Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-11-18

ly the governor could make Langdon
an officer but even the governor could
not make him sergeant. The law
gave the appointment of sergeants and
corporals to the commanding officer Of
the company alone, and while Govern
or y. would not oppose the wishes of
30 many citizens and voters by grant
ing Langdon 4 commission neither
would he interpose against the wishes
of scores of others by demanding, as
urged by The Sun and the strikers,
"the resignation of the insolent officer
who had dared to thwart the wishes of
O community" The Banner rejoiced
and applauded. The Examiner was 81
lent. The Seattle might need that com
pany any moment and every man with
mob law in view and every citizen
pledged to law and order knew instant
ly what it meant that the rifles had
failed to fill the vacancies. The lieu
tenant commanding would figure as
head of the company, but its instruc-
ton, its discipline, the work of prepa-.
raticn and finally it's command in the
event of fight would all devolve upon
Its gritty first sergeant, Eric Langdon.
Two evenings later Cresswell, with
anxious eyes, looked up at the window
of the second story room over his Of
fees on Thayer street, the main thor
oughfare Of Brentwood. 1t was after
10, but all was darkness there, and
Langdon's inyariable rule was to re-
turn at once from drill and go early to
bed, for, winter OF summer, he was an
early riser The clerk and assistant
who formerly occupied those humble
quarters had married, moved west to
the hills and thrown out his own shin
gle, and Langdon thankfully had mov-
ed in. The street was still alive with
people, but the lights in the rifles ar
mory. two blocks away, had been ex-
tinguished before the stroke of 10 at
the city hall. In his hand Cresswell
held a crumpled half sheet of note pa
per that had reached him through the
mail. 1t contained only the words:
Your man laughs at warning and de-
fies tho people. Il he hasn't left this
town by midnight, he'll never get n
chance again"
BY midnight. and il was now after
! 10! Only that morning in reminding
Langdon that the chief of police had
not only issued permission. but advised
| him, to go armed Cresswell had asked
him If more warnings had reached
him, and the new first sergeant took
. from his breast pocket little note. 1t
! was a woman's hand that penned this
note. For Gods sake don't disregard
this. You do not know what minute
NAV be YOUR last If you insist on stay
ing here. These men are desperate"
Cresswell had read it with compressed
lips and advised its being given at
once to the police. Far and wide the
edict of the employees had gone forth
If assurance that the old wages would
be restored from and after Nov. fail
ed to reach them by noon Oct. % every
| man would quit work. and no man
would be allowed to attempt it. More
/ than once CreSswell had noticed
strange, unprepossessing faces among
| the loiterers along the block. More
than once men had called OH one pre-
| text or other at the office and We're
! furtively interested in the survey of
the premises, but the police well knew
! the barroom blnckguards who had
| threatened vengeance on Langdon for
| his interference in behalf OF the SOL
der they We're beating to jelly, and
| il person ut least they dare not act.
1T isn't among the slulus alone you
have enemies, Langdon," said Cress-
Well. THE bitterest foes man has to
guard against are those who have done
him injury, and the men Pm after are
those who put up that safe robbery and
gained your discharge. Oh, for AN
hour Of Channing"
But that was vain.
(To Be Continued.