The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-05-10
AN ARMY WIFE.


Of the rni1vzy. two miles vest Of the
Jcrcsion- Here there seemed TO have been
. brief halt discussion. possibly . clsfre.
and q split Two horses had crossed the
track and gone south. the others. vser-
ing westward. had lit OUT for the Santa
gry now, was wishing with all his heart
he had gone frst 70 Florence and left the
inspection Of the stables until afterward-
II was somewhere about o'clock when
they started. The men were booted and
spurred. bar Merriam was IN ordinary
trousers. and the troop horse he rode vas
quick TO and tho spur was gone and slow
70 mind the heel. The Mcclellan saddle.
too, with its upright pommel and cAntie
worried him after the ease Of his own
Whitman When dawn came be was well
nigh ready to give Up the chase after
fordfng the Santa Clara and finding the
trail had turned northwestwArd, when .
sharp-eyed trooper swore he could see the
quarry making for the foothills. and not
two miles ahead: 20 Merriam borrowed .
single spur and pushed vehemently. Wig
orousiy on.
The broad daylight came. ard there
could be no doubt they were gaining. The
chase was hot The pursued were tossing
OF szddlehags, riatAs and other defach-
able horse furniture TO tighten their
weight, but they stuck to their guns ana
ammunition Merrtam's men we're con-
siderably strung out not more than SIX
being well up within supporting distance.
when the fact that they were In range OF
the greasers was demonstrated by the zip
and sing Of Q bullet close alongside
that's business" muttered the trooper
who rode close on his left rear. shall
try q shot, sirY
Merriam shook his head. The situation
had few points In Its favor. obedient TO
- 49, - ap.1R
Randy had ridden hard. yet over many .
mile had he asked himself the question
Suppose they resist arrest. what's to b
done? He had no warrant. He was not
even . deputy sheriff. not even the hum-
bIest constituent Of . posse comitatus- II
he or his men returned their fire and shot
some of these unnatural naturalized voters
and citixe,iz. like as not an Indictment for
murder would be hanging over his head.
II not hanging him in the Course OF Q 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 scattered
all over the face OF the earth All the
same, uncer the strict Interpretation Of
the civil law. Lieut. Merriam knew that
he and his people had no more business
trying to arrest these renegades than they
had trying to vote At territorial election.
and man. soldier Of Uncle Sam on the
broad frontier. he was aware of the fact
that even q horse thief had more civil
rights than the trooper. His expedition.
therefore, In the eyes Of the law was moth
ing more or less than a lawiess dash.
winding UP In q possible free fight. and all
against the peace and dignity of the people
of New Mexico. Perhaps Buxton knew
this, too. but the orders he gave were per-
and Marian Gfnnned
reply, reason why. or expostulate. But
now when the renegades began to shoot
the reasoning why had TO be done. His
men were hot for battle-so was he-but
the nation expects Of its officers that. no
matter what the temptation. provocation
or evaporation. they keep cool heads and
tempers. only shoot when the law per.
mits. but then shoot to kill No claim OF
seif-defense could be allowed. They werS
the pursuing and therefore the attacking
party. and though these Mexicans were
followed red-handed. hot-footed. there
could DO no question what a civil jury
would say II any Of their dingy hides
were punctured by the balls Of brutal
soidiery.
wrrrrr-bangi another, and Corporal
Butts ducked his head and damned. and
Trooper Mullen's charger sQuealed and
iunged and kicked viciously with the
seam of q bullet scathing his flank and
ploughing the haunch. They were closing
on the rufiians fast then. and the tempta-
ton was overpowering. II can't ride my
men in to be shot down like dogs" growi-
ed Randy. "In for 4 penny In for q
pound. They started II. anyway" he said
to himself. then turned in saddle and
waved high his forage cap. Close upl
Close up. men, he cried, meaning to
draw rein. slacken speed a BIT, and get all
his party together before closing for
action Tho Mexicans were plainly wind.
ed Their haif-starved bruses had carried
them under bloody squirting as far as they
could and were now barely staggering
along What tier riders dreaded was
summary stringing up to the railway tele-
graph poles II captured. Better die fight
ing. said the leader. and fight II was.
They were close to the entrance of .
little ravfne that set In among the barren
slopes from the open ground to the east
All the way from the Santa Clara the as
cent had been gradual. but distinctly
marked. and just as the foremost rider
spurred around the shoulder OF the HILL
side his painting broncho stumbled. went
down. rolled heipiessly over ard lay there,
dead TO kicks. curses or blows Three OF
the gang fashed onward leaving their
countryman to his fate. but two Of them,
better neryed. refined up. aiighted. ard
throwing themselves fiat upon the ground
opened again rapid and telling FIRE from
their Winchcsters. Mira Ell Teniente,"
was the word. linked with q savage Span.
ish curse. that Kissed from the black lips
OF the nearest, and In an instant Merriam
became the target for the sharp IRE Of
three magazine rifles. famous for their ac-
curacy At no greater distance than the 100
yards that now sepsrat them Almost
before he could realize It Randy felt .
sharp sting Just at the outer edge OF his
bride arm. and knew that the blood
gushed from the wound. Then all Of q
sudden his poor troop horse plunged heay-
lily forward. and. g-oaning ana struggling.
went down IN a heap, bearing his rider
heipiessly with him.
Two minutes more. as some OF the men
eismounte4 and with rapid ana erective
fire scattered the Mexicans TO shelter
within the ravine. Corporal Butts ana a
trooper succeeded in pulling Merriam free
from the rnaciy lzshing. struggling.
stricken brute. anf then II was found thsf
their pslha speeches. leader haG received
some serious injury. All the breath IVES
Knocked oat OF his body and the hrf.sls
arm was broken Midway between the wis,
and elbow. That ended the chase. rour
or i've men. I, Is tr,se. took advantages OF
she aes mat the h@nAnant was knocked
e1t 70 dash ahead and have = -,erzona1 a.
Jar WITH the. gressers, and later in the
cav, when. after long, long ride. Trooper
Mullen reached a friendly ranchnan on
the santa Clara and had him send out his
spring wagon fer the wounded officer.
these enthusiasts came drifting hzxk
there was reason for belief that their am
rn1nstion hat not been entirely srser,t IN
vain. But I; srvs q WORKOUT. sss~a-ur, se-
sachrre-f- escorting a two-wheelesf i'm
rrovised ambulance, that recrossei the
santa Clara late that afternoon and was
met there by the assistant surgeon
J hope yo1 saw Mrs Merriam before van