Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-20

occupants except one, were intent upon
| a game of dominoes over which fire.
quent noisy disputes arose, causing the
solitary exception. who appeared 10 be
making vain endeavor to sleep, to fire
voily of oats and imprecations in their
direction which were apparently
unheeded. He wished most fervently
that they would all stop their quarreiing
and go to bed as he felt tired after his
walk to camp. He never could explain
just how how it happened, but suddenly
the man who was trying to sleep sprang
from his bed with a muttered curse, and
Selling double barreled shotgun that
was standing against the wall, leveled It
full at the domino players, cooking both
barrels and exclaiming:
''You fellars all git out of here, or ii
blow you to kingdom come.
Some started to go, others drew pis-
tolls. Some one on the outside cried:
"Shoot him!'
There was tn report of pistol and the
man with the gun fell back on his bed
groaninE out: ''My God, IN shot.''
Two-three-a half dozen men came
crowdug IN the room bowling like de-
mons, with cooked reyolvers swinging
wildly about.
John Wesley Brakeway was seriously
dldi lueu anu W ~ HOul "Hch
some one shouted. Don't let him get
away and he was pulled suddenly
backward.
Nhirllng around to assure his assall-
ants that he was disinterested specta-
tor, he heard crunchug blow, aud one
of the men fell to the floor, crying: ''Oh
boys, he's done for me. - The crowd
closed in around the PROSTATE man for
moment, and John took advantage OF
tina; movement to step to the back
part of the room where there was an
open window. Some one said, He 8
sure enough dead and second later
John WAS confronted by bowling mob,
accusing him OF murder and crying for
his lite. "Lynch himi'' they shouted.
and moved toward him. Vain were pro-
testatious. dozen men stood ready to
swear his life away. His case WAS des-
perate one, with everything in favor Of u
speedy lylching, aud but one hope re-
mained-the open window-and through
the medium of that solitary hope went
John Wesley Brakeway in a style more
rapid than graceful and alghting safely,
with q bound that would have made
jack rabbit ashamed of himself cleared a
five-strand barb wire fence and shot out
into the night and the surrounding piney
dstracred, he plunged onward until ex-
haustiou compelled him to pause and
contemplate his future movements. The
outlook was anything but pleasant. Here
was he, John Wesley Brakeway, In the
midst of the Texas piney woods, liable to
arrest for murder, and, for aught he
knew, death without a trial. He shaped
his course as best he could by the stars
and started onward again, and
tho years he had followed the
pillow stood him III good service
now. How long he had walked he knew
not, nor in what direct ion, for all points
of the compass looked alike to him, and
he only prayed that his every step was
taking him away from that horrible
camp. At last he saw a light, and ap-
preaching il stealthily discovered a fire
OF pine knots burned rather low, aud no
one in sight. Tearing through under
brush had rent bis clothes, and stepping
In hog-holes had wet his feet, and he
was glad to find the fire, and without
any thought as TO its origin soon had it
burning brightly. He experienced a
feeling of relief that soon settled into a
determination to sleep by the fire until
daylight should tell him better his
whereabouts and the right course for him
to take. He had just taken off his coat
and folded it for pillow when gruff
voice proceeding apparently from the
heavens above greeted him with: "PeeI
'em off mister, and III come down and
see now they st. Looking up he
plainly deserted, by the brilliant light of
the burning pine knots, man clothed
in convict garb perched on the lower
limb of huge oak that grew near by,
and holding q revolver in a direct line
with his head. To say that John Wesley
Brakeway was frightened would but
feebiy express the awful terror that
crept up his backbone, causing him to
shake as with the ague; nor was this
feeling aleviate1 in the least
when the figure dropped lightly to
the ground, disclosing muscular
frame, and face of most forbidding
aspect. rendered noticeabiy so by shaggy
eyebrows almost hiding pair of twink
ling black eyes that were set just above,
and on either side of nose of tremen-
dous proportions.
Nosey.
"Come, stranger, skin out of them
buds Lively, SO L can move on; I'm
pressed for time.
This order was emphasized by the
cooking of the revolver, aud poor John,
with trembling limbs fastened to obey.
In the meantime, Nosey had Invested
himself of his striped suit, and kicking
them toward his quaking captive, told
him to ''pick 'em up and git,'' which
advice was gladly followed without
backward glance, which would have
shown hun his late interviewer quickly
making tracks i'll an opposite direction.
Compelled by the chill night air to put
on the convict clothes with which he had
been forcbiy presented, John w. Brake
wav felt fully as badly as he looked, aud
inwardly cursed the day he bad left his
fathers house. He kept on walking to
keep warm and to increase the distance
between himself and the manifold dau-
gers that seemed to spring up on every
side. He had read of escaping convicts
being shot down on sight, and prayed
that he might be spared such fate. He |
came to road, which he took
hoping to find his way to |
some house where he might OBJ |
tain shelter until he could send |
word to his home, when sound was |
carried to his ears on the still night air |
that absolutely paralized him with ter |
ror, and rooted him TO the ground 1t |