The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1890-05-02
A TRAP FOR A WITNESS.

Many years ago l took a trip through
what was then called the Far West"
My course, for the most part, lay through
an unbroken forest. Though q settlers
cabin here and there broke the wild
mo~notony, many a day was passed with
out the sight of q habitation or meeting
a human being.
One day 1 came up with W. men who
had dismounted at the wayside, and were
seated on a log chatting, while their
horses browsed socially at a little dis
lance. One of the two, like myself, was
evidently a traveller, while the tow cloth
hunting shirt and coonskin cap of the
other-to say nothing of his long rifle
and weather beaten face-betokened the
genuine backwoodsman.
For some time | had been waiting an
opportunity of inquiring the way to a
distant settlement, at which / proposed
making a temporary stop, and here,
doubtless, was the very man to supply
the information.
jest light an rest your critter a min
it," said the woodsman, when / had put
my question; '.me'n this gentleman II be
through presently"
Accepting the invitation l soon dis
covered that the business l had inter
rupted was a horse trade, which, of
course, took precedence of every other
matter.
The 'iswap," which had already made
substantial progress, was speedily con
Guided. The traveller, whose animal was
somewhat jaded-his reason probably
for seeking the exchange-gave the from
tiersman $50 "boot," and, mounting his
new hackney, took a hasty leave, appar-
emily DESTROYS not to give the other party
time to rue"
| repeated my inquiry, and was told
there was no road, not even a bride
path, within many miles of where we
were, leading to the place wished to
reach. Ioffered to pay the man literally
to guide me to some point whenceI could
find my way alone. A bargain was at
once concluded, and in less than half an
hour we were jogging along like old
acquaintance.
That night we camped out, supping on
some jerked yenison my guide had in his
pouch, and lettering u horses in the
edge of a small prairie which afforded
good grazing; and the next afternoon
but one we struck a travelled track,
which, my companion assured me, l had
only to follow straight ahead to reach
my destination.
Here we shook hands and parted; and
it was a month afterwards at my own
home that my western journey was Wv
idly called to mind by the following
paragraph:
"a Traveller Murdered.-By our last
adyices from - we learned that an I'M
known traveller was found murdered on
the LIST of June last. The act was at first
attributed to some marauding bands of
Indians who have lately shown them
selves troublesome. But later develop
ments fasten the crime on John Slower,
a white man, found in possession of the
dead mans horse and some money iden-
tilted by a tavern keeper who had changed
a note for the traveller the day before his
body was discovered. The latter was
last seen alive in Stover's company, the
two having ridden away together from
the strangers last stopping place. The
criminal barely escaped lynching and
will have little to expect from a jury of
the ~vicinage."
John Stover..' l exclaimed. "Why,
that's the name of my late guide"
The recollection of the horse trade
came back like a flash. 1t had taken
place on the last day of May, and from
that till the I'd of June Slower never left
my company. 1t was impossible he
could have committed the crime for
which his life stood in peril. The s'swap''
explained his possession of the horse,
and the ''boot money" that of the bills
found upon him.
There was nc time to lose, if an inno-
cent nan was to be saved from the gal
lows. The mails were too tedious and
roundabout to be trusted, and the tele-
graph was yet uninyented. There was
nothing for it but to stage it as far as
practicable, and make the rest of the
way on horseback. At any cost l felt
bound to prevent the wrongful taking of
a fellow creatures life.
1t was nearly dark when l reached a
settlement twenty miles from where the
trial was to come off. 1t was set down,
l learned, for the following day, and to
be in time l must proceed that night.
"The road is hard enough to find by
daylight" said the host of the little inn
at which had ordered supper and a bait
for my horse. "Besides, there are In
dams prowling about, and they're ugly
customers to meet with of a night
II have no choice" / replied. "a man
is to be tried for his life tomorrow,
whose innocence I can prove; for he was
in my company, miles from the scene Of
the crime he is charged with at the time
of its commission.
But if you miss your way" returned
the other. you will lose instead Of gain
time"
Perhaps one of these gentlemen