Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-04-13

q ldSlcIiASS were Wrtnche1 loose ar
: instant later. and the mcza came tum
bling into the hall-the saeriff, Nor
gan and four others ! had never seer
before. Simultaneously the fankine
party began smashing the small panes
Of the library windows. We could
hear the glass crack and tinkle above
the confusion at the door.
In the hall he was certainly lucky
man who held to hts weapon a mo-
ment after the door tumbled Nin.
blazed a: the sheriff with my revoE
| yer, but he stumbled and half fell at
the threshold, SO that the bah passed
over him, and he promptly gripped
me by the legs and fad me prone and
half dazed by the rap Of ny head on
the floor
| suppose l was two or three min.
utes at least getting my wits. I was
/ first conscious Of Bates graphing
/ with the sheriff, VITO sat mooa me, and
as they struggled with each other I
| got the full benefit Of their combined,
swerving, tossing weight Morgan and
Larry we're trying for Gchance at each
other with revolyers, while Morgan
backed the IF.shnan slowly toward
the library. Stoddard had seized one
of the unknown deputies by the cob
lar and gave him tremendous swing,
| jerking him high in the air and driv
ing him against another invader with
a Blow that knocked both fellows
| spinning into corner.
Come on to the library7T shouted
Larry, and Bates, who had got me to
my feet, pushed me down the hall to-
ward the. open library door.
Bates presented at this moment an
| extraordinary appearance, with the
blood from the scratch on his face
coursing down his cheek and upon his
shoulder His coat and shirt had been
torn away and the blood smeared over
| his breast. The fury and Indignation
IN his face was something / hope not.
to see again in a human countenanee
My God, this room-this beautiful
room" I heard him cry as he drove
ne before him into the library. at
was Mr.. Gleuarm7s pride" he nut.
tered, and spraug upor a burly fel.
low who had~come In through one of
the library doors and was climbing
over the long table we had overturned
10 serve as q baT"icade
We were now between two fires.
The sheriffs PARTY had fought valiant
ly to keep Us OUT of the library, and
row that we were within, Stoddard's
big shoulders held the door half closed
egainst the combined strength of the
men in the hall. This pause was for
tunate, for it gave us an opportunity
to deal singly with the fellows who
were climbing in from the terrace.
Bates had laid one Of them low with
club and Larry disposed of another
who had made murderous effort to
stick knife into him. | was with
Stoddard against the door, where the
sheriff's men were slowly gaining
upon me.
Let go on the jump when | say
three" said Stoddard, and at his word
we sprang away from the door and
into the room Larry yelled with Joy
I.as the sheriff and his men pitched for
yard and sprawled upon the floor;
then we were at it again in hand-to-
hand conflict to clear the room.
Hold that position, sir" yelled
Bates.
Morgan had' directed the attack
against me and I was driven upon the
hearth before the srear fireplace The
sheriff, Morgan and Ferguson hemmed
me In. It was evident that I was the
chief culprit, and they wished to elm
mate me from the contest Across the
room, Larry, Stodttarc and Bates were
engaged in a Lively rough and tumble
with the rest OF the Desiegers, and
Stoddard seeing my plight, leaped the
overturned table, broke past the trio
and stood by my side. swinging
chair.
At that momrent my eyes, sweeping
the broken outer doors, saw the face
of Pickering; He had come TO see
that his orders were obeyed, and re-
member yet my satisfaction, as, hem.
med In by the men ne had hired to
kill me or drive me out, | felt,
rather than. saw, the cowardly horror
depicted upon his face.
Then the 'cTio pressed upon me. AS
7 threw down my club and drew my
| revolver, some enc across the room
! fred several shots, whose roar
| through the room seemed to arrest the
| fight for an instant, and then, while
! Stoddard stood at my side swinging
bis chair defensiyeIy, the great chan
delier, loosened or broken by the.
shots, fell with n mighty crash of it's
crystal pendants. The sheriff, leaping
away from Stoddard's chair, was
struck on the head and borne down by
the heavy glass.
Smoke from the firing foated in
clouds across the room, and there was
a moments silence save for the sheriff
who. was grooming and cursing under
the dehris Of the chandelier. AT the
door chickering's face appeared again
anxious and frightened. + think the
scene In the room and the slow prog
ress his men were making against US
| had hol q lvzad him