The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-17

system of the Louisville and Nashville
 and the Pinkerton detective agency
 had failed in doing. After nearly three years of unrelenting. systematic work
 he had at last dug up the first tangible l clue. A black negro by the name of
 Mark Stinson-the one who was with
 Slater on the lonely Tensas River | island-was running with Slater. Stin- son was as cunning as his notorious
 chief. He never had anything to do
 with others of his race. and after being | seen with Slater would disappear for | weeks at a time.
 The railroad superintendent deter
 mined that he would see and talk to | this Stinson negro. But how was it
 to be done? The thing looked abso-
 lutely impossible-but the superintend-
 ent came from Kentucky a land where | they hew rigidly to the line and with
 the grip of bulldog, hang on to the l end.
 1 Susan Austin lived in the swamps some miles back of the railroad station
 at Pollard. She belonged to Stinson By
 the quietest kind of diplomacy-allur-
 ing word pictures of the $35O reward ' offered for Slater proving the main | lever-she was finally induced to make ! Stinson turn traitor to Slater It was | late in September when the Austin wo- | man wrote that Stinson had been with l her and that she had persuaded him to help her.
 Some weeks after that the railroad agent at Bay Minette received letter from Stinson himself. Nothing was heard then for several weeks. One day another letter was received from Stin- son in which he asked the agent to direct his answer to Perdido, station near Bay Minette. as he would be there the next day. This was tele- graphed to the superintendent in Mont gomery, and he hurried to Perdido on soathbound passenger train that night so as to be there when Stinson | called for the letter the next day. After waiting all day and Stinson
 failing to put in an appearance the su- perintendent went to Mobile on a local freight train, returning to Perdido im- mediately after n bath and shave. Just few minutes before he got back to Perdido Stinson had called for and re- ceivcd his letter. going back into the swamp. Deeply chagrined the super intendent took the next train for Mont gomery. After waiting in the uncom- fortable station all of the day and night before he had lost his man by bare twenty minutes. Boarding a north-bound freight train he started for Montgomery. About two miles out from Perdido he caught glimpse of a black negro standing in the door of a negro shanty. With hurried signal to the engineer the train began slow ing down, and the nervy railroad off, cial jumped off. He knew that he was the one man above all others whom Slater wanted to kill. He knew that the section of country about there was Skaters "staming ground"
 In the face of all this. he was start ing on a two-mile tramp through the lonely swamp back to Perdido. Reach ing the station he sent the agent back to the cabin with instructions to ask Stinson to let him. the superintendent, have an interview with him. At first the negro woman-Mary Caldwell-who owned the cabin told the agent that Stinson had just gone. Returning through the woods as if going back to the station the agent slipped behind n tree and waited. Tn few minutes Stiuson came out of the cabin and was hailed by the agent. On being assured that no harm would come of it S.inson agreed to meet the superintendent the next morning, naming a deserted spot deep In the swamp as the rendezvous.
 Was this a trip? Was Stinson, af- ter all, loyal to the Slater negro. and was he enticing the superintendent into the swamp for the purpose of mur- dering him? These thoughts called up grave expression on the face of the railroad man, but sternly he made up his mind to play the game to the end, no matter what that end might he.
 Once more catching a southbound freight train he returned to Mobile, secured a couple of big Colt revolvers and a quantity of ammunition. had good nights sleep at a comforta ble hotel. and was back In Perdido early the next morning. He had come ont of Mobile on an early morning freight. The train was numbered 13. there were thirteen cars in it and the day was the 18th of October. With a grim look about the corners of the determined mouth he started for the swamp. Was there anything in the old railroad su- perstition regarding the fateful num- Der IS? Well. he had started now ana didn't intend to let a thing like that stop him.
 Interview In the Swamp.
 As he swung through the woods the morning carol of the feathered choir was ringing among the trees and na- ture was making ready for another day. Farther and farther, deeper and deeper into the swamp he went So thick were the trees and undergrowth now that instead of the gIinting shafts of sunlight a weird kind of twilight was over all. No bursts of melody came from tiny throats now. There was stiffness absolute and intense There was the snap of twig as hls feet occaionally relieved the tomblike tllence; then again very chaos of quiet Just ahead in a tangled snarl of creeping vines and briars he came to the bank of creek. About twenty feet away was the other bank with swirling eddies of black water between. Very insecure it looked, but 1t was that or give up and go back to Perdido. To give up was not to be thought of and making for the log he carefully start | ed across Once on the other side he forced his way through the jungle of vines and branches. The ground was getting swampy now. and now and then his shoes would come up with a | sucking sound.
 Down in a hollow, near q sluggish | branch in the most desolate part of the | swamp stood a black negro. One hand ! rested on a looking knife, | the other in unpleasant suggestiveness | was on the handle of a big pistol As | unconcernedly as possible the railroad | man walked up to the negro, | and after assuring him that he had no | intention of trying to arrest him drew | such graphic pictures of the glowing r reward which he-Stinson, could make | that the negro succumbed to the ono | thing that has so many times proved | too strong for men with white faces the overpowering lust for money.
 His cupidity had gotten the better |