The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-10-16

q
an Billy heard one of EN- ask. sWho'
in here5' The man inside told him Ii
Z name, an they come on to the next ceI
an asked who was there. an the ma
told his name. Then they stopped be
fore Billy's cell.
asked. ' 40
/ Billy said nothin'. an the man caIlet
out TO the others: Here he is!s
Nhlie the committee was dom tIi
Billy was lookin' round for sonethin
10 put up a fight with: his bed was III,
only thing. At first Billy had had ar
IRON sort o thing but he kicked 81
hard to Ball that Ball brung him dowT
a wooden bedstid with springs. sEuct
| tick n feather tick. Billy took this
bed apart, an when they got to his eel
he was waitin' for EN- with bed rail
they lit lantern; Billy could see
they all wore black masks. One man
| held the lantern up near the lock with
a sledge hammer. 1t didn't take much
ha1nmerin' to break the lock. The door
always sagged, lucky for Billy. an
when 1t swung open this time it caught
on the stone floor an left an openin'
not more'n two feet wide-just enough
foT one man to get IN at time
ne man with the lantern jumped in
the minute the lock broke; he had a
pistol in his other hand. Billy raised
the bed rail an come down with it on
the mans head, an he went to the
floor like he had hearts disease. The
lantern fell from his hand an lit right
side up near the door, an the pistol
flew ont O his hand toward Billy. Billy
grabbed the pistol an slipped back into
the dark of the cell where they could
hardly see him, though he could see
them all right enough if they tried to
come in through the door.
All this quicker'n wink The first
man that tries TO come in here gets
killed. Billy called out; an he stood
with the pistol cooked and pointed to-
ward the door
mo one tried to come in They hung
back an admit say a thing.
Billy begun mockin at 'em. why
don't you come on?' he said. There's
only one o. me an | can only kill six
O you-the first six that comes in. After
| kill six you won't have no trouble
gettin' me. Come on, now. Who'll be
the first?'
IF they'd opened UP fire on Billy
somebody'd have hit him. an sooner or
later a bullet'd "a killed him. But Bill
ly had some advantage; he could see
them an they couldn't him, an while
they were doin' this he'd "a laid out
sev'ral o them, for Billy's bullets had
a habit o. dom just as he wanted 'ein
to. But before they could do or say
anything the fre-bell rung; somebody
had got on to their bein' in town an
was givin' the alarm. They began to
whisper, all excited, an then they
:, At
draggin' the man Billy had stunned, an
run like a pearcel o sheep.
This was the best chance a man
ever had to get out o. jail-doors all
wide open an no one around Billy
could "a lit out an the sheriff and
everybody in town'd "a thought that
the vigilance committed hung him an
done away with his body, an they'd
never for a minute thought O. lookin'
for him. An no man in that commit
tee'd dared say he wasn't dead, for by
sayin'' so he'd "a give away that he'd
belonged to the committee an the law'd
a been after him. Billy could "a gone
off somewhere where he wasn't known
an lived there in no more danger O
oein' arrested than me or you.
"But what do you think he done7
He was that mad I don't believe he |
ever thought O gettin' away, He got |
put o. the jail in second, right behind |
the committee Just outside the door
his feet got tangled in somethin'; it |
was the rope they'd brought to hang
lin with an the man that carried it
lad dropped it. He got clear of it,
hen down the street he went after the
committee that was runnin' like all pos
essed; an he chased them men that
;ome to hang him clean out o town,
.unnin', shootin', yellin all in the same
breath. Then he turned round and
:one back to Main Street just. as fast
IS he could
81 was up and dressed by this time
n had light in the Office. Six or
even men had run in to ask me what
vas goin' on. when in walked Billy
MacCheeck, holdin' a revolver n all
ut O breath, an pumped down in
hair. l seen at once there was blood
n his eyes.
"'Where's Bali Simpson, he asked.
81 don't know l said. Any you
elbows seen Ball?' | asked
None of 'em had / guess he amt.
ut yet l said What's all this racket
bout Billy2'
a gang broke into the jail to take
ne out an hang me- he said. 'Cussed
owardsl I'm goin' to get up crowd
. go after 'em Ii you fellows want
> go long skin out an get gun an
horse apiece.
Just then Ball Simpson come in. his
cots N pants N hat on, an buttonin'
p the front o his shirt. Billy stood
p an stood there glarin' at him, not
ayin' word Then he said You're
darn purity sheriff, you areP he said,
ust like them that sits in the seats
the scornful, as the Bible says.
/" What is it, BillyP Ball asked, anx-
jus.
'ef.You're darn purity sheriff, you
ref Billy said again.
ome sidlin' toward him.
g Nothin' very much, Billy said, sar-
astic. Only crowd o galoots, with
leir faces in mournin', took a notion
ley wanted to string me up an broke
Ito the jail to get me- An all the
me you was defendin' your prisoner
Ike good sheriff, wasn't you
80 PROBE into tho nil y said Rail an