Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1894-02-09

Raising his manacled hands above his
head be aprsng forward
But the wily villain was too quick for
h M, and leveling his revolver, fired full
in the face of the would be assail mt
As the report reverberated through the
house, Mat Hyland fell heavily to the
door.
Rendered desperate by the act, Sears
turned the weapon upon our hero.
Hold on" warned Bloom.
What for?"
There may be policemen outside, and
lf there arn't, that shot will attract alton
lion.
"What's to be done2" asked the other,
lowering his revolver.
"We must escape by the cellar pas
sage"
"Goodl But Hylond?'
Dead as door il, replied the burg
or after bending for moment over the
detective, who was bleeding profusely
from q wound in the forehead.
And Winters2"
"I,et him keep the other one company.
Sears shud Tered at this suggestion and
recoiel step.
We've done enou9h of that, said he:
Il wouldn't have shot Hyland only had
to-"
What then?"
Il have plan"
"Out with It'll They may be here aDy
minute!"
Instead OF wasting words to unfold his
plan the youthful assassin seized Knlto
and sprang tow I'd our hero.
Despite the recent protestations OF his
enemy, Cole Winters gave himself up Tor
lost. .s
the prisoners body, Almon Sc rs used II
to cut the rope which bound his arms and
legs, =. ,,,..ox.a .. 10 tbrav the
fragments of cord in the open CRATE where
q fire was burning. :,
At that Instant loud noise was heard
in the front of the house.
-Quickl" cried Sears, as he sprang for
ward and threw open a door, beneath
which a fight of stairs was visible.
But the"
He'll be caught red-hunded and go to
the galioSs"
With the apparent purpose of furnish
ing evidence to sti further incrlmlnate
Cole Winters, the scoundrel threw the
revolver on the floor, pushed Martin
Bloom forward, and quickly followed
him, closing the door with slam.
The brain Of our hero was literally IN
a whirl.
He realized that the words of the villain
were but too true, and that in the ABB
sence of all coroborative evidence his
nrotestations of innocence would go for
nothing.
In desperation he looked about for
means of escape.
His eve fell upon the revolver, and,
acting upon o sudden prompting of the
feeling Of preservation, he seized
and raised it in his hand.
Just then the front door was thrown
open and a police officer in uniform ap-
peared.
Surrender" he shouted.
"Firel He's got gun!" cried a second
officer, who stood further back.
sudden thought struck our hero, and
he instantly acted upon it.
He would initiate the action OF the two
villains.
In a twinkling he had reached and
thrown open the door through which they
had just disappeared.
Bangl Pingl
The foremost officer had fred, and the
bullet had crashed into the WOOD only
few inches to his right.
A moment more and he was on tine
landing, with only frail barrier of wooc
between him and the officers.
Even then, desperate as was his stu
alton, his GOODNESS did not desert him.
Realizing that he had but few sec.
onds the start Of his pursuerS, he turned
and felt for bolt.
To his great Joy he found large one
and succeeded in shooting it into it,
socket.
He was none too soon, for almost i'm
mediately the officer reached the doo
and began shaking and trying TO force l
In the brief respite thus afforded him
Cole Winters reviewed his situation lik
lightning.
AS a result, instead of running dow
the stairs, where his ignorance of th
secret eqress would render his death
capture almost q matter Of certainty, b
adopted an entirely different course.
He had noticed that overhead, dire I'll
in front Of the door, was what appeare
7 to be wide shelf common enough in tn
approaches to cellars.
Cole placed his hand upon it an
leaped upward.
A moment more and be had draw
himself up. and was several feet bac
from the door.
He had barely accomplished this, whe
, the bolt gave way, the door few open an
two shots we're fred into the cellar.
[To BE CONTINUED