The Greenville times., 1896-01-01
a DESPERATE REVENGE.



the nnE<lsr.
II was an inelenent night, but tAe
-ioomy-IO0king man who stood in the
looFway q the little town hall and
ooked out at the pelting rain did not
oiame It entirely on the weather.
The gieomy-looking man was Web
ter shukks. leading eitizrn and PROM
nent debater Of Ilainbfidge township.
He had come 10 SEiketowh. pursuant
to announcement, to deliver an address
IA The Crime OF II" end only three
'ersons had terned out. one of them
being the jaRitor Of the building.
The other two had heard the orator
lnee or twice already.
IL WAS decided to postpone the meet
ing. The lights were put out and Mir.
Shakks, buttoning his ovrreoat about
him, turned up his collar. and pulling
his hat brim down all around. went
forth into the storm.
Oppressed by the burden of an un-
spoken speech. he wandered aimlessly
about the little town for hours, regard-
less of the rain that soaked bis gar
ments and the mud that spattered and
stopped as he wended his devious and
uncertain wuy through streets whose
broad sidewalks and well-built cross
ings were yet In the future. bitter
thoughts of the apathy of the people
he had come TO rnlightcn snrged
-
through his mind. and at times he felt
an almost irresistible impulse 10 let
them slide on to their ruin without
making any further effort to save them.
Finding himself at last opposite the |
village hotel, where he had engaged |
lodgings for the night, he went in.
Climbing the stairs softly. in order not
TO disturb the slumbers of the other
guests, he proceeded TO his room.
Through the partly opened door he
saw II man slipping quietly about with
a dim lantern in his hand.
Webster shnkks grasped his heavy
cane firmly, slipped noiselessly inside,
shut the door behind him and spoke in
h low tone:
stop right where you are! II ycu
make a single movement I'll brain
goul"
Taken by surprise. the intruder
hrcw up his hands
Nov, you scoundrel," said the
statesman OF cambridge township.
With the same. low, tense uttcranee,
i don't know who you are or where
'ou come from, but know what you're
rowling about my room for. You are
Icre to steal somethingl" II
I-I'-began the baflied burglar.
There is nothing you need say" In
errupted Webster Shukks, with a =
lean OF vengeance in his eye. open |
our head again and I'll drive you down
Trough the floor! Listen to me. We io
ave met this evening, my fellow-citi- Z
ems, to consider as calmly as we can
he great crime committed against the n
eoplc OF this country In the year 1879 a
the bidding of an organization COM I
osed Of few London and New York Il
ankers--a crime so dastardly, so fend- u
IN, SO monstrous In Its conception and 4
in its execution that human /
y may well stand appalled, at the mere I,
interpolation Of 1t! Let us go back to II
he beginning! In 179a, my fellow-citi- II
ms, congress passed a mint and coin Il
70 law by which gold and silver, when Il
'ined, were declared to be the primary /,
oney of the republic. The unit of Il
'lue was the silver dollar of 37iZ Il
aims OF pure, or 4i6 grains of stand c,
ID, silver. The legal ratio was de- Il
ared In this act to be, until otherwise CT
divided for, fifteen to one. It was In
acted that any person could take
'her OF the two metals to the mint Cl
ID have them coined into money, free to
all charge. In its sovereign ca th
city, fellow-citizens, the founders of OF
Is great country laid down the broad w,
inciple Of the free coinage of sill Sc
r." a.,
There wns hoarse, gurgling sound, al
d the hopeless villain, who had been su
lnding In corner of the room with te
hands above his head, sank in a 49,
mp TO the floor. Fl
Nature had come to his relief. lie tn
fainted.-Chicapo Trib,pe