Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-02-14
A MOUNTAIN HEROINE

smoking car were digesting it, quiet
man, smoking a bad cigar, gave a
slight cough indicative of beginning a
yarn himself. The listeners gave him
their attention at once.
"Let her CO. said the man from Chi
cago encouragingly
'How did you know 1 had anything
to say" asked the man.
"You loked it," said Chicago.
'Well, 1 have" laughed the man,
"and I've got an affidavit to go with
mine. Have you got one for that you
told?"
"Oh. yes" grinned Chicago, land I'll
show it to you, when you've had your
say"
Don't forget that, gents said the
man, turning to the listeners. "And
now for mine. Five years ago | was a
deputy United States marshal in south
eastern Kentucky. and most of my
business was with mOonshiners. | had
pretty fair, success and bagged lot
Of them, but there was one, the chief
of the gang and the worst of them ALL
that we couldn't get our hands on
One day, however, word came to me
that he was at his cabin in the noun
tains, and if l could get there with
force of men we might surround the
place and capture him. as he had just
come in and expected to go out again
before we should hear anything of him.
In ten minutes l was on my way to
the cabin with ten men, all armed with
heavy revolvers. and all moving by diff
ferent ways, so as not to excite sus-
picion and let him get on to our
movements. We were to meet at a
point about half am lie from his house
and then swoop down on it and take
it in. The first part of the program
me went off all right, ard an hour af-
ter heard he was at home l had his
house surrounded. Then l rode up to
the door and yelled hello and wom-
an came out
Where's your husband| l asked
for l knew her quite well.
What do you want of him" she
responded.
Il want to see him.
We'll, you can't
But I'm going to, just the same.
I heard he was here not an hour ago,
and he's got to come this time
Il reckon not she said, and lodged
in, shutting the door after her with
a slam, and barring it on the inside.
as | could very plainly hear.
''Then, before we had chance to
make a rush, a gun went off in the
house and bullet went 'spat against
tree near me- l thought it was
time to get under cover and did so
with prOmptneSs and dispatch, and at
once ordered my men to close up and
fire ON the house. This they did with
pleasure, but we might as well have
fired at a stOckade, for the cabin was
built of heavy logs. and nothing short
of mountain hOwitzer could have had
any serious effect upon it, We bang
ed away, though. and every now and
then a shot came from the inside and
whistled diSagreeably near us. One
time, when one of my men showed up
where he could get shot at the only
pane of glass visible. two shots came
after him so closely that he stayed in
hiding for the rest of the time This
was about 8 o'clock in the morning.
and we at last concluded that as there
were children and woman Ia the
house with our mOuntaineer, we could
not very well burn it down, even if we
could get close enough to fire it; we
would simply camp on their trail and
Starve them out. SO we took our
places to command every point to
preyent escape and waited At inter
walls a shot would come from the cab
in, but we would pay no attention to
it, thinking that our man might think
we We're gOnewe wer gone and come
out, but he didn't and the long day
wore on. 1t was r"ining, too, after
DO0n. and we were decidedly uncom-
PORTABLE but we had our game Gagged,
and we were bound to get him or stay
there a year. However. it was not to
be that we were to remain quite that
long, for about o'clock in the even
ing when it was so dark we couldn't
see our hands before us, and had come
up so close to the cabin that we trust
ed to our ears instead of our eyes
to catch the moonshiner in case he
tried to get away under cover of dark
ness the door was thrown open and
the woman called:
What Is it, / asked from behind
a stump in the yard.
You can come in eff you wanter'
she replied
Tell your old man to come out
L won't do nothin'uv the sort, >
EFF yer want him. come in after him.
81 parleyed awhile. fearing treachery
but when she handed out two guns
and punched up the fire on the hearth
until the cabin was brilliantly lighted,
/ called up my men and went inside,
the woman meanwhile standing in the
middle of the floor. with four or five
children clinging TO her skirts. Every
mai of us had our revolver in our
hahd, and we expected trouble though
it was hardly likely under the cir
cumstances. Once inside, we had
made a thorough search of the one
room in the cabin, in very few min
utes, and as the floor was mostly earth
we did not feel like going for eel
lar Notwithstanding there was no
sign of the moonshiner in the room
where we were. He was clean gone,
and there could be no doubt on that
point. 1t was so unexpected and dis
appointing that l looked at the woman
helplessly. In reply she laughed at me.
Where is your husband? l asked,
because there wasn't much. else to
say.
How do l know she answered,
provOkingly.