Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-12-09

whom he had practically kicked out of
hero in Nebraska.
In one sense the year had done it's
best for Langdon. He had become the
idol of a large class of the population,
but that, unless q man have political
aspirations, is not of intrinsic or prac-
teal value and. furthermore is rarely
Of long Duration. The populace needs
new sensations. Shot through the leg
in the dash to the rescue of the train,
he had finally tainted from loss of
blood while rescued and rescuers We're
embracing and shouting and was
found unconscious and well nigh dead
lying in a ravine full quarter of a
mile up the track, beyond the train, to
which point he seemed to have fol-
lowed, fighting, as though to assure
himself the Indians contemplated no
return attack. Frontier surgery is en-
pert in gunshot wounds, it having lit
tie else to deal with, and rude appli-
ances kept body and soul together I'M
Gil the coming Of experts with the troop
lIOllI ollluui.
Later, while the soldiery went on to
round up the renegade Indians, Lang
don was taken back to Brentwood and
nursed and coddled for long weeks.
The regulars came in time for stiff
winter fight with the Sioux. but the
ranch and railway people would hear
OF only one hero. Eric Langdon. The
new manager o. the Big Horn called to
fee him and thank him in the name Of
the road. The road was full of
scheme to have him legislated back
into the asn., and a bill to that effect
was actually introduced. Langdon said
it WAS time wasted, but Nebraska sen
ators and representatives were conf
dent 1t was at least a good thing to
push along, as it would keep him from
turning up as a possible congressional
candidate himself. Sitting about the
camplircs on long winter evenings and
reading the LEGAL papers, there was no
end o. chaff and fun among the regu-
lars ever that possibility. The train
and station hands all along the Big
Horn and Seattle, both, seemed to have
forgotten their grievance Of the year
| gone by and would shout for Lang
don at the faintest mention of his
name. Two papers, "disgruntled," to
use their own English. with their rep
resentative and to bother him proba-
bly, rs much as to boom LangIon openly
advocated placing Eric in nomination,
whereat Rodney May and Woodrow
chuckled with joy as Claiming drawl-
ed out an inquiry of Nathan. How
would it do to have Langdon on the
house military committee, for i'll
stance?" whereat Nathan scowled, but
said naught that was audible.
There was q man, not in the army,
who took the possibility more serious
~, and that was Largdon's friend and
benefactor, Cresswell. who. as had
been said. had aspirations OF his own.
There is little doubt that had an cleo
tion been possible that winter and the
eX-otiicer q candidate Langdon would
have stood quite a chance. But by the
time he was hobbling about on crutch-
es, in March. the fllrore had subsidized.
CresSwcll, Il Southerner. still ragged in
his heart over the assault of which he
had been the victim. 1t was not the
physical suffering, but the indgnity,
that ranked, and he had not ceased
his efforts through detectives to ferret.
out the guilty parties, but with little
luck. Certain men once prominent
among the railway hands had left the
state. but no one knew just why CT
WHITTIER.
Lansdon. on the contrary, had APP:
p2rently lived down his wrath. Flight
ing mad" as the conductor declared to
Lieutenant Hunt he certainly was un-
til the peril that menaced the settlers
and involved the trainload of helpless
people dwarfed all personal considera-
ton and turned his powers to their ac-
count. Ills story Of the abduction was
J very brief and straight. Returning
from the armory. he Lad let himself in
a the front door OF the 3tiice. closed it
after him and almost instantly felt
himself grappled by powerful arms.
Gruff voices warned him that sound
meant death when sound was ilnpossi-
bic, for huge. coarse hand was over
his mouth, to be replaced in an instant
by q cbloroformed sponge and silken
handkerchief. When consciousness re-
turned. lie WAS in Il wagon. blindfold-
cd, bound and gagged. then was hoist
ed into an empty freight car and trun-
6led miles away through the night.
His gag was removed as. soon as the
train went on. and he was given water,
was assured that no harm was intend
ed-'.the boys" thought he'd better
take little trip up the country while
business was dull in Brentwood, and
they made him comfortable with blan-
kets and pillows despite the iolting Of
the clumsy car. AT dawn he was TAX
en- from tie train and driven miles
| across country in another wagon to
ranch where people treated him with
every care and kindness. but he was
| kept under lock and key until the night
of the 30th, when there were sounds
of weeping and dismay in an adjoin-
ing room, and he learned that there
was q terrible raid by the Sioux .up
the road" And then, fast as horses
could bring them came three railway