The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-12-18

Jim should let SO. Even then 81 took a
couple OF coustablos TO force the bag
away from poor Jims clutch
No sooner had the prosecuting attor-
ney got his hands on the bag than he
out with his knife. ripped the bas open
aud chucked Il on the table. out fell all
Of Jims poor little fetichoe-a rattle
snakes rattle. a dried weasel's foot. two
or three rusty nails. and the like.
you could have heard a pin drop IN
the court room when these wrctched gow-
gaWs fell rafting on the table. And
Jim flushed suddenly crimson and then
came q sickly yellow again.
1T was the beginning OF the end. An
the courage ran cut Of the half-oreed as
sands out OF a glass. and he sat there
shaking and afraid. His charm bag was
gone; what was to help him now? The
sweat stood out la big drops on his fore
head and he cast look OF despair az
me like a lost soul.
The prosecution was quick 90 see is
advantage, and IN few minutes OF dues-
tons had Jim eli tied up and contradictcd
dozen times. He stuck 20 his old story,
but his nerve was ala gone. and the dis
triot attorney simply punched holes IN
everything Jim said. A moro complete
breakdown never saw In my life, ard
everybody knew that Jims goose was
cooked. The jury stayed out half an
hour for'form's sake but the Judge didn't
waste more than two minutes In passing
the death senteuce on Jim. and he was TO
be hanged within a mouth, al that"
The Judge sighed. and slowly removed
his feet from the table. knocked out his
pipe ana prepared TO leave the hotel
cffice.
was there a big crowd az Llghtbirds
hanging judge inquired one OF the
sympathetic auditors.
The Judge biz or the end OF big cigar
and lighted Il before he answered. Then.
taking IL out OF his mouth. he said slowly.
Why, as 10 Jim Lghtbird he didn't
hang after all.
Il could make quite story out OF that"
no added; " another story as these new
tangled literary chaps say. But itll only
take a minute. The way jim escaped the
moose was Just this After that sentence
couple OF hours. and then they were go
ing 20 take him across country 20 the
state prison. just as ! said goodbye
TO Jim. little piece Of paper was thrust
into my hand. Il asked me TO meet Jims
brothers al once ia certain saloon just
down the street.
II had no idea what they could want.
and hated 20 see them right after Jims
conviction. But / went They were All
I
they bounced upon me. and said / must
get word TO Jim that at the Hawks bee
| Crossroads, ave miles from Conway, they
were going a. waylay the sherlff's men
that we're taking him To the state prison
In the night that would ensue Jim must
clear out, cut across two fields and then
on an old deserted road he would ind a
man In a buggy. with a fast horse. walt
ing 10 hurry him across the state border,
twenty miles away.
"Of course. I at once told the bunch Of
hah-breeds that I could countenance no
such attempted rescue as that much less
take part In u. And then set myself 60
work showing them how futile the at
tempt would be: how they were sure 20
| Kill couple more men. and that meant
certain hanging for the whole lot Of them
Anyway. the sherin's party was strong
and well armed. and would quite likely
clean out the Lighsblrd bunch la the light.
But all I could say was OF absolutely
no weight. Their minds were made up
/ Brother Reub.' they said, had been
hanged over in the next county and there
shouldn't be n second hanging In their
family. Not only this. but N I uasn's
prepared 20 help them out they would
XIII me quietly right there and then.
"Of course that was a blum. and Il
did not bother mo. But what / dbd know
having a desperate fight. A couple Of
them might be killed in g. but they
would certainly kill more than a like
number OF the sheriff's party. and the
whole county would be stirred up for
months on end over the affair. II would
be telegraphed all over the United States
and would give us too much n0tofiety All
this wanted 10 avoid. Then. too. | knew
a couple OF the constabies with nice fam
lilies. I didnt want them Woylaid and
/ killed
so finally. TO escape all this. I prom
Used Jim's brothers that II they would
| give up this attempt az rescue I would
see 70 Il that Jim should not swing They
accepted my promise without a word
and lei me go
| What did I do? I took the next train
for Covingtou. and just camped down
/ In front OF the Governor for week
| had a pretty big contract on my hands
/ but the Governor trusted me. and At
/ the end Of that time had His Excellen-
| cy's signature committing Jim'B sentence
| 20 life imprisonment.
ION tho whole. l was pretty well salts
/ fed with tho way things turned out. and
II seemed 20 me everybody got as good
as he deserved. except poor old Lot
| johnson, who drank the strychnine. He
certainly did get the short end OF the
/ stick"
| nUVNsWICK AND BIRMINGHAM.