The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-10

worried him after the ease of his own
Whitman. When dawn came he was
well nigh ready to give up the chase
after fording the Santa Clara and finding
the trail had turned northwestward,
when a, sharp-eyed trooper swore he
could see the quarry making for the
foothills and not two miles ahead; so
Merriam borrowed a single spur and
pushed vehemently. vigorously on.
Then broad daylight came. and there
could be no doubt they were gaining.
The chase was hot The pursued were
tossing off saddlebags, riatas and other
detachable horse furniture to tighten
their weight, but they stuck to their
guns and ammunition. Merriam's men
were considerably strung out, not more
than six being well up within supporting
distance. when the fact that they were
In range of the greasers was demon
strated by the zip and sing Of bullet
F, close alongside.
[ That's business" muttered the troop
er who rode close on his left rear. "Shall
try shot, sir?''
Merriam shook his head. The situa-
ton had few points in its favor. Obedient
to his orders to pursue and capture the
gang, Randy had ridden hard, yet over
many a. mile had he asked himself the
| question-suppose they resist arrest.
what's to be done? He had no warrant.
He was not even a deputy sheriff, not
comitatus- If he or his men returned
their fire and shot some of these un-
| natural naturaliZed voters and citizens
! like as not an indictment for murder
! would be hanging over his head, If not
hanging him in the course of a fort
night. True, there was no sheriff within
seventy miles, and long before the civil
authorities could be brought into play
the murderers of Brady would be scat
tered all over the face Of the earth. All
the same, under the strict Interpretation
or the civil law, Lieutenant Merriam
knew that he and his people had no more
| business trying to arrest these renegades
than they had to vote at a territorial
election. In point of fact, like many an
other officer and man, soldier of Uncle
sam on the broad frontier, he was aware
or the fact that even a horse thief had
more civil rights than the trooper: His
expedition, therefore, in the eve of the
law, was nothing more nor less than a
lawless dash. winding up in a possible
| free hight, and all against the peace and
dignity of the people Of New Mexico
Perhaps Buxton knew this too. but the
orders he gave were peremptory, and
Merriam never stopped to reply reason
why or expostulate. But now when the
renegades began to shoot the reasoning
why had to be done. His men were hot
Tor Dattle-SO was he--but the Nation ex-
poets of its officers that, no matter what
| the temptation, provocation or exaspera-
ton, they keep cool heads and tempers.
| only shoot when the law permits. but
| then shoot to kill. No claim of self-de-
tense could be allowed They were the
pursuing and therefore the attacking
| party, and though these Mexicans were
followed red-handed, hot-footed. there
| could be no question what a civil Jury
would say II any Of their dingy hides
| We're punctured by the balls of brutal
| soldiery
Zip-bang-a second shot. Bing-g-g-g
| wrrrrr-bang! another, and Corporal
Butts ducked his head and damned. and
trooper Mullen's charger sauealed and
lunged and kicked viciously with the
seam Of bullet scathing his flank and
blowing the haunch. They were closing
on the ruffians fast. then. and the temp
| tation was overpowering. ct can't ride
my men In to be shot down like dogs"
| growled Randy. I'm for penny, in for
a pound. They started 1t, anyway" he
said to himself, then turned I'm saddle
and waved high his forage can. Close
up. Close up, men," he cried meaning
| TO draw rein, slacken speed a bit and get
all MS party together before closing for
action. The Mexicans were plainly
winded. Their half-starved brutes had
carried them under bloody squirting as
FAR as they could. and were now barely
staggering along. What their riders
dreaded was summary stringing up to
the railway telegraph poles If captured.
Better die fighting, said the leader, and
/ fight 1t was.
They were close to the entrance of a
little ravine that set In among the bar
rem slopes from the open ground to the
east. All the way from the Santa Clara
| the ascent had been gradual but dis
| tinctly marked, and just as the foremost
rider spurred around the shoulder Of the
hillside his painting broncho stumbled,
went down, rolled helplessly over and lay
there dead to kicks, curses or blows
Three of the gang dashed onward, leav-
ing their countryman to his fate, but
| two OF them, better nerved, refined up,
ahghted, and, throwing themselves fiat
upon the ground, opened again a rapid
and telling fire from their Winchesters.
Mira! Ell teniente," was the word. linked
| with savage Spanish curse that Kissed
| from the black lips of the nearest, and
In an instant Merriam became the target
| for the sharp fire of three magazine
rifles. famous for their accuracy at no
greater distance than the four hundred
yards that now separated them. Almost
before he could realize 1t Randy felt a
sharp sting just at the outer edge Of his
bride arm, and knew that the blood
gushed from the wound. Then all of a
| sudden his poor troop horse plunged
heavily forward. and. grooming and
struggling, went down in a heap, bear
| ing his rider helplessly with him
/ Two minutes more, as some of the men
dismounted and with rapid and effective
fire scattered the Mexicans to shelter
within the ravine, Corporal Butts and a
trooper succeeded in pulling Merriam
free from the madly flashing, struggling,
stricken brute, and then 1t was found
that their pallid, speechless leader had
received some serious injury. All the
breath was knocked out of his body and
| the bride arm was broken midway be-
| tween the wrist and elbow. That ended
the chase. Four or five men, 1t is true.
took advantage of the fact that the lieu
tenant was knocked out to dash ahead
and have a personal affair with the
greasers, and later in the day. when.
after long, long ride. trooper Mullen
reached a friendly ranchman on the
Santa Clara and had him send out his
spring wagon for the wounded officer,
THESE enthusiasts came drifting back.
there was reason for belief that their
ammunition had not been entirely spent
In vain. But ii was worn-out, used-up
detachment, escorting a two-wheeled,
improvised ambulance. that recrossed
the Santa Clara late that afternoon and
was met there by the assistant surgeon
| II hope you saw Mrs. Merriam before
you started" was Randy's faint greet
ing. She wasn't much worried, was
she! tried to scrawl a line or two, and
we made the messenger swear / was
only famed by the fall of the horse You
saw her-didn't your"
MOO" hesitated the doctor, 'T didn't.
Merriam. You see. there wasn't time.
You know how Ii Is with old Bux.