Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-08-29

prosecute their search, and kept hall
l1oeolng from time to time, so that, if
ian was only wounded, he might an
swer them. As they neared the pines
where the miners had temporarily
lost sight of the robber when they
were pursuing him, one of them re-
ceived feeble answer to his cali. and
hastenlng in that direction, found Ran
lying by the side of a large rock near
the clump of pines. The cries of the
miner soon brought the rest of the
searchers around him.
Old Tom stopped over the PROSTATE
man and made hurried examination
OF the wound. The bullet had entered
the right side, and Old Tom Judged
from the shape and direction of the
wound that it must have buried it.
self in one of the lungs.
What's the show for me, Tom on
asked Ran, feebly.
:. I'll have ter tell yer that don't be-
lleve there's any show for yer. Yer
might pull through with good doctor.
out the nearest one is over fifty miles
away" ~
II guess yer right" said Ran feebly;
= believe am bleedin' ter death in
ternally, and as if to verify his words,
the blood welled up in his mouth and
choked his further utterance. The
men laid Ran in an easy position and
put folded coat under his head for a
pillow.
TITS too bad, Ran," said one of the
miners softly; "but the man who gave
you this will never shoot another man. {"
Why?" asked Ran eagerly.
Because we hung him for killing
Nate Brooks, and before he died
he confessed to shooting Brooks
and wounding you, and it was no one
but Charley Baker"
is that 500" exclaimed Ran family,
Yes, it is So" said Tom Meyers, now
speaking again; "four of us discovered
him stopping over the body of Brooks.
and pursued and overlook him when he
tried to escape, and marched him to
camp, where the boys decided that
death should he his fate. I hated it
powerful bad, for l thought a great
sight of that boy"
Well, boys. few hours ago I would
have been glad to hear that Baker was
out of my path, for he was in my way.
but I'm going to die, boys, and before 1 90
l must set Charley right with you. Boys,
he was innocent!" In" but here the
blood rose in his throat, and for a mo-
ment he was compelled to pause for
breath; when he was able to go on he
continued: "As was about to say, boys,
Charley Baker, as he was called here,
was woman and my wife!"
mi og
surprise and Ran resumed: Il married
her up at Denver about year ago;
the only fault she had then or now was
loving me. Well, in about six months
tired Of her, and so [ left her one
night without her even knowing what
had become of me. But she OWNED
that had deserted her, and dressed
herself in mems attire and searched for
me till she found me here. I wished
to rid myself of her, so
soon after she came to camp, I
commenced to commit various robberies
in hopes that suspicion would be turned
toward her. My plans were working
favorably till tonight when I held
Brooks up, but instead of obeying my
command to throw up his hands he at
tempted to draw weapon; I fired
twice and he fred once and then fell a
corpse to the earth AS I was rifing
his pockets Meyers and his companions
discovered me and fired on me as fed.
One of the balls struck me and gave me
this wound, but still I kept on till
passed this group of pines. Here l met
my wife; she had followed me, and, hid
den behind the pines, had witnessed
the whole affair. She commanded me
to lie down here while she drew my
pursuers after her, which I did. I
thought if she was captured I would
soon be rid OF her, for I knew
she would never give me away
to save herself, and if she
escaped I knew l could rid myself of
her at some other time, for did not be-
lieve then that I was fatally hurt. The
rest you know"
The strength which had held him up
for time now gave way, and he lay
quite still, making no sound except for
the hoarse rattling in his throat.
"Ran Saunders, if ever thar was vii
liam, you are one, and if you had
thousand lives yer ought ter lose them
fer repayin' the love and affection of
woman as yer have, exclaimed old
Tom Meyers as he turned his back on
the spot and walked away. But his
words were lost to the hearing of Ran
Saunders, for his spirit had passed to
higher Judgment than that of earthly
courts.
A shallow grave was scooped out on
the hill side, the body was hastily id
tered, and the miners returned to
camp.
Charley Baker, as the miners called
her, was buried next day with all the
honors the camp could muster. They
sent to Denver and purchased hand
some monument, which they brought
to Pine Creek Camp at great expense
and placed over this lonely grave in
that lonesome valley.
Curious Work Done by Il Clock.
Darius l., Golf. at Pawtucket, r. l.,