Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1897-07-23
6APTAIN CLOSE
~ Captain CHARLES KING.
,convrient, 1894, by J. B. Lippincott Col
V.-CONTINUED.,

,Copyrignt, 1osa, oJ - - A~APpA"~o'o WI
V.-CoNT1NUED.
The effect of this unexpected TRADE
u,s remarkable. The knot of civilian
listeners, who had come to get such fun
.ut Of the situation as the circum.
stances would permit, and who had
been INDUCING in no little half-stif1ed
LAUGHTER. were evidently amazed at this
na,v side to the Yankee officers char
.c,er and stood silent and decidedly ap
nreciative listeners to his denunciation
- The luckless Parmelee. The soldiers,
,vbo had for some months been tasting
The comforts of military service under
civil control, and trudgicg all over
Cbittomingo county day in and day out.
m the mysterious mission of Serving
nrocess," were evidently tickled that
their commander should at last have
seen for himself what they had more
than half suspected all along that
Parmelee was an arrant coward. who
had held his position and made his
record for efficiency in enforcing the
laws only when a big squad of regulars
vas at his back.
As for Lambert, whose sole knowl-
edge of affairs in the south was derived
from the accounts published in the
northern journals and inspired almost
without exception by ''carpet-bag' poll
ticians and who fully expected to find
himself pitted against determined ar
raw of ex-confederates engaged in the
slaughter of federal officials, white and
black, the young New Highlander be-
gan to look upon the whole affair as
another practical joke devised by his
new associates simply "to test his grit
or gullibility." This, at least, was his
first impression, until the sight of the
main body of the company swinging
into the square under command of the
first sergeant, and another look at
Closes burning brown eyes and Parme-
lees hangdog face convinced him that
20 far as they were concerned there
was no Joke.
But how about the chuckling natives
now augmenting their number every
moment? Certainly there could be no
doubt as to the contempt they felt for
1.-THE squire" as they facetiously termed
Parmelee, or the ridicule which Closes
appearance lad excited until he had
wel-nigh finished his denunciation Of
the civil officer. Then for an instant
there was almost ripple of applause.
They watched him as, in his uncouth,
i-ftting, unsoldierly garb, the COM
mander strobe angrily back and began
inrr ho h11f
tiers OF the Jail for signs of bullet marks.
Meantime, gradually recovering con-
ddence or hope, the besieged in the cell
lar of the Westinghouse began to par
ley. The bell ceased ringing, and hum
Die voices were heard asking who were
outside. A brusque order in Closes
grutfest tones to "Come up out of that
hole and account for your prisoners"
seemed to cause unlimited joy. There
was sound of unbarring doors and
scrambling on wooden stairs, and pres
emily the portals opened an inch or
TWO and cautious peeps were taken.
The sight of the blue uniforms was
enough. The defenders, white and col
ored, to the number of six, dusty but
unlnjured, came gladly forth into the
afternoon sunshine. "By CAD, fellows,
we had hard work standin' off that
crowd till you come" began the fore
most. another of the Parmelee type.
There must ha' been half Chittomingo
county in here, and the bullets flew
like"
But here guffaw of derisive laughter
rom across the street, the crestfallen
lace OF Parmelee, and the quizzical grin
on the sun-tanned features of the SOL
a4ers, put sudden check to his flow of
words. There stood Close, glowering at
him.
~, Flew like what, you gibberin' idiot?
.ne only builet-hole in the hull square
'Aat hasn't been here for six weeks is the
ooe IN that wuthless mule there. You
u"fn towards ran for shelter an let
your pris'ners loose; that's plain as
.he nose on your face. l don't care
,or the pris'ners-that's your business;
puC what l wants our mule. Lieut..
lambert" he continued, addressing his
.nent Junior, I'm as ready as any man
=" night for the flag, but for six months
now I've been sittin' here furnishin'
posses to back up these fellers maxim
. =, all over the country, because
.nem was my orders. I haven't seen
Niger abused. 1 haven't seen the
o:iiorm insulted. I haven't seen a sign
- kukluN; nothin' but some contra
s Iana stills. I've obeyed orders an
I.ped EN- to make arrests of people
-. .on personally know nothin' about,
81 you see for yourself they dasn't lift
:. nand to hold 'em. I'm tired O. backin'
~ soch gang of towards, an don't
h IRE who knows it. March the men
AK TO camp, sir. I'm goin' after that
VI.
"'o the going down Of that even
s sun Lieut.. Newton Lambert had
!. 'sned his first tlAy az company duty