Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-03-24

Well feed and water here before start
ing, then we've got to ride like the
devil. Send Trooper Bland here as
soon as he has unsaddled. want him
to ride with me. He knows all the
roads to the SOUTH"
Meinecke saluted in his methodical
German fashion, turned away and pres
emily could he heard ordering I'm
saddle, and then shouting for Private
Bland.
Are there any Of our men besides
/ the farrier who have any knowledge of
surgery?' asked the lieutenant of Ser
geant Lee.
"They say Bland has, sir. 1 don t
know any one else"
well. I've just sent for him. Mr..
| Harvey here doesn't seem to be wound
ed, yet it's impossible to bring him to.
! Give Woods little more whisky and
see if you can get word out of the ma
! jor or Feeny."
But efforts with the half suffocated
men had no effect. The whisky with
! Woods had better results. He present
| ly ceased his shivering sobs and could
begged for particulars of the capture.
and these the man found it difficult to
| give. He was stationed at the back
door. the corral side, he said, and hand
| ly saw the finaA rush. But there was
something so queer about it. There
had been few minutes lull. Then
| Harvey and Feeny beth began to talk
excitedly and to call out that the road
agents were running away, and then
| presently there came the sound of gal
| Looping hoofs and cheering and both the
| sergeant and Mr.. Harvey had shouted
| that the troops Were coming and rushed
| out to meet them And the next thing
| knew, said Woods, was seeing Fecrv
! fiattened out on the ground and crawl
ing on his hands and knees and the
room filled with roughs, some Mexi-
| cans, some Eanks, and l siipped into
| the corral and saw one of them shoot
| Feeny as he was trying to crawl after
me; and while they We're swearing and
searching for the safe and carrying it
| out. Mr.. Dawes and Mullan managed
| somehow, to help the pay,naster out
and then went in after the other man. ;"
Then Woods could tell little more
| One thing. he said, amazed and excited
| him so he couldn { believe his eyes. but
| he was almost ready to swear that the
| fellow Feeny ran to shake hands with
was q soldier in uniform, and that he
held Feeuy's hand while another man
| came up behind and mashed him
with the butt of his pistol, and that
| foil -.
man who afterward shot Feeny as he
was trying to crawl away.
Drummond looked around at the man
| incIedulous- almost de,isive. The story
was improbable. too much so to deserve
! even faint attention. Just then Mel
| necke came back and, precise as ever.
| stood attention and saluted
Herr lieutenant, Private Bland is
| not with my party at all, sir.
Did ypu leave him hacl, with the
! pacEs?" e
No. sir; the men say he wasn't with
us all night. He rode ahead with the
lieutenant until we came TO Corporal
! Donovan body"
Hes not been with me SINCE ex-
| claimed the lieutenant. Sergeant Lee.
| ask If any of the men have seen him. T"
Lee was gone but a moment. then
came back with grave face and troubled
eyes, bringing with him young troop
CT who was serving his first enlistment
Private Goss, here, has queer story
to tell, sir.
What do you know? What have
you SEEM" asked Drummond.
Why, sir, right after Sergeant Lee
caught sight Of the fire and sung out
that 1t was Moreno's was back about a
couple of rods looking for my canteen
l was that startled when they found
Corporal Donovan dead that l dropped
| 1T. and al of a sudden somebody comes
out past me leading his horse. and l
asked him what he had lost. and he said
ms pipe and passed me by. ard ]
thought nothing more about it-only
no sooner did he get out into the dark
! where l couldn't see him than l heard
all OF a sudden u horse start AZ full gal
iop right over in this direction. and
now ! think of it it must have been
Bland, for it was him that passed Inc,
sir-sneaking out like
Drummond sprang TO his feet
| What say you to this. sergeant? Do
you Eeiieve--do you think it possible
that Bland has deserted and Joined
these outlaws?''
II don't know what to think, sir,
but l haven't forgotten what Feeny
said of him.
| what was that?'
| THAT he had too smooth tongue to
have led q rough and honest life; that
II he was q Texan as he claimed Texas
people had learned to talk different
lingo since he was stationed among
them with tho old Second cavalry before
the war, and that he wished he'd been
there at Lowell when the adjutant ac-
cepted those letters from former officers
OF the regiment as genuine. Bland
would never show them TO Feeny. Said
he had sent 'em all to his home in
Texas. That was what made bad blood
between them
by heaven! and now to think that
one OF our troop-C troop-should
have been engaged in this outrage
But we'll get them, men," said Drum
yDnanIn al $500 IA r