The Somerset reporter., 1897-03-18
NEAR THE GALLONS.

a revolver still hot and smoking from
its discharge, the report of which had
/ just startled the quiet of that country
lane, while not 40 feet away from me
lay in the read the body of man who
had fallen from a dogcart to the ground,
| apparently stone dead. And the worst
of it was that the man who lay there in
the road was my bitterest enemy
The horse stopped and sweryed with
terror at the discharge of the pistol, and
this action threw the man, dead or
wounded, from the cart. The groom,
who was sitting back to back with his
master, jumped from the vehicle and
ran toward the PROSTATE figure, while
the horse, left entirely to his own de
vices, came toward and went past me
] in a mad gallop.
AS a drowning man thinks SO did |
in that brief period. When the groom
reached the body of his master, he saw
in an instant that the man was dead.
Then he looked at me. l was still re-
viewing the situation. But there WASH t
much time to spare.
1t was not l who fired the fatal shot
The road at this point was lined on one
side with high hedge, and knew that
the murderer had fired from this ambush
and deXterously thrown the revolver to
where il lay jUst at my feet. But | was
quick enough to realize that no jury in
the world would ever believe this unless
/ proof OF the real murderer could be pro
| duced
Instantly knew that my only hope
lay i'll his capture, and | Immediately
dashed through the hedge in search OF
him. while the groom thinking no
doubt that | was attempting to escape
came i'll hot pursuit of me-
Inside of the hedge there was no sign
of any living being. The fair, green
fields stretched away to the hillside, be.
yond which the white walls of farm
house We're just visible as peacefully as
if there could be no such thing as the
tragedy which had just taken place upon
the other side of the hedge l looked up
and down the long hedgerow in vain
There was not the slightest clew to the
murderer to be seen.
However, | determined that the man
might possibly make for the railroad
station, from whence | had just come,
for | knew that there was train to the
city due in few minutes. Could the
ruf1ian catch it? And could | oyertako
him before he did so? If not Irehected,
| might easily telegraph to the next sta
ton and have him apprehcnded.
Twas running all the time as hard as
| could inside of the hedge and toward
the railway station. The groom had
given up pursuit of me, doubtless think,
ing it his duty to return to his master 8
body. 1t wanted six minutes before the
train was due as | saw by "a hasty
glance at my watch, but | did not know
how far the station was from where the
murder occurred.
| never ran so hard i'll my life before,
but | felt that my life depended on the
chance Of securing the murderer, and
! cons, quentlg the effort cost me no strain.
My wind began to tell on me, however
at the end of the first quarter mile, and
| was just wondering vaguely how long
l could keep it up when | came upon the
empty dog cart, with the runaway horse
quietly cropping grass by the roadside
Here was luck indeed. | jumped into
the cart as speedily as my exhausted
strength would let me, and, gathering
up the reins, | struck the whip, and we
were off as fast as the animal could
run toward the station.
| estimated that there was still two
minutes before the train was due, and
| felt sure that the station could not be
more than third of a mile distant.
Suddenly | heard the whistle of the
locomotive and with il came an inspi-
ration
The murderer might never be found
AT all events | could not lay hands ON
him just then. Why not take the train
and make good my own escape while
the opportunity presented itself? 1t
seemed Il terrible thing to thus flee from
justice because of crime which | had
not committed, but | could not for my
life see any other course open. So
urged the animal to still greater speed,
and, pulling up at bend IN the road
down and ran just i'll time to scramble
upon the tram as 1t was moving off,
1t was IA curious freak Of chance, if
indeed it was chance alone, which had
brought me down to Hopeyille that
morning and thrust me into the unenvi-
able position Cf suspected murderer.
had received telegram from Randolph
Cutting the man whom | had Just seen
murdered asking me to come down i'm
mediately to Horeyille, and in obedience
to this summons | had taken an early
morning train down from New York.
/ Hopeyille is an exceedingly unprcton-
tious little New Jersey village, if indeed
a country store and two small houses
besides the station could be so described.
When l stepped out of the train, looked
about in vain for Randolph Cutting $
carriage. As it was not to be seen and
as anything in the shape of hired con
veyance was an utter impossibility at
Hopeville, | set out at Il brisk walk in
the direction of Rudolph Cutting
place, which 1 knew y ON IA former visit
was about . miles from the station.
Randolph Cutting and / We're second
cousins, and the very slight degree OF
affection which always existed between
us was not increased materially at the
F., death of an uncle of ours, who left his
money to me, and whose will was sc