The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-03-19
NEAR THE GALLONS.

1t was an extremely awkward sitUa-
ton. Even |, who am somewhat slow
to think us rule, realized that instant
~. AT my feet i'll the dusty roadway lay
II revolver still hot and smoking from
It's discharge, the report of which had
Just startled the quiet Of that country
lane, while not 10 feet away from me
lay i'll the road the body of Il man who
had fallen from u 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.
Tho horse stopped and sWorved with
terror ut 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 mo
i'll mad gallop.
AS drowning man thinks so did |
i'll that brief period. When the groom
reached the body of his master, he saw
i'll an instant that the man was dead.
Then he looked ut me. / was still re-
viewing the situation. But there wasn'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 dcXterously thrown the revolver to
where it 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
duccd
Instantly l knew that my only hope
lay i'll his capture, and l immediately
dashed through the hedge in search of
him, whilc the groom, thinking no
doubt that l was attempting to escape,
came i'll hot pursuit of me.
Inside of the hedge there was no sign
of any living being Tho fair, green
fields stretched away 70 the hillside, be-
yond which the white walls of IL farm
house were just visible, us peacefully as
If there could be 10 such thing as the
tragedy which had just taken place upon
the other side Of the hedge. l looked up
and down the long hcdgcrow in vain
There was not the slightest clcw to the
murderer to be seen.
However, l determined that the man
might possibly make for the railroad
station, from whence l had just come,
for knew that there was train to the
city due i'll Il few minutes. Could the
ruflian catch it? And could | overtako
him before he did so? If not, REFLECTED,
l might easily telegraph to the next sta
md L.,
Twas running all the time MS hard as
L could inside of the hedge and toward
the railway station. The groom had
given up pursuit Of me, doubtless think
ing 1T his duty to return to his masters
body. 1t wanted six minutes before the
train was due, us l saw by IA hasty
glance ut my watch but did not know
how far the stationwas from where the
murder occurred.
never ran so hard in my life before
but felt that my life depended on the
chance of securing the murderer, and
consequently the effort cost me no strain
My wind began TO tell OH me- however
at the end of the first quarter mile, and
was Just wondering vaguely how long
L could keep it up when l came upon the
empty dog cart, with the runaway horse
quietly cropping grass by the roadside
Here was luck indeed. 1 jumped into
the cart as speedily us my exhausted
strength would let me, and. gathering
mp the leins, l struck the whip, and we
We're of us fast us 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 IL third of mile distant.
Suddenly L heard the whistle of the
locomotive, and with it 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 terrible thing to thus flee from
Justice because of IL crime which I had
not committed, but could not for my
life sce amy other course open So
urged the animal to still greater speed.
and, pulling up ut bend in the road
before reached the station, | jumped
down and ran, just III time to scramble
uron the train as it was moving off.
1t was il curious freak Of chance, if
indeed 1T WAS chance alone, which had
brought me down to Hcpovillc that
morning and thrust me into the unenvi.
able position of Il suspected murderer. |
had received il telegram from Randolph
Cutting, the man whom had Just seen
murdered, asking me TO come down inn
mcdiatciy to Hopevillc, and III obedience
to this summons [ had taken an early
morning train down from New Work
Hopevlllc is an exceedingly unpret,n-
tlous little New Jersey village, ii indeed