The Cairo bulletin., 1907-07-07
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.


by Agnes Riley.
When saw the sheriff tilt back
his chair, | knew there was story
coming. He threw three long whiffs
OF his pipe and as the smoke curlcd
slowly upward he began;
after had been sheriff only Ave
months had personally captured
one of the most daring desperadoes
in the whole mountain region, one
Dick Roberts, otherwise known as
the gentleman bandit. He was a
handsome fellow, tall ana slight,
With pale. oval face and a certain
mliowy sraceSAat gs h4nssedlsone OF a
young panther.
In the month preceding his cap
trs ~ ksN hstf up bsslAy masstsr Of
CaM n HlH Ahree times. Tob5H tao
mall twice and stole Miss Perkins
saddle horse. and later returned ii
with note attached saying that he
didn't care TO enter into deal with
woman. When the whole country
round was up in arms | came across
him quite accidentally lie surren-
dered without word, saying with
laugh that he was unarmed except
for pair of curling tongs with
which he had held UP the mail and
upon investigation this was found to
be tho case.
"One morning, after he had served
six months. OF his fourteen years
sentence, | vas summoned hastily to
the Jail When | arrived they told
me that Roberts had chloroformed
the guard, bound him hand and foot
with the bed-clothing, took his keys
and revolver, and walked out of pri-
son. Where he had procured the
chloroform was a mystery.
There was snow on the ground at
the time and the armed pose traced
the fugitive to the mountains. Here
they surrounded hinl---a circle of
hundred mon win another hundred
as relief For two nights and day
they watched gradually closing in.
when word was received that the
guards uniform had been found In
the Kitchen OF a house some distance
north
:The night was rather dark-one
of those cold, clear January nights
with plenty of stars, but no moon
took the narrow buggy, as l needed
the protection OF the robes, and start
ed up the carriage road
II was going at q pretty good gait
and was well into the woods when
my horse suddenly SHE'D. and tall
figure clad entirely In white stood at
his head. The figure shrank back
and a nervous, high-pitched voice
cried:
For Gods sake, don't shoot, |
am a woman'
Before | could reach her she had
fallen In a dead faint across the
path
She wore long light raineoat, c
hat of some light fur, and a huge
muff of a like material. pat the
muff under her head. forced her
teeth apart with small file, and
poured some brandy down her throat.
She gulped little, and as conscious
ness returned, she put her hand
YEARLY to her head, and | saw a
black ugly bruise on the smooth
flesh.
when she came to she told me
her story. common enough one
among the mountains. She was Mrs.
Hartnet, the wife OF miner.
Though a college graduate. he had
become brutal in his discourage
ment-then drink-cross words
finally blows. She had left him and
attempted to cross the mountain to
her brothers In Camden county. She
had become terrified at the footsteps
of man behind her, had stepped
into the brush to let him pass. and
on renewing the path, had suddenly
confronted ME.
MY courage returned at this In
formation, for | knew there was but
one man afoot in the mountains that
night, and that was my gentleman
bandit
II hastily assisted her into my
buggy and drove her across TO the
emu Ol my I0ule- I1Sit liAhAr NV
accept the flask with. what Little
brandy remained. and she started
once more toward her brothers."
"And In your endeavors to play
the gallant to fair damsel in dis
tress you forgot all abodt the fugi-
tive" said |.
"On the contrary, | doubled the
reward, with instructions to capture
dead or alive. For a month We
searched every inch of the vicinity,
but gradually the excitement died
out
Rive years later had a message
from Hadlock. a prisoner was dying
OF bullet wound and wished to see
me. II was quite a journey. but
went. Imagine my surprise when |
was ushered into the presence Of
gentleman Dick
He held out his hand genially.
ANY of that brandy left. old
man.
For a minute I was staggered
and then light dawned