The National tribune., 1901-04-18
wAsHNI0 G., THURSDAY 49,

learned, by listening to the conversation
about them, that the Colonel was sitting
at the same table.
After supper William made himself
known to Col. Lee without attracting at
tention. the latter kindly offering him any
help needed. after which inquiries OF q
guarded character were instituted for the
object of their search. The landlord of
the Mengler House stated that Taylor had
called upon him about three weeks before
to inquire for letters, but as he was stop
ping elsewhere but little attention had
been paid to him or his questions: all OF
which William had reason to believe alb
solutely true, on account of the strong
corroborative testimony which would lie
in the statement of any landlord that no
civility was shown to man who quar-
tered at any hostelry save his own.
The next morning he called upon Chief
Of Police Fl. d. Bonnet, who extended
every imaginable courtesy, went with him
to the offices of the different stage-ines,
and assisted in examining their lists for
scme time previous with q view to ascer-
tanning what direction Taylor had taken
when he left San Antonio: introduced him
to the Mayor and Chief Marshal, and even
went with him on an extended tour
through the old Mexican quarter of the
town; but no other information was Sc
cured save through the German landlady
of a hotel, who was as positive as her
limited knowledge of the English language
would allow her to be, that Taylor had
stopped at her house without registering
at all, and had gone directly from San
Antonio TO Port Lavaca or Corpus Christi
on horseback, which, after all, in the ex
ceptional condition of the weather that
year in Texas, seemed quite probable.
1t was evident nothing was to be gained
by remaining any longer at San Antonio,
and was quite rs plain that all possible
expedition should be used in getting on to
the coast.
As if the fates were ordained peryerse,
the moment the two left San Antonio n
steady, drenching rain again began to fall,
and rs the stage was crowded, the dis
comfort of those within could not very
well be increased. About II miles from
San Antonio the driver succeeded in tip
ping over the stage. and giving the occu-
pants IAN elegant mud varnish all over"
aS ,l;; Operative KeatinG aptly expressed it.
The driver remarked that he was ''going
up the new road" but some of the more
profane passengers swore that. if so, he
was hunting it three feet under the old
one. On arriving at Lavernia Station the
DISMAL announcement was made by the
lean, long stage agent; who seemed to
have never done anything from time inn
memorial save sit in the door of his tum-
bie-down hOvel to make dismal announce
ment that 'the CibOlo pronounced there
'CuiilouD is just a-scootin' and a-rippin'
up its banks like n mad buffer bull! ye'll
all be back to stay at my tavern all night"
1t was the contemplation of this mans
pure cussedness. as he sat there doting
on the big bills he would charge when the
Cibolo should drive back stage-load Of
hungry travellers, that nerved them to
push on at all hazards and ATTEMPT
crossing at some point where the Cibolo
''scooted and ripped up its banks with
IaEc 1TflOr tEnr tho 70
TO Victoria; but on reaching Switzerland
Springs, seven miles distant. it was found
that it would be necessary to wait until
Thursday morning, when they might pos
sibiy make passage, as the stream was
running down to within something like or
dinnry bounds very fast.
Thursday afternoon came before an at
tempt to ford the stream was made, when
the driver agreed TO land the passengers
in the middle of the stream on an immense
fallen tree, from which point they could
reach the other side, when they might be
able to get the empty stage across also.
Inc trial was made, and was successful
so far as landing the passengers was con-
cerned, but while this was being done the
wheels of the coach sank deeper and
deeper into the mucky bed of the stream.
and though but few minutes had elapsed
the strange action of the water had
caused deposits to form about the coach
so rapidly that 1t became firmly imbedded
and could not be moved by the four horses
attached. At this juncture an old farmer
came along, who carried the evidences of
some of his proDensities strongly marked
III his face, which was n thin one, like his
conscience. but with bright tips on his
check bones and as red a nose as ever the
devil-artist in alcohol tipped with Grim
son. No importunities or amount of money
could prevail on him to assist the discOur-
aged travellers with his fine mule train:
but pint of good whisky. to be delivered
the moment the stage had been drawn
from its peril, with n small drink by way
OF retainer. accomplished what would not
have been done in any other manner. and
set the travellers joyfully on their way
again. They journeved on at a snairs
pace untii / o'clock Fridav morning, when
they arrived at Kelly's Ranch. kept bv
Bill Kelly, uncle of the "Taylor bows"
notorious for their connection with the
Ku Klux and various other gangs of vii
lain0us desperadoes.
The family were unceremoniousIy
awakened, and at once good d-humoredly
proceeded to provide the ravenous passen-
gers with something to eat: after which
they made "Shake-down" on the floor.
into which substitute for bed everybody
turned, and slept late into the morning.
awakening stiff in every joint and scarce
ly able for that days journey, which.
with its compiement of accidents and de-
lays, took them safely over Esteto Creek
and into Yorktown early in the evening.
where the detectives secured certain in.
formation that Taylor had been in Corpus
Christi the week previous, ard was nm,
there at that time. as Texas by
this time had become a network Of re-
sistless streams. almost impossible quag-
mires and far-reaching lagOons.
tTO be cOntinued)