The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1893-07-08
A QUESTION OF GUILT.
"a QUESTION:. TOO. THAT WAS
e. G.. NEVER. ANSWERED.. K
McPherson'e Last Night Passed Sur
rounded by the Flood and with
the Sheriff Riding Fast +
%''' to Secure Him. t5@H ~

Z 81, -,
In the spring of 1883 CHANGED e
make the acquaintance OF a young
tendertoot who had become fascinated
with the Wild ways Of. Colorado and
who had probably come to the state
as the result OF a course of dime
novel reading. I: had made an ar
rangement with a man named Cog
gins whereby was to aid him for q
year in managing his ranch ana tc
take certain share of the profits.
The ranch was on Little Crow creek,
near the eastern boundary line of the
state. Our nearest neighbor was a
young man who had q claim of 18C
acres ten miles south of us, SAYS q
Philadelphia Times writer. His name
was MCPHERSON, and he had come
from Scotland three years before.
Some time after we were settled he
came over to our ranch and helped ue
with the chores and in looking after
! the horses and cattle.
One hot spring afternoon Cog gins
and myself rode over to Grover, q
little town twelve miles from our
ranch, to lay in a stock of provi sions
for the following week.
| just as we reached the main street
OF the town we heard two pistol-shots
fired in quick succession, and a man
dashed past us riding at a furious
pace, with his head bent over his
horses neck. Taylor, the president
OF the bank, was standing at the
gate OF the lumber yard with a smok-
ing revolver in his hand, and he
shouted to us to give chase Several
others Joined US in the pursuit, but
the fugitive had a good start on us,
and we followed the direction in
which he disappeared until nightfall.
When we returned Taylor, who
| was lame and had not been able to
join the party, told us. that the man
had walked into the bank with a
mask on his face, and had held him
| up for $400 in cash.
-Four weeks after the robbery
| Coggins and myself were smoking
our pipes on the CORRAL fence, after
we had made things all right for the
| night, and were watching the gather.
ing thunder clouds that were coming
| down upon us across the Wyoming
border. Little creek had been far
| up over it's banks for the past week,
and we could hear it roaring furiously
| in the dark.
fretty soon we saw the herd COM
| ing towards us with the herd ers
circling around them swinging their
long lashes above their heads
There's a flood coming down the
creek" called out one of them. 1T
looks like it was going to wash out
all the fellers along the hollow
Hardly had he finished when he
heard roar as if Niagara were close
upon us, and then the believing of
cattle and the shouts Of the herders
''Ihat's it," said Coggins. WED
better go down and see if McPherson's
going to need any help"
We were saddling our horses when
two men rode up to the sheds One
of them was the Greeley sheriff. He
was prepared for business and had a
cartridge belt around his waist and a
revolver at each hip. 1--we got a
clue to that bank robber," said he.
"That young Scotchman's my man,
and he's going to the penitentiary for
it,"
| "What, McPherson?" exclaimed
Coggins. "Why, you're out of your
head sureH
''You wait and see," said the sheriff.
And we all rode away together in the
pouring rain.
The house was surrounded by
water, and it must have been at least
a foot deep inside.
| sNow the question is, where in
thunder's McPherson?" said the
sheriff, anxlously. ''He can't be in.
side there I've been chasing the
man all over the state for a week
and know he's been at that ranch
within the last six hours
| Scarcely had he finished speaking
when the lightning flashed again
and we saw a light shining strong
and clear out from McPherson's win
dow over the fast rising waters
THAT settles it,, cried the sheriff
| joyfully. "He's there, and he mus
come out or DROWN
We could see that the water was
rising every minute. We rode GU
on little point of land that stretched
| out in the water close to McPherson's
window. The light still burned in
side, but the window was covered by
a curtain. We I'LL raised our voice.
in one frightful yell that might have
brought a dying man to the window
had one been inside, and we were re
warded by seeing the curtain slowl,
raised. MCPHERSON was sitting at
i table with his face almost as white
as q sheet. 49,. III Il.
) s'For Gods sake, get: out of that!'
shouted Coggins. you'll drown, man
: Don't you knoy the waters all around
you. There's q food!'
I The young man looked at us. with
a vacant, gloomy stare. His mouth
was twitching nervously. He KEPT
his eyes on us for fully a minute ane
then turned slowly away without 81
much as a word. Presently we saw
him Icy pieces Of paper on the table
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