Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-12-09
q COW or the baying of dog at some
one of the Ieighboring farmsteads.

| w" VI LAC Udy lug VI d Jug dl 6OU&S
one of the Ieighboring farmsteads.
About midnight the form, of man
might have been seen issuing from The
| shade in the rear of the trustees home
and going in the direction of the spring
which issued from a small cave It was
followed by the Keef dog, which, strange.
ly enough, trotted Familiarity along
After a few minutes the man returned
and reentered the shadows of the house
Probably an hour later two other per.
| sons approached the house. Something
perhaps the furious barking of thu
| dog-caused them to make away. They
were followed across the fields and into
the road leading to the village by vel
another person, who was evidently shad
owing them.
Keef slept until about two O'clock IL
the morning, when he was awakened BY
his wife, who said she had heard tn
report of gun in the direction OF thu
village. Only partially awake at first
he grasped his pistol, rushed to the door
and fired out into the night.
Il 'spect you hit the world som'ers
jake" grumbled his wife, What die
you do that for-disturbin' the neigh
bors hathaway"
"Jest bluff, l guess" said the trustee
rather sheepishly. EFF there's any rob
bers around, it'll let 'em know I'm fixed.
The next thought was of the wallet
Raising the pillow anXiously, he wa
i Mortified to find that it was-gone!
Il can be surmised that the neighbor
hod was aroused long before dawn. Dur
ing the search which followed, 1t de
veloped that Rufus Dent had beer
wounded that night, and that a handker
chief with his initials thereon had beer
found near Keef's house. The young
man was too severely wounded to wall
home that night, and so the trustee ant
others confronted him with the suspi
cious handkerchief. He said that it wa
his and that he had been near Keefs aftel
midnight.
From my window" he went on t,
explain, II saw two men lurking near m,
home. Being out so late looked suspi
cious, and going downstairs got where
could observe their movements with
out being discovered. The men wer'
those Mr.. Keef thought yesterday wer'
too closely watching him. They wer'
not acquainted In the vicinity, l thought
and were evidently hunting his resi-
dence. This was confirmed in m,
mind when they left and went toward
| hio bopoo followed Of q d;cfopoo COW
them leave his premises when the dos
raised the alarm, and then shadowet
them for something like a half mile
when, discovering me, they fired ant
ran. 1t was my intention to see then
safely out of the neighborhood befor'
returning to tell of the incident. Mr.
Keef was already much worried an.
frightened, and, if unmolested, there wa
no need to add to his vexation during
the night"
There was no FEASIBILITY in this stor,
to Keef. Anyone could shift his Grim
on others with some countenance if tn
others were not present to explain; AM
then there was the wound-in all prob
ability his shot, fired at random, had hi
the mark. It was easy to believe, fur
Their, that Dent had made his way tt
| where found after being wounded.
A warrant was issued forthwith ant
| Dent was arrested. He gave bond for hi!
appearance at the next term Of cour
which would convene in March.
But if the public was surprised ovel
the arrest of the young lawyer, it wa
genuinely astonished when the day fol
trial come. The prosecutor, when tn
case was called, asked the judges per
mission to make a statement. Said he
II have done the defendant a grea
wrong; if there is any way to repair it
I am willin' to try to do so. sometime
walk in my sleep-I believe the state
attorney calls it somnambulism. Las
night, while in this condition, my wifi
found me in our cave-spring. Sh
watched me in amusement till l reache,
under a crevice an withdrawed-wha
do you think, judge? 1t wus this vale
O. gov'ment funds, an not red cen
missin! Putin all things together, In
certain that in my worry that night tn
| uOuey "uo uloo1u l udu Ouc - Iueu
spells an hid it myself. 1t looks Quare
but rememberin' his life now sine
I have got over my scare, it ain
stranger than that should hav
thought Rufus Dent guilty"
John Strobel hesitated to open the mex
letter he received from his ward. Per
haps he was expecting a taunt. Blu
breaking the seal he read:
March 10, 1902.
Dear Guardian-Can you still sa.
you are not surprised? What do yo
now think of the Judgment of matur
business man when pitted against tn
'promptings of sentiment?' I have s.
far recovered that I shall start HON
next week.
| Your ward,
| JUDITH MAYS"
CONDEMNED MURDERERS SING
They Greet Death Sentence in Merr
Style-IndulEe in Lively Song
| on Way to Prison.