The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1898-01-27

You jest write to the sheriff of old
Unicoi county, back in them Tennessee
mountains, and ak him Of he ever heard
of David Martins, or ever wants to hear
of him again, You needn't bother to
ak him nothin' about Bob Dixon. Bob
Dixon amt knowed of back in the
mountains, none.
"After this Sneed rslapsed into the
sullen silence of the typical mountain
eer, and my most persistent question
iRg could draw nothing from him. In
q few minutes he left my office, and
started out for the few miserable acres
he called his ranch. After he had gone
I told some of the boys in the court
house what had happened and asked
their advice. We we're all
INCLINED TO BE INDIGNANT.
Some thought it was all a sly male
VIOLENT scheme to get rid of the care of
the old man. All agreed that it was
my evident duty to telegraph to the
sheriff of Unicoi county and investigate
matters. If Sneed was telling the
truth the old man undoubtedly ought
to brought to justice, regardless of our
feeling or sympathy for him. If, as
seemed to most of US more probable,
the matter was pure fake on the part
of Seed, justice to the old man still de-
manded that the cloud of suspicion be
taken from him. I think there may
have been quiet little understanding
among the boys that in this latter con-
tingency there was to be little private
interview of some kind with Sneed, but
of course informed of this fact-official-
ly, at any rate. Acting on this advice
of my friends, tslsgraphed the Ten
nessee sheriff asking if David Martins
was wanted in his county; if 80, to
wire description of man and particulars
of charge. The next day [ received a
reply something like this:
Ten years ago David Martins butch
cred his aged mother, his wife and
three little children, because he sus-
pected his wife of informing the reve-
nue. officers about his moonshining.
He was about 40 years old, 6 feet 8 in
ches high, and black hair and eyes, and
big
SOAR ACROSS HIS LEFT CHEEK.
By all means, hold any suspect: $500
reward. Will come at once after any
prisoner
This message puzzled MS consider
ably. According to it, Martins ought
by this time be about so years old, but
Dixon seemed nearer 60. Dixon's hair
was white now, instead of black, and
his height was rather too small for the
description, but man guilty of the
awful crime he was charged with would
undoubtedly have aged much in 10
years. AS to the scar on the cheek, we
could not Judge, for Dixon had always
worn several inches of beard over his
full face. We could hardly conceive
how so inoffensive citizen could have
been guilty of so awful crime. 1t was
evidently my duty to arrest the old fel
low, though, on the strength Of the tel
egram just received, and hold him tC
await the arrival of the Tennessee sher
if. [ never dreaded job so in my
life. For the first and only time il
my official career dreaded to make al
arrest to such an extent that I put th'
thing off on some of my deputies in
stead of doing it myself. I was sittin.
in my office few hours later, feeling
pretty tough over the whole matter
when
IN WALKED ONE OF THB DEPUTIES.
"Can the old fellow prove his limo
cence? | asked eagerly, looking up
Prove HE'LL was the reply; he
done confessed
"What?' | gasped.
jest SO, he answered. we hadn
more'n got to the door before he tol
us be lznewed' what we was coming fc
and that he'd been lodging for
years and was most glad it was all owe
, You ought to have heard him cuss thu
young villain Sneed, though, / belie1
, Sneed is tue wuss devil of the tw,
, Murderers is bad enough, but traitor
is wuss
Just about that time Sneed himse
came in. I never saw fellow so bad
; worked up over anything.
D "Boys," he says. 'Tnever meant
q give him away. Before God I neve
n | WIS mad and plump crazy, and
q didn't know what l was doin't. We
had tough luck, and his sickness W
: powerful bad on me that had to tai
a keer of him; bat did good part |
o hint shore did; Just you uns ak hi
g eff amt stsid with him day and nigh
!. and waited on him when he was sic
a just like be was my own daddy. I
d Gods sake, fellows, let the poor o
y man of.
is HE'S LIVED PEAcEABLE
/ an honest out here, no matter what
g did in Tennessee. KANT you let hi
L off, MIR. Sheriff."
II "0f course, though this plea was of
1t use, I neyer hated anything so bad