Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-12-12

cllo Hlo SdAc SQudI ely upOu Llic
man in the rear, he said, speaking
slowly and quietly: when you are
| all through eating, when it is all over,
| l want to see the prisoner at the store
Tell him to come with the policemen"
There was dead silence.
The trader turned to go. Turning
back, half around, he spoke again: III
| there is any person here who objects,
let him speak right now"
There was a dead silence, as before
Then to the policemen: 81 want
you to stay here until the feast is
over'
Then he went back to the store. He
was playing desperate game; that
it might work he could only hope. II
might be more correct to say that
Johnny Healy never for an instant
after the inception OF course of ac-
ton, allowed a doubt of success to
cross his mind. Force, he saw, was
cut of the question. No man would
come alive out of that hole, If the
first hand were raised. Every Chilkat
carries six-shooter in the waistband
of his pants and knife in his shirt
to use when he thinks necessary. Three
hours passed. The policemen came
back to the store. The prisoner was
not with them.
The trader had been against as hard
a proposition as this before, but not
exactly of this kind. If he weakened,
his authority was gone. He rubbed his
chin once more and looked vacantly
out through the small window in front
of the store. Then his eyes wandered
to the different objects about the din
gy room. Against the wall near the
window stood small table. On the
table was a copying press. 1t was just
an ordinary commercial copying press.
He used it for keeping copies of let
ters he sent outside for goods and other
matters. He had found it a useful
thing, and had brought it from Mon
tana. 1t was somewhat of mystery
to the Indians. There was not another
one in Alaska this side of the COVER
nor's Office at Sitka. Perhaps they
had some idea about its being "Ofli-
cial." They knew that letters to Sit
ka first went into that machine. How
ever, we may not know all that passed
through the minds of the savages
whenever they came into the store to
buy bolt of calico or a plug of to-
Dacco. An idea struck the trader. The
copying press!
so he refuses to come ,eh? I'll fix
that" he said, with a look of deter
mination that was meant to convince.
80 he won't come, eh? Who are his
friends?" he almost screamed at the
alarmed policemen who stood waiting
after the delivery of their report. Lift
ing the lid of the tall desk he took
out large sheet of writing paper and
with great show of deliberation. he
reached for a pen and dipped it into
the ink.
who are his friends that will not
let him Gomez" he demanded fiercely.
They were all known. One by one they
were called off and slowly and care
fully each name was written down on
the paper. There were nine altogether.
He now held up the sheet so they could
see the names written upon it, and
then walking briskly across the room,
opened the letter book, placed the
sheet of paper in, closed the book, put
it under the letterpress and, giving
the wheel sharp turn. brought it
down firmly upon the book.
There. He won't come, eh? The
prisoner will be here by sunset"
The policemen looked at each other
with mystefied air. muttered some
thing to each other, and, as the trad
er waved them out, they backed out Of
the room.
Johnny Healey sat down in a chair.
He wiped his brow, for the day was
warm. He had played his last card.
He knew perfectly we'll that the men
would go right back and every Indian
in that house would know what had
been done
Half an hour passed. 1t was an anx-
ious one for the trade Presently he
heard voices outside Then the sound
of feet upon the steps and the door was
pushed open. The yard was filled with
Indians-Chi]kats and Chilkoots. IN
front was the prisoner. He was fair
ly pushed into the door.
Take nim! Take him!" several
voices said at once in Tlingit.
The Indian went to Sitka. What
would have happened if the bluff had
failed even Johnny Healy didn't know.