Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-05-02
IN THE MIDDLE WEST.
A Story Of Life In the Great
Mississippi Valley.

IN INK DOTH upon 1oOlScap ana leg0lcap
without any sensible appreciation, was
passing along the east side of the gas
lit square, with his coat-collar pulled
up and his adam's-apple pulled down
to cover it from the whirling storm.
Seeing a light in the office of Bower
81 Woodman he went up the stairs
sitting at the big round table
in the rooms center with a
pile of law books beside him and the
gas-light falling over him. He nodded
and smiled pleasantly to the sloping-
shouldered youth, and with a side
wave of the head motioned him to a
seat. Salvo thought him very strong,
clear-cut looking fellow as he sat there
with his high forehead. clear eyes,
large, straight nose, nervous nostrils,
and brown hair. Like most young
driving Americans, he looked little
pale and rather older than his years.
lie had writing-pad before him on
the table and was rapidly gathering
notes from the volumes as he turned
the pages, and as Salvo indicated that
he only desired to sit and read awhile,
he proceeded with his work. Salvo
threw his thin shanks over table, and
drawing drab-backed copy of David
Copperfeld from his pocket began to
move forward under the magician's
wand, now twitching the corners of
his mouth, giving his nose little spastic
jerks like rabbit, and endeavoring in
vain to swallow his adam S-apple as
his heart rose against it.
So the time ran on and the court
house clock struck ten, then eleven,
and at last doomed slowly the mid
night hour away up in the storm, but
John Earling did not pause in his writ
ing, and Salvo was trying very hard to
swallow his adam s-apple and did not
notice it. Suddenly there came a kind
of muffled seething sound; John Ear
ling listened, spIang up quickly and
throwing the window up looked out;
half the square was black with silent
moving figures bleared over by the dim
and swirling storm. With whitening
face he dropped the window, caught
up his hat and went leaping down the
stairway with the bewildered Salvo
after him. When they reached the
walk the front OF the mass was passing,
and John Earring sprang upon hitch
Ping out over them
Men, for Gods sake don't commit
another murder! Do not be rash! Let
Il
| We will convict him again and hang
HIM lawfully in the end!' he cried.
But the dark and misty mass poured
forward through the driving storm,
and voices cried out of it: I'VE will
hang him now, ifyou pleased" and a tall
form striding at the front turned its
face the other way and muttered: ats
the kid!"
| John EARRING sprang down and ran
in front of them, entreating them in
the name of Heaven to desist, but both
he and Salvo were swept along like
chat, and near the Jail were swept into
another seething mass, and the whole
human flood rolled against and broke
about the big stone Jail.
In an instant Johu Earlin9 was upon
the fence-wall pleading for mercy for
the prisoner, but he could not be heard,
and the mass drawing back in the GEN.
ter suddenly shot forward and the big
door crashed and the human flood
roared and the building was filled with
screams.
John Earling sprang into the surging
mass and fought his way toward the
door, and again came the shivering
crash, and the mass drew back with a
roar and plunged forward again bear
ram crashed and tore through the
heavy door he was sucked in by the
frenzied shouting surge and borne up
the stairway among the iron cells that
rang with shrieks. The halls in a
breath were choked with sweating,
steaming, snow-whitened men, shout
ing, surging. gesticulating, and dimly
lit up by lanterns. In q moment two
stalwart fellows with sledge hammers
were shifting an iron door, bringing q
crash with every blow and peal OF
shrieks from the cells and roar from
the surging men that filled the hal
stairway, and blackened the street
The big sheriff came crowding into the
hall with revolver in hand. but he was
hurled aside and his revolver wrencheG
from his grasp.
Just as the door crashed from it.
hinges and hung by the lock JOIN
Earring reached it. His hat was of
and his shirt collar torn away, and a
the top of his voice he was implorins
them to desist. In the time of heart
= beat he had his arms about one of thu
3 mon struggling with him. Don't! TO
t God Almighty's sake. All, don't taxi
his blood upon your soul!'' he wa
shouting. The painting man had hi
| eyes IuTllCu ONcE lilo SuOuluSL' Nv
told us, kid, what kind of cuss he is
and now he's got to prove it! Yol
4 won't hev to tell us agin!" and witt
} the words, which We're scarcely distin
guishable in the noise. the iron doc
was wrenched back, and, breakin:
4 loose from the lock, hurled then
/ against the wall, and there, fattene
|. against the grating in the farthes
d corner of the cell, with eyes startin.
i from his head, and as white as if liftet
from coffin, stood Fowler, frozen wit
terror. In an instant dozen. power
full hands jerked him, quivering an
begging, forward, and the roaring mas
poured down the stairway into tn
. seething street, out into the cold nigh
among the storming elements and sti
h stormier men. The big sheriff an
4 John Earling strove in vain to take til
q prisoner from them, and Joel Whitne