Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-05-04

best and l haven't anything very inn
portant on hand now
Mason handed Cheney his chiefs
letter and together they studied it's
contents carefully.
mo mistaking the chiefs intent; is
there, Chuck?' said Cheney
That's true" replied Mason. 1.-The
old man appears to have it all worked
out like a chess problem. 1t doesn't
look like a very pleasant job, though.
That train leaving Shenandoah at
eight p. m. reaches st. Joe at one in
the morning. There the two men are
to be joined by third party, and we
are to pinch the whole crowd. Our
work is cut out all right"
Well did Chief Whitley know the
caliber of the man he had so wisely
chosen. Mason did not know the mean
ing of the word fear; he had been
in many a hard-fought scrap with
moonshiners, smugglers and counter
feiters, and carried scars of more
than one bullet wound. If his chief
had ordered him to arrest a dozen
men he would have made the attempt.
Truly did he possess the Balaklava
spirit:
Theirs not to reason why:
Theirs but to do and die
What case do you reckon this is,
Mason?"
Hanged if / know, Cheney. There's
whole slew of them on now. You
can bet the old man knows what he's
talking about He's the best long
distance detective / know"
Two days later they took train
and reached Shenandoah after dark.
At eight p. m. they boarded the St.
Joe train, and at the first station
south 1.-TWO men, one carrying a sole
leather valise,' got aboard Mason
and Cheney saw them enter the car
Immediately in rear of the one in
which they were sitting. The sole
leather valise appeared to be rather
heavy, and was carefully guarded
The train cond uctor, Jack Bellamy,
knew Mason quite well, in fact, had
served with him during the war, and
greeted him pleasantly.
Hello, Mason, what's on tonight
Go through your train" replied
Mason; then come back here and
I'll tell you. Watch out for two men
in the next car" Briefly he described
the men.
When Bellamy returned he sat
down opposite Mason and Cheney,
and quietly Mason told him the lay.
Now, Jack" continued Mason, Il
don't want those birds to get on TO
either me or Cheney. They may know
us, and they may not; but we won't
give them a chance. Keep your eye
on them, and when we get to ST.
Zoe we may need a little of your
help" Bellamy had laundering for
a good scrimmage.
"All right, Mason he replied. Il
don't know what it's all about, but
I'm with you whatever it is. III put
my head man in that car with or
ders not to leave it. He's all right.
You fellows can ride here, and we'll
all be on hand when we reach St.
joe"
Cheney took a position in the rear of
the first car, SO they could see every
passenger of the first car alight. The
brakeman had purposely locked the
rear door, so they would, perforce,
have to leave by the front. Bellamy,
the conductor, was near the rear end
of the second coach, intending to fol-
Il Cd 1oft
the car. This literally put them be-
tween two fires. Mason and Cheney
intended to jump off right after the
suspects and nab them as soon as
they were met by the third party.
1t was a damp dismal night, and
there was a steady rain falling The
train slowly pulled into the old Bur
lington depot. 1t was before the days
of electricity, and the dim. yellow,
Pickering gaslight only accumulated
the darkness. Truly, an ideal night
for devilment of any kind
AS soon as the train stopped the
suspects alighted and started quickly
down the platform Unfortunately,
Mason and Cheney were caught in a
crowd AS soon as possible they ex-
tricated themselves, and scarcely ten
second elapsed before they jumped
to the platform, followed by Bellamy.
They looked up and down everywhere,
but their birds had flown; disappeared
as if swallowed up by the earth. 1t
was a predicannnt and nasty one.
| They had been ordered to do a certain
| thing, and right on the eve of its ac-
! cOmplishment they were baked.
We'll, I'm 6amned!" calculated
Cheney.
You will be all right, and SO will
l." said Mason, when the chief hears
of this. I've read of mysterious dis
| appearances before this, but those
fellows did the fade away act in a
! high-class manner" Bellamy was too
nonplussed to speak
! After careful search of the depot
and the adjoining grounds, Mason
and Cheney checked their valises and
/