Marble Hill press. (Marbel [sic] Hill, Mo.) 1881-1923, 1908-12-31

greatest confusion. Clothing and
shells, guns and fishing tackle were
strewn about the floor, evidencing a
precipitate departure. 1t was tantaliz-
ing to again allow the criminals to es-
cape. | felt deeply chagrined, and re-
solved never again to put Off matter
of this kind. The men had forestalled
me by only few hours. for l had in
tended arresting them that morning.
and there had been nothing in their
conduct during my visit to their cabin
to indicate that they thought of flight.
In one corner of the cabin, beneath
the very bunk on which l had slept,
there was an excavation three feet
square and as many deep. The cover
was down and dirt was strewn over it
which gave it the same appearance as
the dirt floor of the house. l diScOV
cred it by a hollow hound when l
tapped over the spot. 1t was empty.
Il noticed the absence of the pot
which had supplied my supper, but it
was rather a subconscious notice of it.
The fact really made no appreciate
impression on me at the time, nor did
it, in fact, until more than year had
passed. 1t was then recalled by a
newspaper dispatch under date of the
small village.
'Some of the boys in the village had
appropriated the cabin as sort Of
clubhouse. after the three men had
fled They would spend Saturdays
there, fishing and swimming and hunt
ing. Immediately in front of the cabin
| was a steep bank, and the river wi
dened out into a broad, deep pool
which afforded good fishing and swim
ming The boys would throw white
| pebbles into this hole and dive for
them from the bank. One of them
| had struck his head against something
hard at the bottom of the river and
| had been pulled up a corpse. his skull
| baving been fractured by the impact
| Of the blow.
The others investigated and found
large iron pot half buried in the soft
| mud It's cover was sealed down and
| couldn't lift it from it's ooZy bed. The
| dispatch stated that the pot was to be
| raised and it's contents examined.
| Il was in Little Rock when 1 read
| this dispatch and, without waiting for
| instructions from headquarters, l
| boarded the first train and set out for
| the village I was in state of fever
| ish excitement fearing I would arrive
| there after the pot had been secured.
| I wanted to be the first to view its con-
tents. I felt sure l knew what was
| in 1t.
| After journey that seemed inter-
| minable I arrived at the village and
| inquired about the pot. My fears had
| been groundless. With the Indifference
| so characteristic in country people the
| villagers had forgotten, after the
funeral of the unfortunate young man,
the incident of the pot. While there
| had been some talk of raising it, no
one had taken the lead, and there the
matter had rested.
Securing a team of mules and some
| strong ropes and chains, drove out to
| the cabin. BY dint of much diving
| succeeded in fastening the chains
| about the pot and had my assistant
| drag it out upon the hank. 1t was the
vessel which had hung over the fire
when l had visited the counterfeiters
in their lair. Then 1 remembered it's
absence, when 1 had searched the hut
| after their departure. 1t was sealed
| with paraffln and sealing wax, and not
| a drop of water had passed the lid.
Il contained a complete set of en-
gravers' tools, several bottles Of power
full acids, glass stopped and sealed, a
number of bars of silver, some three
hundred odd counterfeit silver dollars,
and the dies with which they had been
| stamped out, The dies were thickly
coated with wax and were as bright
and fresh as when they beat out the
| false coins in the secret cave.
After swearing my assistant to
| secrecy, l returned to headquarters
with my booty.
Not many weeks later two of the
men were captured. l had given the
department a minute description of
them, after their unceremonious de-
parture, and it's vast machinery had
been set in motion for their apprehen-
sion. 1t is a maxim of the service
that a man once counterfeiter is al
ways counterfeiter. This rule held
good with reference to two of the
men, at least, for they were captured
and convicted of another job. The in
cidents I have just related were not
introduced in evidence against them
and consequently escaped the press.
The man with the bulldog jaw escaped
completely at that time, but met with
him, years after, under circumstances
neither of us will forget so long as
we live"
Copyright, 1908, by W. G. Chapman1
| Copyright in Great Britain.)