The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-06-13

survivor, of some Moro alteration was
coming to him, either in search of JUS
tice at Baqui's hands or else protection
from his enemies.
If such was the supposltion that the
Datto placed upon the case he was
soon proved wofully in error. The
Moro had been engaged In alteration,
true enough, but as we subsequently
learned, he had little thought of seek
ing for justice or protection. The
events which had transpired few mo-
ments before We're of such n nature
that the Moro knew his part in them
deserved little else than death. More
over, he knew that it was his fate that
his life should be forfeited should his
townsmen be able to take 1t before he
escaped from their midst. For the
Moro had the blood of two women of
his family on the kris with the plain
handle, and by the Moro law of an eye
for an eye and a tooth for tooth his
life was already declared forfeited to
the members of the family OF the dead
women.
The commencement of the trouble
and its cause will ever remain un-
known-as Is often the case in an
"amok." The Moro became enraged
with his wife for some reason known
only to themselves, and in the heat of
his anger adopted course not uncom-
mon In Moro-land. He attacked his
spouse with his keen kris, and, driving
her before him to the front part of the
house, finally overlook and killed her.
They were alone in the house at the
time. and as the building was some
what isolated several minutes elapsed
arrived on the scene. By that time
her cries had ceased and her troubles
were over. That her struggles must
have been frantic in the extreme was
proved by the condition of the dwell
ing.
Leaving her mangled form, the Moro
ran towards the stairway at the rear
of the house, and met another woman
of his family as she was ascending the
stairs, attracted by the screams of her
neighbor. By that time the vengeful
blood-lust which filed the maddened
Moro's mind had gained complete con-
troll of him.
Swinging his kris over his head he
cut his second victim from the shoul-
der-blade to the waist, leaving her in
her death-agonies where he had struck
her down. BY this time half-a-dozen
people We're at the foot of the stair
way, but the murderer jumped down
the steps and ran by them so swiftly
that they had no opportunity of learn
ing the extent of his crime before he
had passed around the corner of the
house and was ut some distance from
it. In an instant however, two or
three of his townsmen discovered the
mangled form at the top of the stair
way, and started off on the trail of the
fugitive, crying. El Moro, el Morow-
words whose significance were that
someone had run amok"-and calling
upon anyone who had the opportunity
to assist in capturing or killing him.
AS the Moro, now become a renegade,
passed the first house ON his way tow
ards the centre OF the town several
lances were hurled at his retreating
figure, though none of them found
their mark.
1t might seem peculiar that the rene
gade should make for the centre of the
town; but that was his shortest route
to the shore OF the bay, where he could
obtain boat and soon place himself
In the hands of rival Datto on the
opposite shore few miles distant.
This was no doubt his intention.
AS Datto Baqui stepped from out the
crowd about him, and walked toward
the approaching Moro. he put up his
hand as ii to stop him, at the same
time inquiring the cause of the dlstur-
bance. In answer, however, the nalf-
crazed man swung his kris at full
arms length around his head, and
without doubt, had the weapon landed
where the Moro intended, 1t would
have severed the old chiefs head from
his body. But Uttamama Baqui was
Moro himself, and won his way to
power in Moro-land as much by the
strength of his good right arm as by
his powers OF diplomacy. Although
sixty years of age, lac was still agile
and the scars of combat, which COW
cred him from head TO loot, were evil
dence OF his years of experience He
had learned that to eyade a blow was
far better policy than to met 1t. He
saw the deadly CLEAN of his assail-
ants eye and the evil intent 1t bore
before the kris was fairly on its way!
BY a clever duck of his head he es-
capped what seemed for a moment to be
certain death. The weapon fell but
Its razor-edge missed the Datto, cut
well into the neck of the servant fol-
lowing closely behind him, and added
third to the list Of its victims. An
other stroke of the cruel kris ended
the life Of one of the oatto's hench-
men who stood in the path of the muir
derous M0ro's escape. So suddenly
was the whole affair concluded that
scarcely another weapon was drawn
before the list of deaths to be credited
to the kris with the plain handle had
been swelied to four.
In cutting his way through the
crowd, most Of whom had made wild
break-awoy from the affair. no fewer
than iiye Of bis fcllow-townsmen were
wounded by the renegade. Incredible
az i may aecln, the fleeing Moro