Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-05-05
DAILY. STORY.
A CRIMINAL CHASE.
lOrigina1-l

IOr1g1naLl
Twas walking along country road.
The leaves were budding on the trees,
the birds were singing, the sun was
shining down with a grateful warmth.
1 was thinking what a happy world
this is, after all, and how pleasant ut
is to live. A man was walking brislHy
toward me, and there was a distant
sound of wheels behind me. Them in
a twinkling heard report. The Inan,
who was within dozen yards of me,
dropped. Naturally my first impulse
was to look about me, and, casting
quick glances, 1 saw a thin smoke
floating from behind tree to my1right.
After hesitating a moment in (which
direction to turn 1 ran forward ito the
fallen man. Bright red blood vRas ooz-
ing from a wound In his left breast
and trickling over his coat. directly
behind me 1 heard thud as tof some
thing falling on the road andL turning.
saw a revolver lying within ten feet of
me- OF course it had been thrown
there by the murderer to divert sus-
picion from himself to me-
Meanwhile the sound of wheels drew
nearer, and buggy in which man
was seated turned a bend in the road.
In the wood to the right twas sound
of cracking underbrush. The murder
er was about to escape, and l was
standing over his victim with Il pistol
living near. / ran likePa deer in the
direction the cracklingyindicated, feel
ing that my escape from a halter de-
pended upon my catching the murder
err As / ran l could occasionally hear
him breaking his way through bushes
or over twigs. ThenyI heard Il shout
behind me:
Halt or I'll fire.
1t all passed through my mindhike
flash. The man I'M the buggy must
have heard the shot At any rate, he
had seen me run away, had driven on,
found both the bodyi and the revolver
lying in the road, had picked up the
latter and was now} threatening me
with it.
Ny mind was bentt on /bne object
catching the murderer. Fear of the
bullet, fear of the scaffold, drove me
on, but, singularly erOugh. there was
another passion that spurred me far
more than fear. 1t WINS rage-ragc at
the man who had sought to make me
suffer for his crime No thought of
suer entered my head. ,'Such a course
would avail nothing. The murderer
would go on and 1 be left with those
who would scorn my *Story while he
secured safety.
Thus far / had not caught sight of
the man on whose capture my life de-
pended. but now the wood grew thin
ner, and occasionally l got glimpse Of
trunks of the trees, occasionally jump
ing 4 fallen log. The mind is quick
and keen in danger and it occurred to
me that when the prnsuer came up
with me i'll this open space he could
shoot me. 1 cursed tlNa moment that
had neglected to pick up the weapon
myself, not so much that I feared the
disadvantage which would come to me
when my pursuer should enter the more
open wood, but that the weapon would
have enabled me to bring down the
man / wanted.
A bullet fired from behind cut a twg
over my head, and at the same time l
heard the crack of n pistol. \ moment
later 1 entered newly plowed field
and saw my man ahead disappear be-
hind barn. Beyond there was more
wood, thanked by fields. but l did not
see him enter either. l was in the cen
ter Of the plowed field. stumbling over
the furrows-for was getting exhaust
ed-when my man behind reached the
edge of the wood.
1 felt something strike my arm, like
a stone, but 1 felt no blood and con-
Guided it was a spent pistol ball. 1t
urged me on, and, reaching the barn,
l cast n glance over the strip OF wood
beyond and its thanking fields. 1 saw
no one. My blood was still hot for the
chase. but my heart was pounding and
my strength was exhausted. Catching
at a straw. | turned into the barn. In
the loft above I heard sounds as of Il
struggle. Climbing n ladder, L saw a
sight that astonished me. man had
another pinned to the floor by lying
upon him and holding n wrist with
each of his own hands.
Help TO arrest this man." cried the |
one on top. He has committed muir
DER
The man below relaxed his efforts |
and in moment was passive between |
us.
Explain" 1 said to the man I as
sisted.
II was standing on the edge OF the |
wood when this mani suppose it was
he-fired at the man In the road. I
saw the victim fall and saw you go up
to him. Then 1 heard q sound in the |
bushes, and. thinking 1t might be made |
by the man who had fired the shot,
ran toward it. 1 heard you coming be- |
hind, and it occurred to me that if 1 |
didn't catch nv man you would catch !
me and / would be convicted of MUIR I
der. He ran in here, and I got him."
"And I knew that il didn't catch |
you I would be convicted of murder"
There was a sound of some one be- |