Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-03-13

HE ZIG. ill.,. w lcl uiu LUZ luG uIoL
time felt the personal touch of the d.
vine power and heard the call toshis
soul. "Eoliow me-" as the living and
risen Christ had spoken to him. Some
how it seemed altogether the most nat
rral thing in the world that this part
of his inner life should become known
to this slight, earnest faced figure in
the Salvation costume. Rhena claspad
her hands together, and her eyes glis-
tened with tears.
"Thank you, Mr.. Duncan, for telling
me-" she said simply.
1t all took few minutes only, and
Stuart, after speaking to some Of the
other members of the army and receiv-
ing hearty "God bless you, sir" from
all of them, started to go out. When
half way down the aisle he turned and
went hurriedly back and said:
Miss Dwight, hope you will not
risk your life in the crowd tonight.
don't know What the men are going to
!; do, but YOU have dared enough already.
beg you will not venture among the
miners tonight"
He did not wait to hear her reply.
She looked surprised, and as he went
out he wondered If he had spoken more
like commanding than beseeching. But,
once out in the street, he was absorbed
in the sight that met him in the square
which had lately been the scene of so
much excitement.
AS the facts grew upon him Stuart
asked himself If the events Of the
strike were about to come to climax
with n tragedy that night. During the
evening, while he had been ut the Vas
| PLANES and In the Salvation Army
hail. the miners at De Mott had come
| in conflict with the troops, and in the
fight that took place the troops had
| fired. killing two of the men and
wounding several others. Before an
other volley was fired, however, the
miners had fairly swarmed over the
handful Of troops, disarmed them, and
after brief but fiery debate they had
resolved on a vengeance that to the
mind of the north men was in keeping
with the occasion. They had secured
the officers and men of the two troops
and placing them in the center of the
crowd marched them over the range to
| Champion, there determined to give
them short trial by the public mob
| and then shoot the officers. They had
marched over to Champion because the
two miners who had been killed had
lived there. The bodies were brought
over with the crowd, carried into the
square and placed at the foot of the
band stand. The captured men and Of
ficers were massed directly in front of
the dead bodies. The great crowd of
miners filled the entire space outside
and around the stand.
| All this Stuart learned as he came
| out into the street. He was sick at
heart as the truth grew on him. Never
in all his life had he seen the Cornish
men, the Danes, the few Italians, the
Norwegians. all SO united and so pos.
sessed with the one thought Of venge.
ance. The moon was fully up now
and 1t flooded the square with its mel
low light. 1t was frosty, and not q
breath Of air was stirring. Never had
Stuart imagined such a scene possible
in the town of Champion. A dozen
men had gone up in the band stand
The tragedy was about to begin by the
public trial of the troops, to be follow.
ed by the predetermined shooting of al
least half dozen of them.
For a moment Stuart remained mo
tionless, smitten with dumb hopeless
ness. The whole town was in the grasl
of the mob. The handful Of police, wa'
powerless. What could possibly resis
the torrent that was about to be lie
loose, and where would 1t end? Their
was no hope of assistance from othe
troops nearer than Hancock, 100 mile
away. Before they could arrive TIL
tragedy would be acted out. Stuar
groaned as he thought of Eric and hi
influence. Nevertheless he had him
self just begun to spring into TIL
crowd and raise his voice alone agains
the impending horror when some on
pulled him over backward, nearl
throwing him off his feet, and the voic
Of DR.. Saxon said:
1.-TWO Of the biggest fools on cart
are out here tonight. and If you wi
be another we'll make a combinatio
hard to beat!"
j, "What! How's that?" cried Stual
in amazement. And his surprise wa
| doubled when the doctor, who ha
{ reached out from his buggy and caugt
Stuart, threw back the robe and dill
closed Eric's deathly face as he n
t clined on the seat beside him.
/ "IIric! You here!" Stuart was Nk
, one seeing things In a dream
Quick! II anything Is going to b
Z done, do 1t with streak Of lightnin
, under 1t to help it along!" cried the do,
!, tor. He spoke to Stuart rapidly.
] was at De Mott tonight when the tro,
4 bic occurred. drove back here an
], came around by the Beury road pas
= the house. stopped a minute to Sc
Eric. and when / told him the me
were marching into Champion with tn,
troops lie swore by oil his old Anglo
Saxon gods that lie must come dowl
here and talk to the men. And her,
he is. Itll>probably end him up, bu
: he said If didn't bring him down witt
: me he'd get up and try to walk it any
way. IL he dies, it's suicide and no
case Of malpractice, but he may pull
through all right, for it beats til,
Dutch what lot of doctoring it take
3 to kill off one Of these labor agitators
, Here! Help him out, Stuart. Con
found him If he doesn't want to ge
up there in the midst of the higl
! priests of this strike till the last arm
ed foe expires! Gently now! I'll wager
81 day he'll faint away before b,
can open his mouth to say his lttl,
orationw
All this from the doctor us with tn,
utmost skill and tenderness he assisted
Stuart to lift Eric out Of the buggy ant
, then helped bear him right into til,
crowd, where Eric, who was sufferin,
the most awful pain, motioned the tw,
to carry him.
After all, it was not surprising tina
Eric was here this night Stuart real
lied what 1t might mean as he shouted
to the miners around him to make room