The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-05-03

s.a 4sr 10 give ii Just D1eou>5 ~ .na.
-ote. but ! thought j might as vel
try ii at drst-just as a feeler, you
might say. Now listen 20 me. We
are alone here No one is around TO
listen. never like to bluff when
hold good hand. So 1 am going 10
make honest confession, and if ny
soul don't profit by it, maybe my
pocket will. l know as we'll as you
do that that woman is not your wife,
but I must have money, and would
not hesitate to swear that she IS.
Harry Roberts, who afterward married
her, saved your life when you hrst
came out to that country a tender
foot So when he got in trouble ana
had to skip out he came up to your
cabin on the Point with mis- hand al!
smashed to flinders, aud you felt call
ed on to write that note to his VIE
for him and to help him out OF the
country. He was caught however, and
hung afterward, so he is out OF the
way.
Now the case stands this way:
am a tolerably well educated man my
self, and it was no great trouble for
me to take Mays marriage certificate
and make William Henry Roberts read
William Herndon Richards. If you
remember May, she is unscrupulous.
had a friend in the clerks Office, and
managed to get in there and change
the license the same way. So you see
we have documents a-plenty. You'll
give me the $4,000 before noon to-
morrow or I will show your note to
Senator Holt and commence legal pro-
ceedings to compel you to provide
support for your wife, nee Robbins"
The Judge was mad clear through
now, and he rose up and started for
his visitor with blood in his eye. The
stranger sprang behind the table.
Easy, now" he cried, "or III let
you have it through tie pocket And
the lawyer saw that he was grasping
q pistol in the side pocket OF his coat.
He was by no means coward, but
he did not care to run against a pis-
tol bullet. He took his seat again.
That's better" commented the
stranger. There IS no need Of vio-
lence in this matter, I hope. I don't
want to hurt you. Just cool down
little and consider my proposition for
a few minutes; then tell me what you
think Of it"
"I don't have to consider to tell you
that you are the most unmitigated liar
and scoundrei unhuIg." said the judge,
keeping his temper with difficulty.
But I don't suppose that man who
is so shameless as to confess himself
the lying blackguard that you have to
me can be affected by anything I can
say, so will spare myself the trou-
bic Of expressing my opinion OF you.
But YOU are as great fool as liar.
Admitting that you have the license
and certifcate-which have no proof
OF except the word of a confessed liar
don't you know that it would be the
easiest thing in the world for me to
prove by dozens Of people in Red
Gulch that Roberts and this woman
were living together as man and wife
and that lived by myself? Don't you
know
Now judge" interrupted the stran-
ger in his turn, II didn't try any bluff
on you, but up and told the whole truth
like an honest man, and yet here you
are a-blufing already. Nobody knew
whether this woman was married to
Roberts or not. and nobody cared. The
class Of women who lived in mining
town like that was not usually over
particular as to their morals. Be-
sides, Red Gulch is a dead town now,
and has been dead for five years.
Where would you go to find single
man whom you knew there seven years
ago? Now listen to me. Suppose
YOU don't give me the $4,000? What
happens? go to the senator with
my proofs; the senator puts his foot
down on a certain marriage; you say
it is all a blackmailing lie; the sena-
tor saws my evidence looks pretty
strong; that you must prove it a lie.
Then you have a nice job on your
hands. You have got to hunt up a
lot OF people that you have not heard
of for years, and if you should happen
to find some Of them not one would be
able to swear that the Robin woman
was married to Roberts or was not
married to you. All Of that would
take time and money and accomplish
nothing in the end.
"On the other hand, give me the
money-and $4,000 is cheap, too, tell
vou-and in "a hours all the documents
are in your possession, and I am out
of the way. If you don't, think what
my little story to the senator means
for you"
The Judge 6bediently thought, and
it was not pleasant thinking. He did
not believe that the woman could win
the case with her forged documents,
but this fellow was just the kind Of a
daredevil to go to the scuator with
his story and then to law. The sena-
tor would certainly postpone the we'd
ding, ard there would be long delay.
Even though his daughter did not be-
IieTe the story, she would suffer. o.
course there would be endless talk ant
gossip. The story would be Il tnf
papers, old pranks Of his younger days
would he reked I'D ard even though
he cleared himself finally there would
be bitter sting left. There would be
many to say that where there was so
much smoke there must be some fire..
Then his political aspirations! The
election was to come off in six months.
Nice campaign material this scandal
would make for his opponents!
These thoughts and many more fash
a1 throDph tho i,,Soa's mind and he