Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-16

solitary exception, who appeared TO be
making a vain endesvor to sleep, to fire
volly of oats and imprecatioDs in their
direction which were apparently
UNDECIDED. 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 sprRng
from his bed with q muttered curse, and
Selling double-barrelsd shotgun that
was standing against the wall, leveled 1t
full at the domino players, cooking both
barrels aud exclaiming:
"You tellars all git out Of here, or III
blow you to kingdom come
Some started 10 go, others drew pis-
tolls. Some one on the outside cried:
"Shoot him!''
Theirs was the report of pistol and the
man with the gun fell back on his bed
groaning out: "My God, IN shot!'
Two-three-a half dozen men came
crowdine III the room bowling like de-
mons, with cooked revolvers swinging
wildly about.
John Wesley Brakeway was seriously
alarmed and started to go out, when
some one shouted Don't let him get
away and he was pulled suddenly
backward.
Whirlins around to assure his assail-
ants that he was disinterested specta-
tor, he heard crunching blow, and 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
that movement TO step TO the back
part of the room where there was an
open window. Some one said, ''He s
sure enough dead and a second later
John was confronted by bowling mob.
accusing him of murder and crying for
his lite. "Lynch him!' they shouted.
and moved toward him. Vain were pro-
testations. A dozen men stood ready to
swear his life away. His case was des-
perate one, with everything in favor of q
speedy lynching. and but one hope re-
mained-the open window-and through
the medium of that solitary hope went
John Wesley Brakeway in style more
rapid than graceful and aliGhting safely,
with n bound that would have made
Jack rabbit ashamed Of himself cleared Il
five-strand barb wire fence and shot out
into the night and the surrounding piney
woods. Completely daZed and wellnigh
dIstracred, he plunged onward until ex-
haustion compelled him 10 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
the years he had followed the
pillow stood him IN good service
now. How long he had walked he knew
not, nor in what direction, for all points
of the compass looked alike to him, and
he ouly prayed that his every step was
taking him away from that horrible
camp. At last he saw a light, and ap-
preaching it srealthily discovered q fire
of pine knots burned rathe. low and no
one in sight. Tearing through under
brush had rent his 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: "Peel
'em off mister, and IN come down and
see how they ft.' Looking up he
plainly deserted. by the brilliant light of
the burning pine knots, q man clothed
in convict garb perched on the lower
limb of huge oak that grew near by,
and holding a revolver in a direct line
with his head. To say that John Wesley
Brakeway YVES frightened would but
feebly express the awful terror that
crept up his backbone, causing him to
shake as with the ague; nor was this
feeling alleviated in the least
when the figure dropped lightly to
the ground, disclosing a muscular
frame, and face of most forbidding
aspect. rendered noticeably 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
duds 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 hastened 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 q
backward glance, which would have
shown him his late interviewer quickly
making tracks In an opposite direction.
Compelled by the chill night air to put
on the convict clothes with which he had
been forcibly presented, John W. Brake
way felt fully as badly as hs looked, and
inwardly cursed the day he had left his
fathers house. He kept on walking to
keep warm and to increase the distance
between himself aud the manifold dan
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 a 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 |
was the baying of hounds upon his trail! !
Fear gave new strength to his limbs and |
lent wings to his flight which now began |
t. - f,,-