The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-08-27


nearer the house, and when we finally
got settled it was at tho roots of a tree
not over twenty feet from the door and
directly opposite. While the night was
q fairly dark one the door could not be
opened without our hearing and seeing.
1t was our idea that along about mid
night it would be suddenly flung open
and the men would leap cut to the right
and left, and therefore neither Of us
slept. Indeed sleep, with the myriads of
mosquitoes swarming around us, would
have been impossible. There weretimes
when it seemed as if we would be eaten
alive and when we had to lay down our
guns and make a fight for it. AT about
l o'clock there was a pounding on the
door Of the cabin and the thick voice Of
a negro called out:
"Hey, you white men out darls
We did not answer until he had called
several times and he then announced:
"Marse Traver ar dead an l want to
surrender"
when did he die?' I asked. "Jes'
bout an hour ago. One o. you shot him
dis mawnin' In he's been bleedin' all
day.
had fred upon him and 1 felt quite
certain that l had hit him, and SO this
statement seemed very reasonable. After
consulting for a bit we called to him to
throw open the door and come out, but
he answered:
''Ize done afeared you'll shoot me
down.
"But we promise not to fire if you do
not seek to escape"
Whats de time o. night"
"About / o'clock"
"Den I'll wait till daylight afore I
cum out. Den you kin all see dat I want
to surrender, an go up to Helena and
jine my wife. I didn't dun want to be
heah, but Marse Traver made me cum??'
This plan suited us just as well, and
everything went along quietly until day
was just breaking, when Bastrop sud-
denly reused up and whispered:
What internal fools we are! Don't
you smell the rat?"
"No."
"Tl bet a hundred to one that the
niger was giving us taffy. They have
dug out under the logs on the back side
while we were waiting here"
It struck me that this was the dodge
he had played, and leaving my comrade
to watch the door l made a circuit to ap-
proach the cabin in the rear. The first
thing I saw was a pile of fresh dirt close
to the logs, and this was proof that the
outlaws had escaped. The talk of the
negro was a part Of the plan to throw
us off III guard, and he had probably
gone with Traver. My first thought was
to advance to the cabin and settle the
question, but rs / was about to leave my
cover / heard a noise inside which salts
fed me that at least one of the pair was
still there. If so, he would shoot me as
soon as | exposed myself, as there
was no thinking between the logs on the
back side of the hut. After a few min
utes' reflection I felt that l had sifted
the plan. Traver had left by the hole,
not for the purpose of running away,
but to circle around to our rear and then
creep up and shoot us.
1t had now come to be broad day, and
l moved swiftly to get back to Bastrop.
l had to make a considerable circuit,
and as I approached the spot, lodging
from tree to tree, l heard the report of a
rifle, followed by a ringing wal whoop.
Next instant I saw the outlaw before
me, holding a smoking rifle in his hands,
and I took a snap shot and dropped him
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rifle cracked, and I heard a yell from
the negro, followed by a call from Bas-
trop. | advanced to find him sitting on
the ground with the blood flowing from
his head, and at first I thought he had a
fatal wound. An investigation, how
ever, revealed the fact that he had had q
narrow escape. The bullet fred at him
by the outlaw had raked his scalp and
knocked him down, but he had jumped
up just as the negro flung the door open
to come out, having a rifle in his hands.
Bastrop had fired upon him and sent a
bullet into his shoulder, and the fellow
was rolling around on the earth and
bowling like a wolf with pain and fear.
Traver was stone dead. The bullet had
Oh uCA illAi III tAO hSaN, di1u Ao AS1A al q
heap. He had a Winchester, two revol-
vers and two knives, and there was such
a look of ferocity in his face that we had
to turn away from it.
The negro was also well armed, but
the wound had taken all the fight out Of
him. He had been with Traver for
three months, and admitted to having
had a handi in several serious crimes dur
ing that period. We took him to Hele-
ma, where he suffered amputation of the
wounded arm and died soon AFTER,