Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-08-01

9 haste to get over Che ground %
lapluIy as possible, We're suspicious cir
Gun1stances, to say the least: and when
l recall oil the details of the event T
am surprised that I did not sooner con-
Prehend the situation in which 7 wna
placed. "n''n l was
we mad gone some five or six miles at
.hls reckless pace, the horses keeping
'he same speed, up hill or down.
ouaaeniy, upon gaining the summit
OF q NIL, my companion, with n planca
over his shoulder, gave utterance to m
expression of surprise. L glanced hur-
Ilediy back, and as I did 40
L deserted a party of horsemen,
comprising q dozen or more i%ndiyidnaIs
n!Y, appearing upon the crest of the
NIL We had left in our rear.
Instantly the truth dawned upon nv
mlnd. The horsemen were in pursuit
.. The stolen team! What should lido?
II L remained in the carriage. what
would be the result when overtaken by
the horsemen? All, too we'll [ knew!
Horse thieves, when captured in that
region, were dealt with summarilv, and
there was little mercy to be expected If
caught in such company, unless. indeed
the thief should prove magnanimous
enough to clear me of all blame. which
l very much doubted.
AS the truth of my perilous situation
flashed upon me, I was for a moment
completely d~umbfounded; but, regain.
ing my self-possession, I sternlv adj
dressed the mar beside me-:
You scoundrcl! This is a stolen rio.
is it not?"
You needn't guess again." coolly re-
piled the thief, and he now piled the
whip more vigorously than ever, caus-
ing the horses to leap forward with in
creased speed; "oh, you're in for it,
SO you needn't squeal!"
I'll show you hat I'm not in for it!v
n the next instant 1 sprang from the
carriage, turning q complete sommer-
sault as l rolled upon the ground.
AS l gathered myself up I saw it
would be useless to try to conceal my
self, as the pursuing horsemen were in
full view, coming up the hill on a gal
ltop, and accordingly, I quietly awaited
their approach. As they came up, the
leader Of the posse ordered three of the
men to stop and take me in charge
while the balance swept on like the
wind after the ~retreating carriage.
One OF the three men ordered me to
behind him on his horse. 1 I'M
dertook to protest, but it was useless.
Drawing q glistening revolver from his
belt, the man again ordered me to
mount behind him, and 1 obeyed with
out another word.
We followed on after the %retreating
cloud of dust. and in about half an hour
we came up with the party, where
they had overtaken the thief in the
carriage. They gathered in a
group by the side of the road, evidently
having some dispute as to the disposal
of their prisoner. The majority ap-
peared to be in favor of hanging the
man to the limb Of a tree at once, while
a few thought it best to take him back
to town and let the law deal him
justice.
What's the use foolin' any more
about it," growled one of the crowd.
1--WE caught him with the rig, and he's
owned to it that he stole 'em. Why
not stretch him up and be done with it?
Tharll be no more trouble about it
then"
As these words fell from the lips of
the man a number of others cried out:
"That's the talk! Let's swing
him! Hers the rope!" and a rope was
hourished about by one of the men.
Here's a splendid limb on this tree
to throw the rope over!" cried an
other.
At this ju%ncture the leader of the
party said:
Gentlemen, before we proceed
further we will see what the other
prisoner has to say for himself"
The crowd instantly turned their
gaze upon me, and for q momentperfect
silence reigned. Then from the lips of
the other prisoner came these words:
"Of course he's guilty! He helped
me steal 'em!"
I was dumb with astonishment. Up
to this time 1 had hoped the man would
tell the truth of the matter, although I
had some misgivings on that score.
"What have you to say TO that, young
MANI" called out the leader.
Gentlemen" I answered, in as
steady o voice as I could command, II
think I can prove to you that I am
innocent"
With that I produced q number Of
papers and letters, showing the nature
of the business I had been engaged in
the preceding summer The leader
took them, and after looking them over
a few moments, he observed:
"There's no proof in these, young
man, that you didn't help steal the
horses! Have you 40 better proof to
cIer?"
My heart sank within me. I was
obliged to confess that I had not,
but I asked that I might be
permitted to tell my side of
the story. Upon giving his consent, I
related in as concise a as pos
sible what the reader is already &C
auainted with. I told it in such a sin
cere, straightforward n that I
perceived with joy that 1 had won the
sympathy OF at least the leader and, l
thought, a few of the rest of the party.
That I might press the advantage that
1 had already gained, I continued:
"If you will take me over to Mr..
80 -1-~. k~,v@