The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-08
THE GENTLEMAN
FROM INDIANA
BY BOOTH HARRINGTON
Copyrighted by Mcclure, Phillips & Co.
BY BOOTH HARRINGTON.

! Gentlemen. my friend, Mr.. Meredith.
| one of our well-known citizens"
You hear it from the police, gen.
| tlemen," added Mr.. Meredith, perkinS
| up a little. Il know DR.. Gay" He
nodded to the surgeon.
Il suppose you have heard some of
| the circumstances-those that we've
given out" said Barrett.
| Il read the account in the evening
| paper. l had heard of Harkless. of
/ Carlow, before: but it never occurred
| to me that it was my friend-I had
| heard he was abroad-until | got this
| telegram from a relative of mine who
| happened to be down there"
well" said the superintendent,
| your friend made a mighty good fight
| before he gave up. The Teller, that's
! the man we've got out here, he's so
| hacked up and shot and battered his
| mother wouldn't know him, if she
! wanted to; at least, that's what Gay,
| here, says. We haven't seen him, be-
cause the doctors have been at him
| ever since he was found, and they ey-
! pect to do some more tonight when
| we've had our interview with him, if
! he lives long enough. One of my SER
| geants found him in the freight yards
| about 4 o'clock and sent him here in
! the ambulance; knew it was the Teller,
| because he was slowed away in one of
| the empty cars that came from Platt-
y, vile last night, and Slattery-that's his
| running mate, the one we caught with
| the coat and hat-gaVe in that they
! beat their way on that freight. / guess
| Sattery let this one do most of the
! fighting; he amt scratched; but Mr..
! Harkless certainly made it hot for the
| Teller"
MY relative believes that Mr.. Hark-
| less is still alive said Meredith.
Mr.. Barrett permitted himself an In
| dulgent smile. He had the air of hav-
! ing long ago discovered everything
which anybody might wish to know,
| and of knowing a great deal which
he held in reserve because it was nee
essary to suppress many facts for a
| purpose far beyond his auditors COM
! prehensions though a very simple mat
ter to himself.
| "Well, hardly, 1 expect" he replied.
easily. mo: he's hardly alive
"Oh, don't say that" said Meredith.
I'm afraid Mr.. Barrett has to say
| it," broke in Warren Smith. We're
! up here to see this fellow before he
dies, to try and get him to tell what
| disposal they made of the
"Ah!" Meredith shiVered. Il believe
| I'd rather he said the other than to
| hear you say that"
Mr.. Horner felt the need of defend
| ing a fellow-townsman, and came to
| the rescue, flushing painfully. ITS
mighty bad, l know" said the sheriff
of Carlow, the shadows of his honest,
| rough face falling in a solemn pattern;
| Il reckon we hate to say it as much
| as you hate to hear it: and Warren
| really didn't get the word out. It's
i stuck in our threats all day; and l
] don't recolleet as l heard a single man
say it before 1 left our city this MORN
| ing. Our folks thought a good deal of
In Hnno1ifhs hnlinNrn
there's any thinks more. But it's come
| to that now; you can't hardly see no
| chance left We ben sweating this
| other man, Slattery, but we can't break
him down. Jest tells us to go to-
| the serif paused, evidently deferred
| by the thought that words were
! unbefitting a hospital-"to the other
| place, an shets his jaw up tight. The
| one up here is called the Teller, as
| Mr.. Barrett says; his names Jerry, the
| Teller. Well, we told Slattery that Jer-
! ry had died and left n confession; tried
to make him think there wasn't no
hope for him, and he might as we'll up
| and tell his share; might git off easier;
| warned him to look out for mob II
| he didn't, maybe, and so on, but it
| never bothered him at all. He's nervy,
| all right. Told us to go-that is, he
| said it again-and swore the Teller was
on his way to Chicago, swore he seen
| him git sOn the train. Wouldn't say
another word tell he got a lawyer.
SO, soon as it was any use, we come
up here-they reckon he'll come to be-
fore he dies. Wen be glad to have
you go in with u.s." Horner said kind
ly. Il reckon it's all the same to Mr..
Barrett
He will die, will he, Gay?" Meredith
asked, turning to the surgeon.
"Oh, not necessarily" the young
man replied, yawning slightly behind
his hand and too long accustomed to
| straightforward questions to be shock
| ed at an evident wish for a direct re-
| ply. His chances are better, l fancy
because they'll hang him If he gets
we'll They took the ball and a good
deal of shot out of his side, and there S
a lot more for afterwhile. If he lasts.
| He's been off the table an hour, and
he's still going"
THAT in his favor, isn't it?" said
| Meredith. And extraordinary, too?'
| II young Dr. Gay perceived a slur in
| these interrogations he betrayed no
exterior appreciation of it.
"Shot!" exclaimed Horner. "Shot!
knowed ther'd ben a pistol used
though where they got it beats me
we stripped 'em-and it wasn't Mr.,
Harkless'; he never carried one. But
a shotgun"
An attendant entered and spoke to
the surgeon, and Gay rose YEARLY,
touched the drowsy young man on the
shoulder, and led the way to the door
You can come now" he said to the
others; though / doubt its being any
good to you. He's delirious."
J They went down a long hall and UP