The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-03-21

feet.
ooh! somewhere in there-the far
end Of the corral-or Moreno's west
ROOM" was the gasping reply.
Another rush into the whirling, eddy
ing smoke, another search along under
the wall, and presently in the Pickering
light the rescui1g pair came upon a
barrier of barley sacks, burning in
places from huge fakes Of fire falling
from the blazing rafters of the over
hanging shed, and behind this, senseless,
~suffocated. helplessly bound, two other
forms. Thrusting the sacks aside, the
troopers seized and dragged forth their
hapless fellow creatures. Jared by
sudden pressure, a burning upright
snapped. There was a cracking, crash
ing sound and down came the rafters,
sending another column Of fame to light
up the features of men rescued not an
instant too soon from the death that
awaited them.
my God!" cried Sergeant Lee, "this
is old Feeny-and yet alive"
Together the two raised the senseless
form, bore it out into the open space,
laid it gently beside their first discovery
and ran back for the next, a big,
heavy. bulky shape in loose and blood
stained garments. It took all their
strength to lug itforth. Then the lieu
tenant bent by the side Of the slowly
recovering civilian.
care there any more we a reach:"
he questioned eagerly, his heart beating
madly.
"No-too late!-others were inside
when the roof fell in. More water
more water!!"
Sergeant Lee sprang to the ollas
cleaning there in the freight and
brought back a trimming dipper. hold
ing it to the poor fellows parched lips
until he could drink no more, then
slashing away the thongs with which
he was bound.
"This is greaser work" he cried.
How could they have left you alive?
Where are Moreno's people? Who's
done this anyhow"
'Pasqual Morales. Moreno was IN it
too. Twas the paymaster they were
laying for, but they've killed Ned Har-
vey and got his sisters-old Harvey's
children-from Tucson"
WHAT" cried the officer, leaping to
his feet. ''Harvey's daughters here?
here? Man, are you mad?"
Its Gods truth! Oh, i'll had a
drop of the whisky that's being burned
in therel I'm nigh dead"
run to my saddlebags, Lee; fetch
that flask, quick; then call in the men
and send one back to hurry up the rest.
Where have they gone? What have
they done with their captives:"
"God knows! I could hear them
screaming and praying-those poor
girls! Muilan and the pay clerk picked
up Feeny after he was stunned, and
they rushed him back through here,
where the paymaster had dragged
himself, to where you found him.
That-that's the paymaster you've got
there. Then they tried to save a
drunken soldier while all the gang
seemed crowding after the safe and the
girls, but they were shot down inside
and must have burned to death if they
wasn'tkilled. Oh, God, what a night"
And weak, unstrung, unnamed, the
poor fellow sobbed aloud.
At this instant there rode into the
corral a couple Of troopers.
Lieutenant Drummond here:" cried
one of them. We've found a man out
on the plain to the southeast, gagged
and bound. Shall we fetch him in?"
"You go, Quinn, but get some one
else to help you. Patterson, your horse
is fresh, gallop back on the trail. Tell
Sergeant Meinecke to come ahead for
all he's worth. Let the packs take care
of themselves. Send Sergeant Lee in
here to me again." Then with trem-
bling hands the young officer turned his
attention te his other patients. Sever
ing the cords with his hunting knife, he
freed them from their bonds, then
dashed water over their scorched and
blackened faces, meantime keeping up
q running fire Of questions. Between
his sobs, the young civilian told him
that the outlaws had hitched in both
teams and taken also the spare mules
and the blackboard. They had lifted
the Harvey girls into the Concord, the
safe and Pasqual Morales into the pay
masters ambulance, while the wounded
men and Moreno's people probably were
put on the open wagon. Then they
had all driven furiously away to the
south, leaving only two OF three men
to complete the work at the ranch.
Finding the paymaster and sergeant
well nigh dead, they had contented
themselves with binding and leaving
them to their fate, to be cremated when
the roof of the shed came down. Then
one Of the gang whom he had once
befriended in Tucson pleaded with his
fellows to spare the life Of the only one
Of the party left to tell the tale. Pas
quail and the Mexicans were gone.
Those who remained were Americans,
judging by their speech, though two Of
%Laoo ,n,oro c<;1l rooGra1 INV nomo