The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-10-26
SEVEN SPOT
SAVED A LIFE
A LynchinE Party That Stopped to
Play Poker.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS;

SoaoaoAo3oAoS3 ,
Ever hear the story of how the seven
of diamonds, which filled the inside
straight, saved an innocent man from be-
ing lynched?" asked the former deputy
sheriff. Sounds like a weird narrative,
Ell? But it's all true, for l was near by
at the time, and I got the facts from a
man who was in the party which had
been sent to overtake a young chap sus-
pected of a crime.
1T was this way" continued the dep
uty as he filed his pipe and got back
where the breeze could do him most good.
81 was railroading in those days at
small place called Benson. Not far from
us was a bigger town, and we were a
sort of branch village. One morning We
got word from Wilton, which was the
larger town, that old man Whitesides
and his son had been murdered and the
place robbed. We got only few of the
details, but these were enough to show US
that a desperate had done the trick. No
man in the city had stood higher in the
public esteem than Whitesdes. and when
it was known that he had been killed
lynching talk was rife. Everybody SEEM
ed to hit on young fellow named Nc
10y as the murderer. and the fact that
he had disappeared on the night of the
murder without paying his board bill or
saying when he would return added
strength to the belief that he was the
murderer. McLoy had been in the city
for a couple of months and was working
some insurance scheme. He had been
figuring on old man Whitesides as a pos
sible policy taker, and the townsfolk ar
gued that McLoy knew the ms and outs
Of his way of living. The son was there
with him only part of the time. The two
bodies were found in the library by a
servant a good many hours after the
crime had been committed. The police
found absolutely no clew on which to be-
gin. 1t was found that the safe had been
robbed of good deal of cash, and the
entire house had been rummaged.
'Ahout I p. m. telegram came from
Benson that McLoy was stopping there.
and detective was sent to place him
under arrest An effort was made to
keep the fact quiet. but before the officer
had left to arrest his man it was known
throughout the city that something was
about to drop. Just as soon as the popu-
lace found that McLoy was in reach of a
mob it was agreed to go over and take
him from the officer and lynch him on the
spot This suggestion met with such IA
vor that the mob was soon organized and
on its way to intercept the detective and
his prisoner. Watson, the detective. was
notified by wire that the mob would en-
deavor to find him, and he was told to
keep under cover until he could deliver
his man for safe keeping.
"Watson arrested his man without any
trouble, and McI4oy said it was a big
mistake as he could prove. All he asked
was to be properly protected from a wild
mob. The officer guaranteed him a safe
trip to the Jail at Hawley. where he
would be fully protected. Watson got
second message from Wilton advising
him to take an out of the way route and
to hide his tracks.
Watson was acquainted with the
country. and he decided to take the back
route to Hawley. He handcuffed his
prisoner and started off in trap, while
a binding rain began to fall. This did
not interfere with his speed, and the
horse raced blindly, for it was safe
gamble that McLoy would be lynched,
guilty or not. If caught. Watson appre-
ciated his position. and he got so asham-
ed of himself that he unlocked the pris-
oncr's handouts and made him hold the
uInDrella SO us 10 get SOlle plOIeSLioh
from the rain. The officer was in pic
kle, however, when he got to stream
and found that it was swollen too much
to be crossed, and there was no other
route to take to Hawley without running
right into the arms of the pursuers. 1t
was black dark. Watson acted quickly.
He drove back short distance to an old
house, drove his team far into the swamp
to hide it and then returned to the shack
to get out of the rain. The place was not
occupied. and Watson said he would wait
there until the stream could be crossed.
"The officer and the prisoner had not
been in the house an hour before they
heard voices. and in a moment they knew
that the pursuers were upon them. This
was bad. Watson sneaked under the
house, and McIoy followed. and in lit
tie while six members of the mob came
in. They had lanterns, and they stood
over the prisoner. but they did not know
it.
1.-THE rain kept beating down, and
there was not much chance Of anybody's
crossing the swollen stream that night.
The pursuers had to make the best of it.
They sat around in the damp room and
told how sweet vengeance would be when
they came upon the murderer. All the
while the rain continued to pour. and the
six men got lonely. After awhile one
small chap suggested that they play
cards, and then somebody booted at the
suggestion, because no cards could be
found. But the little man was equal to
the occasion, and he brought out deck
which had been free from the rain. For
an hour they played seven up, which was
tiresome, and they had about decided to
II. thn
man said that poker would be mighty
good proposition for night like that.
well, the poker game was started.
The men had to play on the floor in the
light of the one lantern. but when they
got engrossed in the game they figured
more on the worth of a hand than on
their discomforts. They played a steady
game. without noting that the rain had
almost ceased. and the betting had at
last got down to three of the players.
| The others had gone broke. The players
| who stuck were there for what it was
worth, and they shuffied the damp cards
| and thought less every shuttle of the man
| they had been sent to kill. The short
| man was winning right along. and this
| must have been due to the fact that he
| knew the cards. for at home he could
| not have sat down at table with the
| elderly gentleman who was gambling
| with him. But the game made them all
| equal. and they played.
"Eyery word uttered at the table. or.
| rather, en- the floor, was heard by the
| officer and his man, who were crouched
beneath the house. The playing had at
| last dwindled down to the short man and
| the elderly gentleman, Colonel Belotte,
and the latter got hot as the cards failed
to fall as he liked. Johnson, the short
chap, was still winning. and it had be-
gun to look as if he could win everything
in sight, and he was playing with that
object in view. While they were gam
bling for stakes which got higher and
higher Watson and his prisoner were
planning to escape. Watson called Nc
10y, and together they hurried from I'M
der the house. The trap was brought
out, and Watson found that the stream
could be crossed with little or no danger
Accordingly they prepared to skip. and
they did manage to cross without the
least harm. just after they had reached
the other side of the stream the rain be-
gan pouring down again, and Watson
whipped his horse and made him fly
through the muddy roads.
SIN the meantime the gamblers were
still at the cards. They had remarked
that the rain was over, and Colonel Be
lotte, who had but a small sum left, said
that he would start as soon as he lost
his few chips. and it did look as if the
start would not he long delayed, for
johnson was still winning. They wer'
getting near the nnd when th" rain 10
gan again-the rain which had been kind
enough to let Watson cross the stream
before it resumed its violence.
az haven't much left here said Colo