The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-25

yet do nots exactly understand"
said. speak palmer"
Pearson appeared TO look over my head,
but he answered slowly and distinctly,
There Is some one looking for Roach,
and Death Is with him." he said. Some
thing will happen here, l take il, in the
hext few minutes IT," Suddenly he about
faced and walked slowly into the hotel
lobby. He was breathing loudly and try
ing hard to swallow like a man whose
throat Is parched with thirst. Standing
close to the elevator were a man and
woman. The man 1 knew by sight. He
was dressed in long black coat, his hair
was gray, and his eyes, small and narrow,
gittered eviiiy like hawks. His name
was Terriss 1 remember having heard It
said that In the Old days, the Vigilantes
had overlooked him. The woman never
took her eyes off his face. The paint on
her lips, drawn tight across her teeth,
was blo,ched, and her mouth had blurred
appearance Her frightened hands rubbed
against the side of her skirt. i saw all
this from following Fearson's eyes. The
elevator slid down and stopped softly. The
man grasped the woman by the arm and
went inside. But before the boy could
close the door Roach stepped quietly
around the shaft, coming from some side
entrance.
Pearson and I were close behind him.
and we all three entered the narrow box
together
What happened then came SO quickly
and was such shock to int that / feel
almost faint now when remember IL,
Roach turned and saw Pearson, but be-
fore he could say word something came
from Fearson's lips, sound. short and
horrid, like the breaking of a bone.
And he struck Roach fun in the face and
closed with him!
Down they went on the floor. Roach
with hoarse, curslng cry GOD! what a
sound 1t was). The woman gave a scream
and threw herself heplessly upon the
gray mans shoulder. shrleking In
coherent words. He half-supported
her; his coat was open, and one hand
was behind his back. Mechanically l
pushed the struggling. thrusting tangle
of great limbs and bodies with my foot,
to keep them from the oper doorway as
the car assembled. Roach had stopped his
cursing and groaned in hasty. straining
groans, ! saw Pearson, who was on top,
lean over, and bring his face close TO
Roachs He was saying something low.
beneath his breath--but Roach bit at him
like a lighting dog, his teeth snapped
together. and he caught his own lips be-
tween them. and the blood redeemed over
his chin.
Just then the elevator struck the top
and nearly threw me off my feet Ter
rss drew the woman out on the landing
the boy ran shouting down the hall, and
/ was left alone with all that dreadful
struggle on the floor.
Pearson glanced at me sideways and
spoke in a hard voice--he was painting
loudly.
II was just in time Pull that rope and
run us down. Hurry" he said.
I obeyed without a word. How slow II
seemed to drop. and all the time Pearson
LIT ~ he
him, whose wrists he held in the clasp of
---s strong fingers.
Don't struggle, Dick. Damn it, man,
I had to. Don't you hear me! He was
going 10 "hoot you; she told me So Listen!
It's L. old pal, Pearson. I had to do it.
Listen! There, stop; won't hurt you.
Dick. Dick, old boy, he'd shot you through
his coat. Come all the way from Pinto
just to do 1t. My God! He doesn't hear
me. o, damn the woman's soul!'
Roach was moving his hands, still at
tempting to free himself. His eyes only
showed the whites and was blowing
bloody bubbles through his teeth.
Pearson looked up at me. What am I
going to do? God help me-" he asked
i've hurt him badly"
We reached the bottom at last with a
creaking blow on the woodwork There
was a crowd gathered there already.
Pearson let go his hold and got up on
MS rect. lie was SO cool ana earnest ana
appeared so right, that no one offered TO
touch him, and he backed slowly out into
the hall.
Two or three men raised Roach and he
stood there swaying, deaf and blind with
the desire 10 kill, his head thrust out, as
If he peered though smoke. and his bloody
jaw dropped horribly. They might have
known Il seems TO me. but the movement
was so quick, perhaps they could not
have stopped it. The flash and report
came together. II seemed as If some
thing went off inside my head and breast
saw Pearson lurch forward across an
easy chair, coughing and strangling. There
was a scattering on the white tiled floor
Roach drew himself up with the air of a
drunken man who tries to keep his dignity,
handing the revolver to the bystander
nearest him, and staggering away asking
for an officer In a husky voice.
The pistol smoke smelt like noxious
gas. and nearly overpowered me-
They carried Pearson, or dragged him
rather. into the nearest washroom and laid
him on the floor, with some dirty tow
els underneath his head. l knelt beside
him and placed my cheek close against
his. One of his lungs was filled with
blood. but he could whisper
"TIave you a pistol. Tom?" he said in
my ear. Put II in my pocket. It'u go
easier with him II they find pistol-he
was crazy-meant to save him-stood Re-
tween me and a knife, he did, once long
ago-cut him to strings" He was lisplng
thickly. Met them on train. she manage1
to tell me. Terriss got hold of Roach's
letter; they were going to clear out-swore
to kill him-Terriss did. o, Tom. I'm GO
ing to die--don't let him know-rids
straight! Pray quick, prayers-O God!'
held my breath while he was dying the
doctor fumbling about his chest.
remember they covered him with a
cloth from the billiard table; a man in a
blue coat took down my name and ] strug-
gled through the crowd.