The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-03-26

four pounds. l wouldn't have
traded it for it's weight in gold, no
stree, and that's no lie."
By this time the features of the lis
teners were pretty thoroughly distort-
ed. The narrator went on:
Nov for a match. I looked in every
pocket, but didn't have one. A baked
fish breakfast began to fade from my
vision, and I took up the thread of my
prayer again. The sun was now burn
ing hot. 1t suddenly occurred to me
tina | might utilize its heat. So I
pulled out my magnifying glass that l
used to use when a holding a proof
room sit. I held it up to the sun and
got the rays focused on a piece of pa
per. I kept on praying, and just as I
said, Lord, deliver me- the paper
lighted, and I soon had a raging fire
and a hot fish breakfast.
: You may smile as much as you
please, boys, but / knew | was saved
by praying.
but that's not all. I was awak-
ened from my after-breakfast nap by
the sound of an approaching train. 1t
proved to be an express, with the engine
and n passenger car, and seemed to
be running at slow speed. Imagine
my feelings when l saw it come to a
dead stop right in front of where l was.
But that is nothing to the way I felt
when four stalwart men, armed with
Winchesters, alighted and came
straight toward me. They pointed
their guns straight at me and told me
to hold up my hands. I was almost in
a daze, but managed to obey. Then
the leader came up to me and placing
his hand on my shoulders, said: You
are my prisoner. Come abo;.r I'd the
train, and make no resistance under
pain of death
II knew that there was some mis-
not one for parley, so l meekly sub
mitted. and in an hour we were in
Peoria. l guess you all know where
that is. If you don't you ought TO.
They make the very worst kind of
booze there. Lord. but the thought Of
Peoria 'tanglefoot' sets me dizzy.
But to return to my story. On the
way to Peoria I learned that ! was IN
der guard of a sheriff's posse and that
the charge against me was murder.
"A young girl had been murdered by
a tramp the previous night, and he had
gone in the direction that | was found.
The train anne to a sudden stop a mile
or so from town. The engineer no
ticed a moi a little way ahead. 1t
,ornvn1 fn no q 1unahi1,u s no rtv onnar-
emily waiting for the train. Now I
knew that l was in for it. There was
just one chance for me. Would the
conductor back the train in the direc-
ton of where I was taken aboard? In
stantly l saw my fate decided. The
train pulled ahead. Lord, but how /
did pray. When | thought it was
about time to be at the place where the
mob was congregated I looked out OF
the window and saw at least 1000
people surrounding a big barn on a side
track. They had found the real muir
derer and were about to dispatch him.
One of my guards pushed through the
crowd and into the barn where they
were holding a sort of trial. The pris-
oner was identified as the person seen
the previous night in the vicinity of the
place where the murder was commit
ted. OF course I was released and
then l was made a member of the sher-
ifs posse. They wanted to save the
murderer and give him a fair trial.
AS we left the car they were dragging
him to a nearby tree. The rope was
already around his neck. They were
throwing it over a limb as we reached
the spot. Our task was a hazardous
one, but | felt not a particle of fear.
My own life had been saved by a mir