The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-02-16
SHERIFF OF sAeEvILLE COUNTY.

OF joke for Sageville when the news
! leaked out that young Max Watson was
after the nomination for sheriff.
Max was a boy just turned - with
| no record except that Of 4 bright Kan
, sas boy. Born in Sageville only child of
| the late Elmer Watson. he was T.ch in
! the possession of 600 and q half-section
| OF corn land which came to his hand
| when he attained majority His grand
! father and mother had reared him out at
| the Watson homestead on the edge of
town, but he did rot respond to all the
I ideas Of bringing up. Since he had left the
I high school he had repulsed all efforts
to send him to the university. prefsrring
/ to loaf ABOUT the fire department N town
/ Or sit on dry goods boxes talking Ioli-
/ ties with the precocious acumen Of the
/ typical Kansas lad.
| Hoke Nudge. sheriff incumbent, candi-
/ date for reelection and an old wheel
horse Of the party Of Sageville, laughed
/ loudly in his whiskers when he saw in
/ the Daily Banner an announcement that
| Max Watson had approached he re-
| doutable Silas Stanford on the subject
OF nomination for sheriff. Hoie Nudge
was eloquent, he could talk so fast and
| interainably that his awed constituents
were beginning 10 make plans for send
| ms him to Topeka He hadn't made eX-
actly a brilliant record as sheriff but then
the county had been so placidly law-ahid-
ing during his term that there wasn't
much room for brilliance.
Sheriff amt good enough for Nudge. -
the voters would say. HE oughter be
up tTopeky ashOwin' them fellers haow
t'make fust-rate speech
Nhereupon Hoke Nudge would expand
his chest stroke his Ions beard and with
benign condescension murmur:
Never heerd me sayin a word bout
Topeby. did ye?" But deep down If his
( heart he knew that he dent have the
nerve 10 go TO so lofty a place ami that
his position as sheriff was for him almost
q dizzy pinnacle
But fate was preparing an awful test
for HIKE. 1t was three days before the
nominations that two desperate horse
thieves broke Jail at Truxton and reached
timber with d good start before the Jailer
was through telephoning to the sheriff.
The pursuit from Trlixton and the d5rec-
ton of the wooded valley to which they
had fed forced them toward Sageville.
and by 10 o'clock in the morning every
available citizen in the county seat had
been added TO MIdges posse and was
sent forth TO chase and capture the Jail
breakers. Max was one of the first to
volunteer. and coming to the sheriff with
4 frank challenge in his blue eyes, being
the best armed man in town. and know
ing the outlying region better than any
hunter present. Hoke Nudge could not
refuse his services
Max led the chase afoot Nudge follow
ing him with a jealous assiduity on horse
back as if he feared the hoy would snatch
from him the glory of the only notable
deed his official career had offered. 1t
was noon when the boys eyes discovered
the trail in the muddy bottom land. Two
pairs Of footprints pointing south were
all the signs that he needed. and away he
ran through the tangled brake ike a
greyhound chasing a jack. The fherif
galloping along the margin could scarcely
keep up with MIN All but ten Of the
mounted posse had been distanced and
when at last Max emerged from the
thicket and pointed up the hill toward
his grandfathers house he could hardly
gasp out the words. Headed for grand
pass Nudge gained as they climbed
the hill, and as he topped II and the Wat
son home came in sight he paused and
waited to instruct his few remaining adj
herents. The rest were scattered IN diff
ferent directions. led astray by their own
struggling footprints.
Nudge. being a coward and sure Of his
belief that the fugitives would hardly
venture into the Watson home babe his
men surround the place, which was on
hilltop, while he alone approached the res
idence to ask old Watson if he or his wife
had seen the runaways. Max ran round
TO the rear of the barn ard the others
made n Gordon at a respectful distance
so as 10 prevent escape. Nudge dismount-
ID at the fence and entered by the front
door His men waited ten. fifteen, twenty
minutes. then drew nearer, scared. Won
dering alert. IN an hour they ventured
into the yard fearing their sheriff had
met foul play.
Suddenly an ill-Visaged stranger, bear
ing q cooked winchester stepped oct on
the porch. shouting:
We've got your sheriff foul AM we'u
kill him and this old couple the minute
YOU open fire on us Ny partner has
them sittin in a row against the wall
The first shot YOU fellars fire we'll kin
en- al, an then well go after you
Then Nudge was pushed out with the
rife at his back He. too. appealed to the
posse to give in" He said he didn't care
for his own life. bur he didn't wan: To
bring death on this pore old couple"
His eye rested on Max as he pleaded with /
his men 10 help save the Watsons by /
Withdrawing. When he went back into /
the house Max called the nonplussed viz I
layers together and babe them with /
draw to a respectable distance or so home /
rs they saw fit. Five sneaked for Sage /
Max slipped backed into the barn. Just 4
before dusk Nudge. handcuffed and n his I
stocking feet, was thrust out The two +
fugitives. one bearing the sheriff's rife
and the other with his pistols at the hack 4
OF Mudge's head followed. They paused I
while one shouted;
First move you fei.ers make, first shot 1
YOU fire, Nudge dies
Their they FASTENED at a quickstep in 1
j
road into the night. The warning was
repeated at intervals as they ran, till at
last. Max. leading his horse out OF the
stable. leaped into the saddle. sat stin
q moment and cried out:
oh. grandpa.
The old man came ont OF the front DOOR.
his frightened old wife after him, both
hand-cuffed.
III turn YOU loose in minute Max
shouted, and dashed for the road. Now
viii run for sheriff" he muttered as he
aid away into the darkness with his mag
lzine sun across the saddle bow. Half d
nile down the road h saw IN the SOON
ing shadows OF the road. piod1ing back
toward town. the form OF Nudge But
be did not stop.
II was o'clock that night when the re-
assured sheriff and his defeated posse
-eturred 10 rescue Max. They met him
driving q sullen prisoner slowly down
uto the dark.
Go UP and cut grandpa and grandma
DOSE" he shouted hoarsely. I'm afraid
10 chance it,
Where's the other one7" demar5ed
,Irdee. Dlucking ur courage VIXEN be saw
The poise OF Maxs gun
Hes down il Crsep Hollow. reared
he triumphant Watson. You can fetchs
aim in GA q shutter.
The SageviIe Banner gave its front