Cañon City record., 1904-03-17

mist hung over town or country. What
was it? The bell rang on. Its loud
alarm beat Increasingly into mems
hearts and qnickened their throbbing
to the rapid measure of its own. Vague
forms loomed in the cleaning. A horse.
madly ridden. splashed through the
town. There were shouts; voices called
boarsely; lamps began to gleam in the
windows; half clad people emerged
from their houses. men slapping their
braces on their shoulders as they ran
out of doors; questions were shouted
into the dimness.
Then the news went over the town
1t was cried from yard to yard. from
group to group. from gate to gate. and
reached the furthermost confines. Run
ners shouted 1t as they sped by. and
boys painted 1t. breathless; women with
loosened hair stumbled into darkling
chambers and faltered it out to new
wakened sleepers. and pale girls. clutch
ing wraps at their throats. whispered
II across fences. The sick. tossing on
their hard beds. heard it. The bell
clamored 1t far and near; 1t spread over
the countryside, and 1t flew over the
wires to distant cities. The White Caps
had got Mr. Harkless!
Lige Willetts had lost track of him
out near Briscoe's, II was said. and had
come into town at midnight seeking
him. He had found Parker, the Herald
foreman. and Ross Schofield, the type
setter. and Bud Tipworthy. the devil,
at work in the printing office. but no
sign of Harkless there or in the. cot
tage Together these had sought for
HIM and had reused others who had in
quired at every house where he might
have gone for shelter. and they had
heard nothing. They had watched for
his coming during the s!ackening of
the storm. He had not come. and there
was no place he could have gone. He
was missing. Only one thing could
have happened.
They had reused up Warren Smith,
the prosecutor. and Horner. the sher-
ifr. and Jared Wiley, the deputy. VIII
liam Todd had rung the alarm. II was
agreed that the first thing to do was
to find him. After that there would
be trouble. IL not before. It looked as
II there would be trouble before. The
men tramping up TO the muddy square
in their shirt sleeves were bulgy about
the right hips, and when Homer Tibbs
Joined Columbus Lands at the hotel,
corner and Lands saw that Homer
was carrying n shotgun Lands went
back for his. A hastily sworn posse
galloped out Main street. Women and
children ran into nelghbors' yards and
began TO cry. Day was coming. and
ms the lfrbt prew mon swpre and gay.
ageiy kicked nt the palings Of fences
as they ran by them.
In the foreglow OF dawn they gather
ed In the square and listened TO War
ren Smith, who made n speech from
the courthouse fence and warned
them to 20 slow. They answered him
with angry shouts and hootlngs. But
be made his big bass voice heard and
bade them do nothing rash. No facts
were known. he said. II was far from
certain that harm had been done. and
no one knew that the Six Crossroads
people had done 1t, even II something
had happened to Mr.. Hnrklcss, He de-
clared that he spoke In Harklcss' name.
Nothing could distress him so much as
for them TO defy the law. TO take II
out OF The proper hands. Justice would
be done.
Yes, 1t willr' shouted man below
him, brandIshing the butt of n rawhide
whip above his head "And while you
jaw on about 1t here he may be tied up
like dog in the woods. shot full OF
holes by the men you never lifted
finger to hender. because you want