The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-10-11
BRAVE BETTY.

tho hard road in front of the little wood
en- Jail at the county seat of an interior
county of West Virginia, and then pris-
oner was brought i'll by half dozen Of
ficers and chained to n ring in the wall.
The prisoner was broad shouldered
young man, with long, black hair and
piercing eyes. AS he passed into the Jail
part of the building Betty Rainsford,
the pretty wild flower daughter of Jailcr
Rainsford, caught sight of him. She
sprang forward with the word Jim"
trembling on her lips, but instantly re-
strained herself and turned away with
apparent unconcern.
Jim Springston was IL moonshiner. In
other words, he manufactured liquor
without a government license and was
therefore hunted by United States de-
tectives. He had Il still among the dark
recesses Of the mountains, where for
years he had pursued his unlawful call
ing. AT last, however, he had been
trapped by Detective johnson and his
deputies, but his capture was effected
only after Il hard fight, in which Spring
ston had wounded two deputies slightly
and had himself received flesh wound
in his left arm.
"Well, we've got another desperate,
and the court will soon make short work
of him. said johnson to the taller as he
came out from securing the prisoner.
IL shall look TO yOu to see that he docs
not escape, aud the officer twirlcd he
tween his fingers the key of the paddock
which secured Sprinyston, mt the same
time stridinS out. After placing his
deputies on guard around the insecure
structure 10 prevent rccapture by the
prisoners friends, or to circumvent allv
efforts on the part of the prisoner him
self to escape, Captain Johnson went to
the only lodging house III the village.
where he put u, for the night.
The reader has already suriniscd that
the members of the Rainsforl family
were at least acquainted with Jim
Springston. He was. in fact. the aft
anced husband of Betty, who had al
ready resolved to rescue her lover at all
hazards. Her father was. 10 say the
least, morally responsible to the law for
the safekecping of Springston, and she
knew it would be of no avail to turn in
that direction for relief. In fact, she
would not have released jim from Jail
if she could have done so with her own
hands, as l. would have brought censure
and disgrace down ON the head of her
father and created the suspicion that
the Rainsford family was in league with
the illicit distillcrs.
Jim Springston had been a frequent
visitor to the Rainsford household for
the previous year or two and had won
his promised bride over numerous rival
suitors, but the head of the household
did not know he was violator of the
law until brought in that evening.
Neither had Betty known of this fact,
but the moment she had learned of tho
arrest she decided in favor of Jim.
Atsupper that evening the elder Rains
ford stated that, while he syInpathized
with Springston, he could see no way
but that he would have to go to prison.
Betty acQuiesced meekly, but her brain
was busy with ii plan of her own.
a passing country doctor had dressed
the wounds of the deputies and the pris-
oner. Betty looked down at the latter
operation, but not even a look of recog-
milton passed between herself and lover.
They seemed to pursue that course intu-
itively. They were as strangers, and
thus darkness settled over the quiet
country village.
Just after midnight, when the alertness
of the guards was benumbed by drowsi-
ness, dark figure stole to the window
of the Jail. A voice almost as still as
the night itself called: Jim! Oh, Jim!
Don't stir or make noise. It's Betty"
There was IL soft answer denoting that
he heard her, and she went on thus
"Read this note when daytime comes
and obey instructions carefully" thrust
ing the paper through the bars and into
the hands of the prisoner by means of q
long stick.
After breakfast the next morning the
prisoner was taken out and mounted
Oh a horse, and the officers also mounted
their horses, and the party set off for the
nearest railroad station, distance of 90
miles. Just rs the horsemen cantered
away a glance from Betty to jim as
sured each that both understood the
programme.
Captain johnson felt elated over the
capture of Springston for the reason,
first, that there was handsome reward
awaiting his safe delivery into Tie hands
of the government and, secondly, be-
cause the capture added another large
feather to the already well decorated
cap of the detective
1T was delightful summer morning,
and as the party rode along the birds
chirped and the dew sparkled like moth
ing had happened or was about to hap
pen among the lonesome mountains.
The road was little more than bride
path in places, and for two miles from
the Rainsford house it bore around the