Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-12-27


James EOrtescue, of Company G, One
Hundred and 18th regiment, Ohio vol
unteers The gentle occupation OF lead
! Ing soldiers to fields Of carnage cannot
last forever, so Captain Jim, at the
Close Of the war, turned to storekeep.
Ing, surveying and various other occu.
/ pations, and finally ended up as q
schoolmaster.
The boys Seem to be getting ugly
the old soldier remarked to his land
LADY, % he blew a long whiff Of smoke
toward the ceiling.
The Captain was sitting in the parlor
Of the Widow Kerrigan, who kept the
only boarding house at Lots Corners.
Young Harris, the superintendent OF
the mine, who had Just come in, looked
st the old captain for a moment and
fIeh lighted cigar.
u Yes, said Harris, tive are going to
have machines. Machines don't get
full sof bad whiskey and they don't 20
ON strikes. It's all very well for you
10 talk about wives and children and a
Gold winter. We gave those fellows
i mir warning, and we don't propose to
stand any more foolishness. Good
night
Harris, with a mock military salute
70 the old soldier, left the room.
Captain Jim pored until midnight
over his Caesars Commentaries"
reading anew the battles of the Roman
Dictionaries with flying columns Of
Huns and visigoths. He sat looking
Into the embers OF the fire, picturIng
the struggles Of Caesar and Orgetorix.
The screech Of whistle down the
winding course Of the Pumpkin Vine
caused him to start to his feet. He
heard the beat OF driver wheels over
the ill-ballasted railroad. A momen.
later he stood In boots and in long
: army overcoat He flung open the door
and FASTENED toward the little station.
The dry snow crunched beneath his
feet, The wintry gust sent filnty white
crystals against his face and nearly
loosened his SLOUGH hat from It's moor.
stngs Outlined against the frosted hill
side was the giant hopper, gaunt and
sbleckened skeleton. About 1t Captain
Jim could see figures moving to and
! fro, and once he thought he saw the
CLEAN Of lighted match.
There's trouble coming he said,
half aloud, land when these ignorant
( foreigners break loose It's terrible"
Down the track he saw an eye Of fire.
That's no ordinary Pumpkin Vine
engine.n muttered the old captain:
they send down all their broken down
locomotives to Q place like this; that's
= special from Columbus, and specials.
70 my thinking, are always a sign Of
bloodshed around this part OF the coun-
ny.
The locomotive, with rumbling
i wheels and screech OF escaping
steam, came abreast Of the station.
From the ends Of the three cars behind
descended hundred blue coated men.
With rifles flung over their shoulders.
they were guards from Western de-
tective gency-former street car con-
ductors, truckmen and the like who
are sent to the Hooking Valley when.
ever the miners show signs Of Insur.
rtction.
y, You're come none too soon," said
the young superintendent, as he adj
yanced to meet the leader Of the
guards.
Is Lots Corners was awake. The sound
lot horn echoed among the hills. From
Y every ramshackle house there came
Il forth a man; from some dwellings
three or four. Groups formed at yari.
/ Gus corners, and over the snow there
crept little companies. Those who
walked In the centre of the knots Of
men carried oil cans and fagots Of
kindling wood. A deputy sheriff, who
stood at the base of the hopper, saw
the approaching host and fired his re-
I volver into the air. He was caught.
bound, and hurled head first into n
anow drift. Another deputy, rather
than IRE upon the miners, dropped his
gun and ran as fast as his legs could
y carry him. Half n dozen railroad
y spikes and three or four chunks of coal
whizzed past his head. The crack OF
. ride and the ping Of a bullet hastened
his steps toward the station, where the
= guards were slowly forming.
They're going to fire the hopper!' he
yelled, as he stumbled and fell at the
auperintendent's feet
A quick word of command, a shout,
dering OF guns and a column Of r,nad