The Opelousas courier., 1902-01-11
The Red Terror.
BY CHARLES FREDERICK HOLDER.

This district is infested with a rel
terror, name of Reilly. We need help
What do we pay taxes for?'
This is the fourth letter I've had be-
sides telephones. Kelly, look this Zip
See what the red terror of the ninth
is and get what evidence you can" sale
the captain Of police in a certain city
of the west.
Kelly was a terror himself, if the
ganins of his beat were to be believed;
a tall, gigantic Irishman with vivid red
hair, but with an expression of good
nature that had made him equally ia
nous. Kelly had heard of the terror
Before. His beat lay along the infested
district and on divers occasions he had
been called beyond his sphere of inhu-
ence to investigate some outrage on the
person or property of citizens, perpe-
trated, he was told, by a girl who went
by the name of the Red Terror. Win
dows were broken in winter with snow
balls; dlgnihed citizens were lombard
ed from alleyways with masses of snow,
and the change of>season only ushered
IN new and fendish schemes for the
demoralizatlon of the general public;
mud balls, hats with bricks in them,
and finally reports came in of myster-
Ious attacks which COLD be produced
only by a blow-gun of colossal dimen-
slons. Surely it was time to stop these
outrages and Kelly now proposed to do
it.
Reaching the infested district he be-
gan a house-to-house canvass, starting
with Mrs. Fogarty, from whom a COM
plant had come.
Its glad to see you, I am, Mr.. Off
said the woman. LUX at me
front window, stuffed with papers to
kape out the air all O that red imp of
a kid. See her do it? Ma, I did not
who else wad brake windows for
sport? I'd like to get me hands
on her, that I wad.'
Then it's a gir1?" said Kelly.
OF course it's a girl, the daughter of
old Benson, up the alley"
lhe officer took the report and name
the complainant and went on.
y loole, the cobbler, had been struck
IN the ear with a puttybal1, 44-caliber,
for weeks thought he was the sub
Ieet OF a vendetta until he heard that
Benson's girl had an air-gun. Old
Yrs. Ramsay made complaint that her
house had been battered with rocks and
number of windows broken, and she
lad the rocks lined along the fence to
,rove it.
In an hour Kelly had collected evil
sufficient to send a man to iail
or life In his own estimation: then he
vent up the alley to see old Benson.
t was a very hot day in July. The air
vas still, not a leaf stirring, and from
oof and sidewalk rose vaporous shapes
boiling air, Kelly called it-that
lade life intolerable. He Rugged the
ouses, walking from awning to avn
1g when there were stores. and stand
1g beneath the shade of cottonwoods
nd catalpas here and there, hopping
IS head and shifting the air like a
FEATHER prophet for the change that
ever came. {
Reaching the end of the street. he {
irned up the alley and made his wav {
} Bensons. The house was a "ram-
Of a place. It had not beer J
ai1ted for two decades and in some t
iay had taken a lurch over the side q
ak so that the flowers in a box in |
le second story hung like a plumbIine G
rec or four feet clear of the basement Q
here Kelly stood. The old cobbler y
It IN the front room, surrounded by q
e implements OF his trade. He look P
up as the officer entered, took a +
axed end out of his mouth and lifted o
5 square silver-boWed spectacles that Il
might see and speak. II
No. said Kelly, Il haven't any lob.
he truth is, the whole neighborhood
UP IN arms about a girl of yours.
beer looking into the matter at the Il
ders Of the captain, and from these +,
king out the papers containing the =
mplaints, it looks to me like it was f.
reform school ease !,
I've done the best I could replied 4
.nson, but Satan himself seems IN 6
child and Pm afraid I'll have to 4
her 60" J,
And she's your child?" asked Kelly. b.
had expected a strong protest. te
No, shes my grandchild. Her IA ar
was Bob Reilly replied the cob Cd
ri 4