The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-01-28
met Bill Warren only the night before.
and supposed him to be gold hunter
like myself

MT Dill warren only the night before,
| ana supposed him to be gold hunter
| like myself.
1.-The leader seemed to be impressed by
| my words and manner, but the others
| clamored for my death. One big, burly
fellow apparently voiced the sentiments
of the crowd, saying, Hang the onery
euss. He's only a kid and new at the
business, but if we let him go he'll be
| worse than his pal some day.
Il felt the rope tighten around nv
neck. My last hour was surely at hand.
| l cast one despairing look about me.
Some distance away a horseman was an
preaching; His face looked familiar.
Hold on! l gasped. I think T know
that man.: Before | could say more the
moose tlghtened and l was lifted from
the ground. Again the leader interfered
and l was lowered to the earth. much
against the will of the majority of the
| mob.
| "When l had recovered sufficiently TO
look around the man on horseback was
close at hand, and I recognized the old
man MAJ had met at the hotel in Denver
Joe! they called. This young Teller saws
he knows you. Does he belong to yo,lr
Sunday school clasp
"A roar of laughter greeted this SALLY.
The old man rode up and looked me
over from head to foot. Seems to me-
I've seen him afore,' he said at last. but
L don't recollect when ner where
| Don't you remember?' l groaned. Il
met you in Denver, at the hotel. last
! "wednesday evening, and had long talk
with you: You advised me to 20 back
East, and l didn'' t have sense enough to
take your advice
"That's right assented the old man:
! did meet this young, Teller, ez he says.
| "Rut the hOVS woro not IN bo ,
so easily. That don't prove nuthiri',' OBJ
jected the man who had voiced the pen-
eral sentiment before. You only met him
that once. He might be boss thief fer
all O. that
"Once more the bloodthirsty crew de-
manded my life, but the old man inter
coded for me and insisted that be taken
to Pueblo and given chance to prove nv
innocence. His words seemed to carry a
deal of weight, for, though there was no
end of grumbling, was Immediately IN
bound and placed upon my horse The
ride back to town was without incident,
except that several of the crowd ex-
pressed desire to shoot me, in order to
, save the county the expense of a trial.
| They went no further than to threaten,
however,. and | reached Pueblo with a
whole skin. When we arrived at the no.
tel, the proprietor was called out and
commanded to tell what he knew about
|
az don't know nuthin' about him. he
! began. and my heart sank within me,
but my. spirit rose when he continued,
| ceptin, that he put up here fer a few
days: Said he wuz goin' to Silver Cliff.
| helped him buy his outfit and that boss
| Who was with him when he came
| herey was the next question.
| Nobody. But he went away with a
teller that said he wuz goin' to Silver
Cliff, too. Where's he atY
Oh! he's ornamentin' tree out yon-
der. = Eff it hadn't been fer the interven-
ton of Providence in the shape of Ole
Joe Mack, this young Teller might be
keepin' him company. Ez it is, he seems
to be straight enough, en- I reckon we'd
better let him go. He oughter be more
keerful in the choice of his pals, though.
| That cuss that wuz with him wuz the
| wust boss thief in the state < i
II remembered no more after that.
was told afterward that I fell off my
horse in dead faint and was carried into
the hotel, where I lay in raging fever
for over month. was delirious the
whole time, and they had to tie my hands
to keep me from tearing all the skin
from my throat, grasping at an imaginary
rope" - +: ~ .--' * T.. -. :