The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-10-16


/ plunged into deeper excuses than be-
4 fore gave up his work, finally sold the
claim at a great sacrifice, and spent
all his time in savage drun.xe mess,
constantly swearing that he had but
one thought left in life, and that to
find and kill Jermyn-
Too often the man who has done
another a wrong hates him for that
very reason, strange as it may seem.
and that was the condition OF mind
that Selden had now reached.
Meantime, Jermyn, advised by men
who had known Selden for years, hid
himself and waited from day to day.
hoping against hope that a change
might come.
Bnt no change came, and one day by
some chance Selden learned that
Jermyn was still IN the camp. and the
rage with which he began q house to
house or cabin search for him led the
latter's friends to at once smuggl e
him as far as Granite Springs, twenty
miles over the divide.
They hoped that this would satisfy
Selden, but the man had become
crazed; one idea filed his mind-the
murder of Jermyn-and with all the
cunning of lunatic he sought the
trail of the fleeing boy. Threats of
terrible form, rage that knew no
bounds filed the air about him where
ever he paused, and the story Of his
determined revenge spread among
the mining camps in the desert. 50
that Jermyn was warned and con-
tinued his fight from point to point
to avoid his pursuer.
Imagine the situation; a mere boy.
unused to the wild lawlessness of that
border land, friendless and far from
home. pursued by one who should
have nothing against him, but whom
he knew to be a murderer and willing
to do as he threatened; is it any won
der that his nerves gave way?
Well. they did, and after being
driven from Granite Springs to Grant,
and in turn to Cottonwood. Point of
Rocks and San BernadinO, he finally
sought cover in Los Angeles itself,
hoping that his enemy would not fol-
low him into that city lest he might
fall into the hands of the law.
But he did not know Selden.
Crazed with liquor and the one idea
that he had turned within his seeth-
ing brain for a month. he learned
with fiendish JOY that Jermyn was in
the city, and thither he went post
haste, seeking for himself a lodging
in one of the third rate hotels upon
lower Main street. and searching the
town each day for his selected victim
For a week or more the other lodged
him; men who knew them both warn
ing him and helping him to conceal
himself. Why he did not call upon
the authorities for prote ction is not
known. but they could do little, for
bail to keep the peace would have
been straw buckler to save Jermyn
from the bullet or knife of his enemy.
Day by day and night by night the
boy watched and lodged and listened
and started. unable to rest or sleep,
or eat: frightened more by the horri-
Bile uncertainty of when the end
would come than by that end itself,
until his brain. too. was turned. and
for the time he became as crazed as
the man who was following him
He reached orA conclusion, either
he must kill Seldep or Selden would
kill him. and life seemed too sweet.
with all it's terrors, to lose it at TWEEN
ty-three; and this is what he did:
Finding where the elder man was
staying he engaged a room in one of
the small two-storied buildings oppo-
site The room looked upon the street
and commanded the entrance to Sell
den-s hotel; and, having secured a
shot gun which he loaded with buck
shot. he took up his station in the
upper window. behind q half opene
blind. and waited the coming of his
former partner.
For some reason two days passed
without Jermyn's seeing Selden. Dur
ing this time. with only pause for a
few hours of rest and bite to eat,
the half-crazed boy, gun in hand.
watched, with flaming eyes and heart
that t1robbed as if it would suffocate
him: watched and waited the chance
to kill the man whom he feared
Each moment that passed burned into
his seething brain a greater fear; each
hour scorched him with a more terri
BILE dread, and the horror that had
haunted him for a month shut out all
else. The world turned red before
his staring eyes. and blood seemed to
trickle down the grimy wall about
him
It was noon of the third day. Half
exhausted, kneeling with his gun
thrust across the window sill and his
chin resting upon it, Jermyn glared
down the narrow street. Suddenly
figure appeared, approached-it was
Selden
Cautiously, with all the method and
care of a mailman, the boy cooked
his weapon, pushed it's barrel little
further out, dropped his head SO that
his eye ran along it, and just as the
other was opposite, within three rods
of the grim muzzle, he cried:
Jim, look upr' and fired
Selden's face was raised, his eyes
caught siulrt of the red flames, he
whirled half about, his hand at his
hip. and fell dead upon the pavement,