Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-11-11
DAILY SHORT STORY
A WOMAN FIEND.

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As soon as possible after the close of
the war the Federal authorities began
TO hunt down QuaEtreh's guerriilas,
every man of whom was declared an
outlaw. although it was known for 6
fact that Quantrell had been regularly
commissioned. gss
The men scattered over a wide ter
ritory, and when the pursuit became
too hot some of them crossed over into
Mexico. Among others was woman
known as Mol Davis, dressed always
in mans clothes, and she was said to
be one of the worst of the lot. She
had killed more men in battle and shot
down more prisoners after surrender
than any two men. She took up her
abode in the southeast corner or the
Indian Territory, where she hau
friends. but was seen and heard OF for
a hundred miles along the Arkansas
line. My orders from headquarters in
Arkansas in regard to this woman
We're:
Take such force as you think neceS-
sary and 20 in pursuit OF the woman
known as Moll Davis. If possible cap
ture her alive that she may be hanged
for her many cold btooded murders
You are expected to either bring her i'll
as prisoner or furnish conclusive
proof of her death
L took only one man with me as
rode out from Van Buren, to follow a
trail ouly one day old. All that first
day we were not over five miles be-
hind the woman at any hour. and we
rode over forty miles. She was head
ed for the Cnoctaw country, and she
knew the roads better than we did and
gave us the slip when darkness came.
We picked up her trail next day,
but it was slow work following II.
Some of the people we met gave us
straight information, but others. VINO
evidently knew and sympathized with
the woman. put us on false scent.
Mile by mile we traced her south 10
the Texas border She rested for two
days,with a family living on the north
bank of the Red river. south of Doaks-
Vile, and then followed the streain
down into Arkansas.
In some way the woman got 1n1or-
nation that we We're hanging to her
trail, and she laid plan to wipe us
out Near the Arkansas line, where
the highway crossed a swamp, she
went into ambush and awaited oul
coming. We were then one day behind
her.
Our pursuit was slow, but we man
aged to keep the trail, and we hnaliy
reached a cabin at the foot or the
mountains where she had been guest
the previous night. She had passed as
a man again and told a story to awak
en- sympathy. When we had satisfied
the cabineer as to the woman's true
character he informed us that she haC
gone to the northwest, over the noun
tain. We were then only three hours
behind her. Her horse had cast two
shoes. and she would likely halt OIL
the crest of the mountain to get him
reShod.
The mountain road was rough one
| but we pushed on at reckless pace
AS a consequence she arrived at the
| hamlet on the crest only half an houl
ahead of U.s. Her horse was in the
| hands of the blacksmith, and she sa
on a stone at the door Of the shoI
when we came into view.
We We're not over thirty rods away
| when she caught sight of us. She In
stantly OWNED our identity, and, seiz
| ing her rife, which stood leaning III
against the shop, she raised 1t to he
| face aud fired three shots as fast as sh'
could pull trigger. One of them pass
ed through my companions hat. sec
ond through the right ear Of my horse
| the third between our heads. Then, al
we dashed at her. she sprang into thu
shop and closed the door. Her hors
and the smith We're outside. We dis
mounted and took cover where w
could command the door, and tn
smith turned the horse loose and cross
ed the street to his cabin. We so
| cover behind a large log, and then w
had the woman at bay and no chanc
| for her to escape.
After considerable coaxing the black
smith consented to approach the cabil
and demand surrender and to eX
plain that our orders were to kill o
capture. The woman talked with hin
through q crevice and sent us wor'
that if we did not withdraw she woul'
have our lives within ten minutes.
We preferred to take her alive, AM
for this reason we contented ourselve
with watching that she did not emerg
and gain shelter elsewhere. She fire.
at us whenever she caught a glimpse
and after she had been besieged 70
four long hours it became evident tina
she would not surrender unless badl
| wounded.
Two hours after noon we began fiji
ing into the shop through all the open
ings, and the firing was holly returned
We wasted many bullets on the chanc
that one might hit, while she fire.
more through defiance than becaus
she had a target In sight.
At the end Of two hours her fir
ceased. and. believing her dead, tn
| blacksmith advanced for n look int
the shop. He had just reported tina
she was lying dead when a bullet from