The Red Cloud chief., 1895-07-05

sloud grew rapidly. Boot wanted q
third term. Being q good fellow
covers . multitude Of sins in the west,
but the average voter draws the line on
three consecutive terms in office, be che
position ever 40 small. Scott's friend.
demonstrated. He could not be 70.
elected again, thsy said. Scott was de-
termined. He1leaded with his friends
to stand by him. He appeared toe
anxious. Many began to credit the
rumois Of crooked work in the Holt
county t%reasurer's Office. The Populists
saw SCOTS situation and, to make
political capital, forced the issue by d.
handing that he permit a committee "a
zee his cash. Scott did not dare refuse.
II he did the people would be satisfied
the money was gone. II he permitted
che investigation the result was equally
fatal, for In truth the money was gone.
In desperation he visited an Omaha
bank and. on the payment Of $1,000,
completed an agreement by which, On o
certain day. the bank would send .
trusted agent to Holt county with ESQ.,.
600 in gold. Scott might count IL as
HOLT county funds for M day. but
always in tho presence Of the Omaha
banks agent, who was armed and
ready for fighting In the event the
money was unsafe. Then Scott began
to defy the Populists, and boasted that
on q certain day he would exhibit q pile
Of gold in his own private vault. which
belonged to tho county, and that every
penny was there, II was q desperate
game but for the time it looked like q
winner. At the time announced tho
Omaha man arrived, and so did the
gold. Scott proudly pointed to the
great stacks Of yellow metal and de.
manded that the Populist committee
exonerate him Of any wrong doing.
The committee counted the gold. Every
dollar was there. Scott's friends were
jubilant and the opposition correspond.
ingly depressed. Barrett Scott wa
never stronger politically in Holt county
than on the eve of his fall. A third
term was In sight. All was smooth
sailing.
money WnS NOS Ineros
It will never be known Just how the
secret leaked ont. Perhaps the presence
Of the strange man from Omaha con.
stantly mt the vault door provoked sus.
picion. However, the next day, before
signing tho statement generating
Scott Of all charges OF dishonesty, the
Pop committee asked for a last peep Al
the county money. Ono more look and
they would sign the statement that
would have elected him to q third term
and Mt least postponed the humiliating
confession for two years, and perhaps
forever. But the money was not there.
The bank agent had started that very
morning for Omaha. Scott had to re.
fuse. Yet there wa no excuse for the
refusal, N fur as the committee knew.
But the more Scott protested that the
press Of other business demanded his
immediate attention, the more persist.
ent the committee became. The mem.
bers saw q chance to avoid helping q
political enemy. Finally they boldly
demanded to see the money. The de.
faulter saw that he had reached the end
OF his string. He had played o desper.
ate game and, when in the very sight
Of success, had lost. He very pleasantly
told the committee that he would open
the vault again the next day and show
them the money. They consented.
Scott at once fled. He was not to be
found the next day. The vault was
locked and, though it appeared n trife
suspicious, the truth did not dawn on
the Populist committee until Scott was
safe in Mexico. Then il was discovered
that the lock of the vault had been de.
liberately broken. The door could not
be opened for several days. When it
was not q cent of county funds could
b. found.
Captured In Mexico.
All Holt county was wild. The farm.
ers were poor, and with no prospects Of
u crop they had to face an impoverished
county treasury. Months later Scott was
captured in Mexico. He made a desper.
ate fight against extradition. He de-
clared that If he was taken back to Holt
county the people he had betrayed
would lynch him. The fugitive was
finally taken back to the scene of his
crime. At once q number of influential
friends gathered around Scott and an
abundance Of money was contributed
for his defense. 1t vas said openly that
these men came to SCOTS assistance be.
cause they had participated in the loot.
ing OF the county treasury and feared
the consequences of Scott being deserted
and forced to q confession. Their in
huenco was powerful. They could not
prevent a Holt county jury speedily
finding him guilty, but after he had
been sentenced to the pe%nitentiary for
live years some mysterious influence
gave him his liberty and the convicted
defaulter walked the streets rs free as
If he had never stolen 800, 900. Months
passed and it looked al if Barrett Scott
would never be sent to the p%enitentiary,
Perhaps 1t was nothing more potent
than ordinary technicalities with which
he surrounded himself, but be that MS
1t may, the situation began to look
dangerous for the peace of the COM
munity. Farmers We're daily tainted