The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-08-30

den pillow horse dashed into town with
the news that man who answered
perfectly to the description of Roger
Oakley had been seen the night before
twenty-siN miles north of Antioch, at
a place called Barrow's Sawmills,
where he had stopped at store and
made a number of purchases. Then he
had struck off through the woods. 1t
was also learned that he had eaten his
breakfast the morning after the muir
der at farmhouse midway between
Antioch and Barrow's Sawmills. The
farmers wife had at his request put
up a lunch for him. Later in the day
a man at work in field had seen and
spoken with him.
There was neither railroad, telegraph
nor telephone at Barrow's Sawmills
and the fugitive had evidently CON
sidered it safe to venture into the
place. trusting that he was ahead of
the news of his crime. 1t was ON the
edge of sparsely settled district. and
to the north of it was the unbroken
wilderness stretching away to the
lakes and the Wisconsin line
The morning of the funeral an extra
edition of the Herald was issued, which
contained a glowing account of Ryder's
life and achievements. 1t was an open
secret that it was from the gifted pen
of Kenyon. This notable enterprise
was one of the wonders of the day
Everybody wanted a Herald as Il SOU
venir of the occasion, and nearly 500
copies We're sold.
All that morning the country people
in unheard of numbers flocked into
town. AS Clarence remarked to Spide.
it was just like circus day. The
noon train from Buckhorn junction
arrived crowded to the doors, as did
the l o'clock train from Harrison.
like it,
The funeral was at . o'clock from the
little white frame Methodist church.
but long before the appointed hour ii
was crowded to the verge of suGfoc;,
ton, and the anxious, waiting throng
overfowed into the yard and street
with never a hope of wedging into the
building, much less securing seats.
A delegation of the strikers, the
Young Mems Kenyon club, of which
Ryder was a member and represent
ative body of citizens escorted the re-
mains to the church. These We're the
people he had jeered at. whose simple
joys he had ridiculed and whose griefs
he had made light of. but they would
gladly have forgiven him his sarcasms
even had they known of them. He had
become hero and a martyr
Chris Berry and Cap Roberts were
in charge of the arrangements. On the
night of the murder the former had
beaten his rival to the Herald Office by
exactly three minutes and had never
left Ryder until he lay in the most cost
ly casket in his shop.
1t was admitted afterward by
thoughtful men who were accustomed
to weigh their opinions carefully that
Mr. Williamson, the minister, had new
er delivered so moving an address or
one that contained so obvious a moral.
The drift of his remarks was that the
death of their brilliant and distinguish
ed fellow townsman should serve as
warning to all that there was no time
like the present in which to prepare
for the life everlasting He assured his
audience that each hour of existence
should be devoted to conservation and
silent testimony; otherwise, what did it
avail! 1t was not enough that Ryder
had thrown the weight Of his personal
influence and exceptional talents on
the side of sound morality and civic
usefulness. And as lie scared OH from
point to point his hearers scared with
him. and when he rounded in on each
we'll tried climax they rounded in with
him. He never failed them once. They
always knew what he was going to say
before it was said and were ready for
the thrill when the thrill was due. 1t
might have seemed that Mr.. William
son was paid salary merely to make
an uncertain hereafter yet more I'M
comfortable and uncertain, but Antioch
| took its religion hot, with a SILVER and
| a threat of blue flame.
| When Mr.. Williamson sat down Mr..
| AellS OH rose. AS ldvman he could
be entirely eulogistic. He was sure of
the faith which through life had been
the guiding star of the departed. He
had seen it instanced by numerous acts
of eminently Christian benevolence,
and on those rare occasions when he
had spoken Of his hopes and fears he
had. in spite of his shrinking modesty,
shown that his standards of Christian
duty were both lofty and consistent.
| Here the Hon. Jeb Burrows, who had
been doing peacefully, awoke with a
start and gaZed with wide, bulginL
eyes at the speaker. He followed Mr.
Kenyon, and, though he tried hard, he
couldn't recall any expression of Ry
der's, at the Red Star bar or elsewhere
which indicated that there was any
spiritual uplift to his nature which hy
fed at secret affairs; so he pictured thu
friend and citizen, and the dead Jared
we'll at his hands, perhaps better thar
he was conscious of. for he said nj
moro than ha haIioya6