The times., 1898-01-02

plaIn account OF a strange experience
OF mine fifteen years ago, had IL not
been at the earnest ald oft repeated request
OF the captain, though why ne should
have felt SO about it 1 can't say. but inc
fact is, the old man was never quite riSht
IN his head On this point alter that DAY
they drew us up out OF that terrible hole,
rhourb ne lived riFteen peaceful and happy
wears. as he deserved TO do, and is now
deau tand IL makes my healt ache when
1 mink of IT'D at Il much greater age than
many OF MS can hope To reach.
Bul the captain being now gone ,as
sasdl. / shan here put down the facts oil
our adventure; and 1 verify believe had
| the skill of some book writer's, or even
the half of that of the best of them, that
/ could make a Tale fit TO pllnt. But,
having no knack at an with the pen.
can only tell nay story plain, and IN any
own way, just as IL nappcned, like Il man
writing a letter. and perhaps some day
a book writer ma = get mold uI il and make
something which folks might lead, only
1 warn tim now, before going further,
that IL he in any way bring i'll the name
of Henry Clay Fargo, which is my name,
or that OF Nathan Archwav, which was
the captains, he is not to use ANY OF
his story tricks, but stick 10 the facts
as 1 shall give them, only telling them,
of course, ia the right and regular way
that such things should be told. so
begin.
a. all started the day the London gang
robbed the Lumbermans Bank at HAWKS
landing. 1t was my ill luck 10 lie I'D tire
bank and at the side of young hobert Arch
way when he was most cruelty shot doWh
10y mat notorious scoundrel, Isaac London
/ had asked Robert TO go there TO iuehtlis
me- ] wishing to get a small graft cashed'
and why l. too, was not shot like toor
Rob know not. IL was atnoon time and
we We're alone i'm the building with the eN-
ceptfon of two hank men. and the robbers
numbered eigntor nine, tour of them coming
into the hank hut Cnlg three going out, lor
during the general fight, in which Robert
was Killed, the cashier shot down one OF
Inenl, tho,.gh tie next moment was himself
shot along with the other man behind the
counter. These two men were hlaNe men
as any L ever saw.
Tne next day the hank owners made pub
lie that the robbers had got oil wit h no less
than s5o. GOO. AT the same time a reward
for their capture OF S5.JGo was offered,
which people hought liberal enough.
Hawks Landing was a smalltownIn Min
nesota on the Mississippi kiNer, 1twas Just
below the foot OF Lake Pepin, and great
bluffs, the highest i ever saw, We're all
around diIided and furrowed hyra vines and
gullies leading down 10 lhe r'er, but with
their tons rlat on the level with The prairie,
back. Near by came IN tie ZGmlro hlNer
from the west, with it's own bluffs anu
coulies making much confusion.
But | must tel You first how ] came
TO he there. / had left my home IN
Kentucky, being then about eighteen, TO
seek my fortune, "a the saving uSed 10
be. / had gone down the OHIO River
Though my mother and sisters had no
liking To the notion OF my going al alp
and then up the Mississippi, Stopping at
Hawks Landing, by chance, and nothing
else. 1t was a lively town, the business
coming from the steamboa ting and The
Tarting and logging InduStries-it being
opposite the mouth or the Chippewa, IN
Wisconsin,, stream coming down out OF
the pincrieS. The country round about
on the Minnesota side was hut little set
tied, by lar the greater part of IL having
hut newly been gotten by the Govern
ment from the Indian tribes.
l had scarce come down the gang
plank from the steamboat when 1 Glanced
10 near the name of Archwar, and snapped
it up briskly enough. being alTeady home
sick This | did because j remembered
hearing my father speak of Capt. Arch
way he had known al Cairo, the captain
being then master OF the New Madild
packet The next day ] called and was
over loved TO find him the man my father
had known. lie gave me 4 most agree
able welcome ana called me Harry the
second time he spoke 10 me, which sounded
good TO my ears. He was Yankee, bonn
in Maine and had at first followed the
deep sea. and later had gune coastwiSe,
he said. to New orleans, and from there
mad got into the river traffic. His wife
was dead, and he lived alone with his
son. Robert, who was then, and up TO
the day when he was shot, for that mat
tar assistant gent at the steamboat Of
flee on the leVec.
The captain d slled me, very plea sanity,
what / aid SO lar away from home, and
on nay telling tdm that / was striking out
for myself to see the world and try to
make my own living tmy fathers Family
heng large and he not overly supplied
with this world s goods as the saying
:-oesl, he said TO me that i must come
and stay at his house tin something
turned up FOR me to do and was so cor
dial, making nothing OF my excuses, that
] was obliged TO accept of lis invitations
and went, stranger that / was He dld TINS
mainly, | am sure, beca use tie Landing
WAS rough town, overrun with drunken
and desperate men, and not a fit place for
"A hoy who had no home there.
From the very first moment / took 4
great liking TO the captain. He had been
retired from the river dozen OF more
years, and, / thought, seemed but little
like the steamboat captains / had seen,
being too gentle for such He was some
thing of an inventor, having patented
nlide-ralve for steamboat engines, and was
now working land had been FOR long
tinlel on "A new kind of marine engine. lie
was not tall man, but strongly built,
and you would have said he was not above
fifty wears OF age, though he was really
over sixty. No father ever thought more
of his son than did the captain OF Robert.
nd Rob deserved it, being good Toy.
He was three or four years older than i,
and would not, that terrible day, have
been I'm the bank had he not gone there
to do me a favor. His father pore up
better under the shock than / thought
possible. He brooded a good DEAL how
ever, and, / believe, began forming from
the first the plan by which he could bring
TO Justice the murderers of his son.
This Nillainous London gang was no
new thing in the country, having been
known for two Years or more as morse
thieves aud stage-robhers. As l write
this IL seems that L can hear them riding
an and down IN front of that bank,
whooping and shooting at everybody
they saw With the ones inside stuffing
and tumblIng the money into grain SACKS
and London himself poking his black.
smoking pistol into my face. VI Course
pursuit was promptly made after them by
the sheriff and aposse. They We're followed
along the valley of the ZumbTo and then
mn a little side coulie which led away
Ia the northwest. Here they left their
horses and went down a small opening
which was known to be the entrance
to Frontenac Cave. This cave had not
then been much explored, but the sheriff,
who knew it as far as anybody, led the
way in, They searched the first part
Of the cave. but when they came TO a
small hole, which was known to lead
down TO tie main part, they found it
stopped by rock at the bottom, which
1t,er could in no way move. 1t was Clear