator O
California-it would have been hare
to imagine.
"How was that?" | asked.
"When was young chap l got
my sheepskin from Dartmouth, anG
as l had few dollars, l made. my
way out to this state. | mined fol
a while, and then went to Sacra-
mento, where l hung out my shingle
and waited for business. 1t was
literally a shingle, too, painted by
myself. | soon after met q girl
Polly Sinclair, the daughter of Rob-
ert Sinclair, a builder. There
were not so ma1y girls
there then, and Polly had
plenty of fellows after her. But
somehow she took shine to me,
poor as l was, and l was as much
in love with her as man could be
her people did not like me, though,
and naturally enough, too, foS
Was only n poor struggling lawyer,
and they thought Polly could do
better. Her brother was especially
against me. Poor Bob, perhaps
| was to blame most in the matter.
Anyway, Polly and / had found out
that we cared for each other, and
one night, when we were walking
together, we met Bob. He began
by calling me all the names he
could think Of and my temper being
none of the best, | got mad.
"Polly kept begging me not to
quarrel, and at last | turned away,
leaving her with him. AS | left
said to him that we Gwould meet
again, when | would make him ex-
plain his words.
81 was SO excited thatI could not
go home, and | walked along the
road for, | should think, five miles
from the town. Then | turned and
walked back, went to my room, and,
being tired out, went to sleep.
I'm the morning | was walked up
by the sheriff, and arrested for MUIR
dering Bob. The poor fellow had
been found in the street with his head
crushed in by blow from behind
and every thing he had with him
taken. There were a dozen witnesses
to what had said to him and to the
quarrel. No one had seen me during
the evening; my boarding house
keeper had not seen me come in, and
altogether things looked rather
black for he. The only thing in
my favor, and that was little enough,
was that there was nothing of poor
Bob's found in my possession.
"Well, was locked up in the old
Jail, and to tellyou the truth, didn't
see my way out of the trouble. Every
one in town believed me to be guilty,
and there was some talk oflynching
me out of hand. When l say every
one, ] must make an exception. Pol
ly, bless her, believed in me still, al
terest, naturally enough.
81 had been in Jail about ten days,
when one day the door of my cell
opened, and Polly came in. How she
managed to persuade Sheriff Hughes
to let her see me, do not know, but
she did somehow.
II am not going to tell you what
sort of meeting that was; l
could not if l would. OF course,
l told her l was innocent of
poor Bob's death, and she
sobbed out her belief in me as | held
her in my arms. At last she whisp-
cred her plan to me, was to es-
cape, and the dear girl showed a file
into my pocket asshe talked.
"No one, she said, in Stockton
would ever believe that l was inno-
cent; and if did not run away
would be hung. AS for herself, she
woul try to prove my innocence,
and if she succeeded we would be
If not, then she would never
any one else. Naturally,
said would stand my trial, as l was
innocent; but when Polly pressed me
as to how | was to prove this, did
not know. She talked and begged,
and at last | consented. So, as Sher-
if Hughes came back, she had to leave
me.
Il did not like the job, but still l
worked away with the file, and as the
bars were pretty poorstuff. got out
one of them. crawled and reached
the street, and then made my way
along it towards the edge of the town.
| was to strike out across the plains,
hiding in the daytime and travelling
Mt nights only. | reached the open
country, and just about daylight lay
down to sleepin hollow between two
ridges. | could not sleep long how
ever, and after a time | was lying
there wide awake. | got so nervous
Mt last that Imade up my mind togo
on, and started once more. l had not |
been walking very long, and, as you
may suppose, was taking advantage
Of every bit of cover that could get,
when | saw n long line of men
riding over the plains towards me.
With them were any number of |
logs, for, although we had no |
Dloodhounds in those days, there |
we're lots of dogs. who would bark |