Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1894-04-19

ootC ~ th<-t tuCIC G1hiilois oSA dhSOAs
said the fellow who had his gun on me,
with a malicious scowl; you're needin'
one pretty bad about this time. as
sure's you're foot high My heart
gave a great Jump. The bill of sale 1
had received with the horse was in my
| valise, by this time well on its way to
Globe; and what if the animal should
prove to have been stolen by the man
for whom 1 had purchased it? How
ever, putting a bold face on the matter.
I answered.: Gentlemen, assure you
bought this horse in good faith from a
stranger at Lacey's corral in Silver
City. and l can easily prove it by turn
ing back with you. as you seem to be
going that way
6 Too old trick, sneered the spokes-
man of the party. L reckon we'll set
tie your case 'thout goin' to Silver.
You'd like us to tote you back there,
SOS the sheriff d take you away from
us m then the lawyers d turn you
loose. 1t don't go, stranger; my names
Bill Fry. md / swore the chap as stole
my sorrel colt'd swing fort if ever / got
my gun on him; N whatever 1 be,
| amt no perjurer. Come on, boys; let's
git down to tn river, whar tn
trees handy
while speaking, he had tied my
hands behind me as sat in the saddle,
without himself dismounting, the
| others keeping me covered with their
rifles. Then attaching his RATA to my
horses neck, he led off down the road
to the ella river. his horse and mine
travelling side by side, and the re-
mainder of the party bringing up the
rear. could not conceal from myself
that my situation was becoming seri-
Gus, but as yet 1 was not greatly
alarmed. ] felt certain could explain
matters to the other, who, noted, had
not yet taken any part in the converse
ton, and who seemed much less precip-
itate than my captor, though their set
jaws and determined faces bespoke
them to be terribly in earnest Still,
the unpleasant reflection would OBJ
trude itself that had obtained the res
pite of being taken to the rlve~ only
because there were no trees nearer on
which man might be hanged
1.-THE five miles or so that we covered
on a lope before reaching the bottom
land, though we traversed them in
silence, seemed all too short; and when
we turned off the trail into a grove of
cottonwoods and came to a halt at the
edge of little open glade, l found my
self wishing the distance had been
greater that / might have had more
time in which to arrange my defense.
Fry dismounted, and loosening the
rope that hung in coil from my sad
dle-bow. tossed it over a low, horizon
tai bough that had extended above my
head, and ordered me to say what 1
had to say, and say it quick as my
time was short 1 was cool and per-
haps trifle indignant, for l did not
yet believe it possible that this un-
pleasant rencontre would result fatally
for me, and considered the rope play
merely a bluff to intimidate me.
Gentlemen | said, Il take it for
granted that you are not murderers,
and do not wish to become such
through an error in Judgment Be-
ware, then, of acting too hastily in this
matter. All ask at your hands is fair
play. Even We're l guilty, there would
be no need of SO much dispatch in TAX
ing my life, for / cannot escape you.
1 demand, therefore, that while l am
safely guarded here by three of your
number, the fourth man be sent back
to Silver City, where he can go to
Lacey's corral and easily satisfy him
self of the truth of my statements /
then recounted how and where had
bought the animal; how l had packed
the bill of sale in my valise and for
warded it to Globe; and how had left
Silver City that very morning at sun
rise.
ITO this, Bill Fry. as he called him
self, doggedly retorted that the animal
was his, as was we'll known to the others
there present; that he had that morn
ing discovered fresh horse signs lead
ing from his pasture in the direction of
Globe, and recognized them as having
been made by his sorrel colt; that in
company with his three companions
there present he had followed the trail
and had overtaken me astride the miss
ing animal; that what had said about
my coming from town was all lie, for
they themselves had found me going
toward town; and, lastly, that l be-
longed to the gang of horse-thieves
that had infested the ella valley all
summer, and all my lies were merely
for the purpose of gaining time, hoping
for a rescue or an escape.
What could do? OF course l ex-
planned to them about losing my can
teen and turning back to look for it
even begged them to ride back and find
it for themselves; but it was of no use.
They had made up their minds that 1
was guilty, and that an example must
be made of me, as a warning to the
gang to which they pretended to be-
lieve 1 belonged. 1 pointed to the ac-
coutrements of my horse and asked my
accuser, with some sarcasm, if his
horse had been saddled and bridled
when it left the pasture; but he re-
torted that had hid the 'riggin'' out
in the brush before stealing the AMI
mal-an old trick with horse thieves.
"In the pause that followed, the con-
viction slowly forced itself upon me,
with the deadly chill of despair, that 1
must die. No possible way of escape
presented itself. must prepare to ac-
cept the inevitable. Here, in this lone
ly place. with no one near but these
stolid ruffians, must give up my life;
and all, life was SO sweet 1t seemed
to me then that / had never realized
how sweet it was-how exhaustless
We're its capabilities for enjoyment
and now l must lose it. The world
would go on as usual; friends would
wonder at first what had become of
me, then, by degrees, forget me, and my
fate would remain forever unknown.
A dread. sickening sensation-a nausea
stole over me. Was this to be the