Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1894-05-09


countenance of the ferryman was
not prepossessing. The nose APP
peared to be broken and one eye
gone. Then the jaws were heavy,
and grizzly moustache, which he
was constantly biting, lent a most
determined expression to his face.
The revelation of his counten-
ance warned me that there was
work between us before we reached
the shore. 1t was the face of Dick
Thurston, whom ] arrested in Cali
fornia, and whose father was hung
for murder committed under such
aggravated circumstances that we
strung him up before there could
be any possibility of escape. Dick
broke jail-not difficult perform
ance in those days-and swore to
shoot me at sight whenever or
wherever he might chance to meet
me.
Here he was at last, and there
was |. Had been the ferryman
and he the passenger, / think my
first sensation would have been diff
ferent; but as it was, he was at
home in the punt, and | assumed
the appearance of the aggressor.
| was not expecting to meet
this desperate in such place, and
under just such circumstances, and
was taken entirely off my guard.
My opinion was that he failed to
recognize me at first, thinking,
perhaps, that was still acting as
sheriff in California; but now he
knew whom he had on board, and
that he would attempt to carry out
his threat | had no doubt.
Now, here was the way | was
situated. My revolver was in my
breast coat-pocket, and it would re-
quire time to get 1T ready for SER
vice. A moment under such cir
cumstances is an hour, and saw
that any precipitate motion on my
part, revealing to him any discovery
and my intention, would draw his
fire before | could even unbutton
my coat; for | well knew that he
had revolver ready at hand, as
such characters always have, either
to shoot victim or resist an arrest.
say that | shuddered when the
face was revealed by the moonlight.
This did not last long, and !
thought best to show no feeling,
but to appear to be perfectly un-
concerned. So turned my eyes
down to the river, and remarked
carelessly:
"A fine sight S'pose you've been
in these parts long enough to know
all the hooks and corners?"
"Yes, and all the contemplate
scoundrels that cross here, too"
This was hitting pretty close,
but | remained imperturbable.
"Ah! So you nab few of 'em
now and then?"
| turned sharply on him when |
said this, and, as / did so, managed
to unbutton my coat with the left
hand, which was on the "of side"
"You internal neck-puller, you'd
think to fool me again? I've got
ye! You know me, and You'll
know something more before you
can say your prayers!"
| looked him calmly in the eye,
which blazed fiercely from the
shadow of the moon.
Those who have had to deal with
such characters know that their
passions betray them into a species
Of madness, and the only way to
get time is to treat them as you
would mailman. Assume an ap-
pearance of unconcern, look them
steady in the eye, and calculate
what you have to do to save yourself.
This was my policy at the time,
or | should not be here to tell you
of the whole affair.
"You are coward to kill wom-
an, said /, with voice of sarcasm;
and gazed at him as if the last
thought in my mind was of danger
to myself.
You should have seen his eye
then! 1t seemed fairly bursting
from his head, and he was now
growing blind with fury.
"You COMPOUNDED body-snatcherw
he yelled. I'll show you that can
kill two women"
He glared at me with that one
orb charged with the spirit of muir
der, and dropping the rope, which
was stretched from shore to shore,
and by which he was pulling the