Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1896-10-03
A DARK HORSE.


To emphasize the sentiment, the
singer steered his stumbling foot
steps into the bar Of the Red Eye,
and the closing door lost the rest of
his song to the street. an alkali dust
ed thoroughfare sprinkled with bowl
ders and lined on each side with un-
even and unsightly fronts of frame
buildings.
The colonel, who was tall, stout
and Kentuckian, looked approval of
the sentiment of the song at the
major, and the major, who was
short, sandy, square and Missourian,
thrust his left hand deeper in his
pocket, turned his toes slightly more
outward as a standing gesture and
poised an index finger argumenta-
lively in the air.
Eyes, sir" said the majors" Parry
disc Bar ez a glorious gem of the
mountipgs, sparklin' dimind, with
settin' Of gold. All We need to
make fust class burg of this ohirrup.
in town ez enterprise an leetle or.
DER" The major stopped and glanc-
ed inquiringly at the colonel, who
was sky watching and busy with a
thought.
"Yo' are right, SUM- said the col
onel heartily, with his hands joined
behind him. "Pah disc City is the
nucleus of metropolis, the founda-
tion of greet city. 1t has futuh
in front of it, sub. And it ther'foh
the more needs a guidin' hand. /
have been thinkin', sub, that we
must o'ganize and have local gov
ment.'
"Jes' my opinion, perexactly, "
quickly responded the major. "What
we need to make bewtiful an pro-
gressive city out'n Parydise Bar ez
the majesty of the law. What we
want ez a justis of the peace, g
board of supervisors an az Here
the major rammed both hands in his
pockets and looked downward as if
in deep study.
The colonel looked at him from
the corner of half closed eye.
"And Shelf" he added easily.
"The very words that wuz on
my min'," cried the major looking
up. And then the colonel went up
the street, and the major went down
the street.
There was indeed cause for the
conversation. There had been a
lynching in Paradise Bar the night
before. This did not much matter,
nor was it particularly strange, for
lynchipgs are indigenous to local..
ties where an unregulated executive
is the only branch Of the law. But
there had been a lynching the night
before that, too. And the poorest
mathematician in camp could easily
figure what would become of Para.
disc Bar if there were two depart
ures via the rope route for every ar
rival via the stage route.
1t was very unfortunate that, ow-
ing to the darkness and the eclipsed
state of intoxication OF The person
most interested in the first instance,
the boys had lynched the wrong
man. OF course it was all right, so
far as Jim Mcpherson WAS concern
ed, but they lynched him instead of
his brother Buck, for he had been
engaged in a ghost making the pre-
vious fall that entitled him to a pass
into eternity. About the same time
Ike Smith made his big strike, and
the boys did not attend to his case
in their excitement, and after it was
over they felt delicacy about hold
ing him to account for an old mat
ter which was outlawed according to
the presidents governing in such
cases. But the mistake made an
other lynching necessary. and that
was serious matter, for two such
events in quick succession might
spot the fame of Paradise Bar. Buck
had been senior partner il the intox.
ication business with his brother
and had attended to it so enthusiast.
ically that he was not in condition
to escape. So the committee took
time to consider. But his was q
heinous offense that could not be
overlooked, for he had not only kill
ed man, but had killed him for tht
express purpose of jumping hi
claim. And SO his first rise in lifs
ended in death.
A few days later nothing va.
talked of in Paradise Bar but til,
proposed election, the propositio,