Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-01-28


hope was in reaching a point beyond
which the horsemen might not ride, and
he hurried on up to the narrow gulch.
At the exit his trail was blocked by
ono of the deputies, and Immediately
both men opened fire. Now for the first
time, since it shot muzzle first into the
river, the messenger thought of his ri
fle. He was by no means an expert
with six shooter, but managed to hit
the officers horse with his first bullet,
and at the same instant slug of lead
from a winchester crashed through his
left shoulder, leaving it shattered and
useless, The deputy horse, having re-
ceived his death wound, plunged wildly
and made it impossible for his rider to
take accurate aim. Dropping his rifle,
the officer began to use his revolver. but
a chance shot from the messengers 40
pierced his heart. Another plunge of the
horse hurled him to the ground, his foot
caught in the stirrup, and the messen-
ger was Mortified to see the crazed
broncho bounding away dragging his
rider, head down, over the jagged rocks.
The maddened animal appeared to be
blind with rage. He crashed through a
low, broad cedar, and moment later
leaped over precipice and went roll
ing down the splintered side of deep
gorge, and when the sheriff and his
companions came up the gulch they
found, where the horse and rider had
fallen, one mangled mass of torn and
tattered flesh.
Made desperate by this appalling
sight, the three officers were soon hot
upon the trail Of the fugitive Finding
it impossible to run away from his pur-
suers, the messenger cached his treasure,
took refuge among some sharp rocks and
awaited the coming of the enemy. To
his surprise only two men came out of
the gulch the other, having taken an
other route in order to head the fugitivos
off, was now far out of range. The
officers had the advantage of being
armed with rifles and to hold this ad.
vantage fought at long range. The be-
sicged, being sheltered by the rocks,
was able to stand them of until both of
his guns We're empty, but the moment
he ceased firing the sheriff and his dep
uty began to advance. The messenger,
weak from his wound, worked nervous.
ly with his one useful hand and had
barely succeeded i'll refilling one Of his
| pistols when he was surprised by the
| sound Of "A gun almost directly behind
! him and not ten feet away. He turned
his revolver on the newcomer, only 70
| find that the man was aiming at the
deputies. Without "a word he turned
again to the work in hand, and at the
next crack Of the strangers pistol saw
the left arm Of the sheriff fall limp at
his side, while the winchester it was
leveling fell to the ground Now,
d--n You, fight fart shouted the
stranger, advancing Following the fear
less example of this man who had so
UNEXPECTEDLY REINFORCED him. the mes
senger came from shelter and began to
advance upon his assailants. One Of the
| horses was hit by bullet and became
| almost unmanageable, SO that the
sheriff, finding the brunt Of the fight
| upon himself and seeing that the
| messenger had a confederate, was about
to retire when badly aimed shot from
| his companion shattered the ankle of
| the messenger, causing him 70 fall. In
an instant he rose to his knees and be-
gan again to use his gun. The sheriff,
| glancing at his companion, saw that he
| had been hit in the head, for blood was
streaming down his face, The battle
had gone against them, and now the
wounded sheriff and his bleeding com
panion turned their horses and galloped
away.
The messenger sank to n sitting pos
ture, laid his empty, smoking revolver
upon the ground and gazed at his new
found friend
Are you hit?" asked the latter, COM
ing toward the young man, and the
messenger made no reply until he had
given his hand to the stranger; then he
answered simply, "Nes.
The dark man opened the messenger S
shirt-and he did it as deliberately as
he had kicked the Ute from the Lone
Spruce saloon-examined the shattered
shoulder and then the broken ankle,
and asked, lis that all?"
Yes" said the wounded man.
"Isn't that enough?'
| Not II they meant 10 XIII yOu, Tor
they haven't found your vitals. What a
lot of farmers to go shootin a man in
the foot-guess they wanted you to
dance. That top scratch wasn't bad.
Reckon you must have got that in the
previous Engagement, Ell? The blood's
begin TO thicken up. / see that fellow s
hoss go over the cliff; gee, he must
have fell a mile"
The dark man had risen after exam
lining the messengers wounds, and
when the latter looked up to his friend
had his own shirt open and was squeez-
ing at little pink spot just under his
right breast.
MY God, cried the messenger, care
You shot there?"
"Yes-that wasn't bad shot, only
on the wrong side!"
"But why don't it bleed;"
ITS bleedin on the wrong side, u
was the answer, and then the stranger
closed his shirt, looked steadily at his
companion and asked, where's your
dough;'
Behind those two rocks that art
partly hidden by the bows of yon cedar
Can you bring it to me? There are five
pieces"
Forty thousand, eh?' said the darh
man as he dumped the five envelopes
beside the messenger. And it aim