The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-03-09
He mnauocd to hit the officers horse.

He naaadgcd to hat the officers horse.
the clatter Of steel ahod feet and knew
that he was being surrounded. Delay
was dangerous. The coming Of daEn
meant death. The whispering Winds
hurrying away up she hill, reminded
him Of the approach of day. His only
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 tral was blocked by
one 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
fe. He was BY no means an expert
with a six shooter, but managed to hit
the officers horse with his first bullet,
and at the same Instant slug Of lead
from winchester crashed through his
left shoulder, leaving it shattered and
useless The deputy horse, having re-
oeived 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
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, aud the messen-
ger was horrifed to see she erazed
broncho bounding away dragging his
rider, head down. over the jagged rocks.
The maddened animal appeared to be
blind with rage. He crashed through
low, broad cedar, and a moment later
leaped over a 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 fugitives
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-
sieged, being sheltered by the rocks,
was able to stand them off until both Of
his guns were empty, but the moment
he ceased firing the sheriff and his dep
uty began to advance. The messenger,
weak from his wound, worked nervous
~ with his one useful hand and had
barely succeeded in reflling 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 to
find that the man was aiming at the
deputies Without 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 Nov,
d-n you. fight fair sho"ted tEc
stranger, advancing Following the fear
less example of this man who had so
unexpectedly REINFORCED HIN, tie 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 ca.:..t!he fight