Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-08-22

Lemuel Bilkins was before him,
flushed with exeitement and trem-
ulous with fear.
"Run, Colonel!" gasped Bilkins;"
for heavens sake, rum"
The Colonel's pudgy face won't
white in flash.
whats the matter, Lemuel?- he
demanded, starting to his feet.
"Herbert's in town-he tried to
talk to the people-they accused him
OF maxim those Jimtown fellows vote
for Harmony-they were goin' for
| him hammer and tongs when
| when-'
Bilkins, clutching at the desk for
support, halted to catch his breath.
"When what?" asked the Colonel
in husky whisper. Speak out, mani"
When Sampson jumped up beside
Herbert and gave Chris Waffle u pa
| per to read to the crowd" Bilkins
! drew sleeve across his dripping
forehead. ut was an agreement be-
tween you and the Harmony people,
| and"
The Colonel fell over against the
partition with hollow groan. Now
he knew what had become of that
| document, and where his $50 had
| gone!
At that instant clamorous shouts,
drawing nearer and nearer, were
heard without; swift feet assembled
the stairs, and suddenly there came
Q roar'
"Lynch him!"
"Ride him out of town."
Sack the oftice-pull it down
about his ears!"
"There they comet" burst out Bill
kins. Hurry, Colonel! There's lots
of trouble, lots of it," He took down
the Colonel's hat and cane in fever
ish haste. Go down the back stairs
and run for your life, Colonel" he
implored, while I stay here and
| keep them off,
'Hold 'em off, Lem" cried tho
| Colonel, taking his hat and cane.
"Do your duty, boy!"
Thereupon the great man started
| for the rear exit.
He proceeded with more haste
| however, than was consistent with
safety. Missing the top step of the
| flight, he tried to regain his balance
| by catching the next one, but in vain.
Down he fell, head over heels.
When he recovered himself, he
| found that he was sitting on the
damp earth, his position in no wise
| suggestive of dignity. His head had
been forced through the crown of
his hat and he was endeavoring, in
wild way, to get view of his sur
roundings, when Christopher Waffle,
Bill Comfort, McQuilkin, Glimmer
and Sampson bounced upon him.
"Stand off" commanded the
Colonel, Shaking his cane, to which
he still adhered with life-and-death
tenacity. "I'll have the law on you.
Egad. I'll call you out!"
This was the great mans last de-
fiance.
Caught" cried Comfort, laying
hold of him and dragging him to.
ward the street.
While the people in the street were
celebrating on the fate Keever
should suffer at their hands, there
was borne to their ears crash of
| glass and form containing a chase
full of type for the delayed issue of
| the Blizzard came tumbling to the
ground. This was followed by docu-
ments, copy and old papers, which
were caught by the wind and scat
tered broadcast. Then there were
sounds of hammering and heavy falls
that shook the building to it's very
foundations, while type cases and
type, rollers, brushes, cans of ink
and I've and every conceivable thing
known to pioneer newspaper office
came raining down from every door
and window.
Pinney came out on the steps of
the Emporium with rope, which he
waved wildly above his head.
Hang him!" he shouted, frenzied.
ly. Hang the scoundrel!"
Guy appeared ut the druggists
side as if by magic and snatched the
rope from his hands.
'No," cried Guy, sternly. Nothing
of that kind
"a rail, rail-" yelled Sampson,
eeasing mad dance around his for
ner employer for the purpose of of
fering suggestion. Ride the gen.
tleman out of town."
In lieu of a rail, excited hands pro-
CURED length of "four-by-four,"
keever was placed astride it and
then carried, amid boots and ieers,
down the main streets Of the town.
And melancholy figure the dough-
ty Colonel presented.
That white hat, so often and
proudly declared to be the badge of
his political rank and social position,
was still about his ears, while the
crown, hinged by a thread at the
back, opened and closed with every
movement of the four stout men who
carried the timber en- their shout
| ders.
The Colonel's clothes were torn,
one end of his collar was Tapping
dismally about his neck and he had
lost q shoe, but never once did he
forget himself and release his hold
upon his cane.
Some two miles out Of town tho
angry citizens dropped their victim
roughly and gave him warning, In
terms more forcible than polite,
never more to show his face within
the corporate limits of Concord.
Sampson was the last OF the in