The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1902-09-30
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE PARDONIING
OF SIDEWHEEL
| DAWSON ByD. Il. 1slmsdss
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A man who has been sentenced to
twenty years Of hard labor in the pen
itentiary and who comes forth free
and in the full possession of his health
at the end of five is certainly entitled
to some felicitation That was pre-
cisely what had happened to Mr.. Daw-
son. He had killed his man under
what appeared cold blooded circum-
stances to an intelligent jury. He had
pleaded self defense conventionally,
but the testimony was such that there
seemed no doubt of his guilt. True,
there had been no eyewitnesses to
the slaughter. Those who testified
merely told of threats he had made, of
his bad reputation, of the peaceable
character of his victim. The defense
had called no witnesses.
"'Tain't worth WHILE" Mr.. Dawson
had said to his attorney. "'Twould do
more harm than good for any of me
friends to testify to the gentleness of
me disposition. Snapper Griffin'd have
had me dead in another wink If l
hadn't jerked the trigger when l did,
and that's straight. He begun the
trouble and kept pushin' it on, while l
tried me levelest to reason with him.
He'd been dopin' with somethin',
think, but he didn't wiggle wiggle
when he pointed his gun. He was
himself all right, and there's some
comfort In KNOWN 1t, for I'd hate like
blazes to feel that the only man l ever
killed wasn't responsible for himself.
I've got a mighty tender conscience,
whether you know it or not, and it's
perfectly comfortable now. I'll take
whatever the court gives me- and
won't whimper whimper."
The first night he slept in the peni-
Tertiary his attorney was delivering in
the levee district a message to his
friends. "Hump yourselves to get Van
Altren elected governor" was the bur
den of it. The levee gang did not
know exactly what to think, but they
were sufficiently well acquainted with
Mr.. Dawson to accept the instructions
In good faith.
Mr.. Dawson's message was entirely
responsible for their action. To the
contrary, 1t was only an important
drop in a tolerably large tub of politi-
cal suds. Their own candidate had
dome them dirt''-quite by chance,
certainly not by intention. He had al
lied himself in a moment of mistaken
wisdom with the Prohibitionists. They
were engaged in hesitating and grum-
bling and scowling when Mr.. Daw-
sons message came, throwing the bal
ance over to the Van Altren side. Side
wheel Dawson never did anything
without a good reason, but what his
they could not conjecture. They were
still In the dark on the day when Mr..
Dawson Unexpectedly and triumphant
ly returned.
"Say," said he after the first wave
of welcome had passed and he was sit
ting comfortably In the rear room at
Muggsy Kelly's place with number
of old and tried associates about him,
I'm OWN you boys lot for the way
you helped old Van to the puddin'.
was a bit leary you wouldn't get next
to what was up to, but it didn't cost
nothin' to try"
1--WE didn't get next; we amt next
yet" candidly observed Mr.. Kelly. us
Van partic'ler friend of yoursf"
Mr.. Dawson smiled NO" he re-
piled, "but he's got reason for believin'
me when l tell him l shot Snapper
Griffin cause Snapper Griffin was dead
set on givin' me the long trip and for
no other reason"
1--WE believe that" said Mr. Kelly.
eve knowed your story was true, but
we couldn't do nothin'."
Course you couldn't If any of you
had stuck your mugs into the game,
I'd have been queered to the limit.
Likely I'd have got the drop and CUR
gle, and then Van couldn't have
reached me even If his gratitude was
twice as long"
"Then Van was OWN you some
thin'p' Mr.. Kelly and the others look
ed at Mr.. Dawson with a common ex-
preston of curiosity and admiration
mingled. you've got us In the air,
Sidewheel. Take us down or we'll
bust"
Mr. Dawson laughed this time and
rubbed his hands together. Sure, I'll
take you down." he said. ''Twon't
take me long to do 1t either. Muggsy,
do you remember a little job we had
on six years ago this summer down at
Bayside, when
when you was out all night and got
nothin' but a pair of red eyes and
At of sickness and stink of gasY' Mr..
Kelly put in. Eyes, remember. l al
most lost me faith in you that time"
"Yes" Mr.. Dawson chuckled i'm
moderately. Il was to divvy what 1
got from the place-that dead easy
place with the open cellar windows
you spotted one Sunday afternoon
when you was strolling home from
church. l was to divvy, and l got
nothin' but He suddenly assumed
a reflective attitude, his hand upon his
smoothly shaver chin, his gaze upon
the ceiling.
"But whatT Mr.. Kelly spoke with
the sharpness of long starved and
desperate inquisitiveness.
"But-gratitude. 1t was the rummi-
est go of me life. l followed the lay
Just as you'd give 1t to me. l went
through the first floor first. gatherin'
up stuff worth maybe tenner of hun
dreds If I'd quit right there. I'd
well, I'd be iookin' forward to fifteen
more years of it stead of bein' here
with me future before me bright as
paste. But everything was so nice and
quiet l just says to meself, III tour
the next floor So piles me stuff by
the grand exit, where l can pick it up
when l strolls out, and climbs the
stairs.
"And the first thing | know I'm TAX
in part In a high life tragedy drama.
'Twasn't no supe part either; twas the
role of the hero that drops In when
he's least expected and saves the whole
cheese. opens the first door comes
to, and nearly faints, OWN to gas.
The room was full of it, and l closed
the door, standin' for a minute with me
hand on the knob thinkin. Twas no
picnic Of mine, of course, but couldn't
help feelin' that somethin' was wrong
that somebody was tryin' to croak and
that it was up to me to save 'em If
they was to be saved. That settles IT.
l draws in two bagfuls of wind and
opens the door again, slidin' across the
floor to a window and raisin' the cur
tain, and then | tumbles. There's
girl on the bed and a letter on the ia
ble-the same old layout. l tries to
raise the window, but 1t won't bulge.
1t didn't take me all summer to find
the leak. The stencil was comm from
hole in the wall where a pipe-one
of these things that sticks out about
foot-had been busted off. She must
have hung her whole weight on that
thing and jumped up and down. But
she'd got an elegant flow of gas-'way
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