The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-22

ment, yet we had to be morally certain
 of the fact before move could be made.
 Also, 1t was desired that we should arrest
 every member of the gang, once the move
 was made.
 In the course of time I had taken up my
 abode in two rooms on the floor above
 those occupied by the counterfelters and
 spent day after day watching men enter and leave the place. On their floor was .
 sink where various persons in the house
 were in the habit of einptying their sops
 It adjoined the door leading to their
 rooms. This led me to make frequent trips during each night, bucket in hand,
 in the hope that I might hear something that would prove of advantage.
 Our case was drawing to a close and on the night in question several of my men
 were stationed outside prepared to shadow various members of the band as they
 left the building This plan had been fol- lowed for some time successfully. I had been walking about the street to see that the men were at their posts. and upon entering the house decided to listen at the door of the counterfeiters' room to | see if anything was doing
 It was after dusk and I stopped in the | darkness and glued my ear to the crack 1 of the door, only to feel pair of bony 1 hands fix in clutch about my throat. l The next morning I was graphing with | my assailant. whose superior strength was 1 fast overcoming me.
 With one hand l drew my revolver to | use as a club, when the door opened and l well delivered kick sent the revolver | tossing from my hand. I was on my feet 1 before the first member of the gang could l reach me and leaped up the stairs four l steps at time, to open and slam my l door behind me and throw the bolt just l as the crowd came rushing against the 2 door, which shook with the shock.
 It was a particularly tcklish situatioa l for me. Unarmed and alone, was cor l nered in couple of rooms, with the ex- pectation of seeing the door crash in at any minute as the counterfeiters threw l themselves against 1t. The open window | offered no chance of escape, unless I | should indulge in leap that would land me q mass of broken bones in the street five floors below.
 In my excitement I dived my hands in l my coat pockets and the fingers of my | right hand clasped about several objects of cylindrical form At once it flashed 1 across me that they were several large l cannon crackers that a friend had joking | Iy presented me with that afternoon and i 1 mad kept them with the intention of l aking them home to the children. It has often been said that in an ex- 1 tremity a man will attempt anything. It was perhaps this condition that suddenly inspired me with a plan that in my cooler moments I would never have thought of. | he hinges and lock of the door wore fast giving way to the continued attacks and could hear the various Italian oaths hurled at my head and the threats that were being made on my life.
 It was at this juncture that I lighted one of the cannon crackers, and running hastily into my second room, the tran some of which opened on the stairs that led below, threw 1t into the hall be- meath. For a second or two l waited breathlessly, then there was loud explo- sion. On the instant the noise at the door ceased and could hear the band re- treating hastily down the steps The next minute l had hurled the remaining can non crackers into the street below, where tl.ey exploded loudly, and was calling out to pedestrians in the hope that my men would hear me or have their attention attracted
 Then I went to the door to listen. l dared not venture into the hall unarmed Soon I heard scampering footsteps, sound of scuffling. a pistol shot, and sev- eral loud cries. minute later I recog- nized the voice of one of my men, and opening the door, I dashed down tho stairs to find the three agents in charge of the counterfeiting den and five pris- oners, and a.l ther paraphernalia. 1t need hardy be said that I was glad to sec my companions, who laughed heartily at my firecracker celebration.
 While I can look back with amusement at an adventure like the last, there has always been one affair through which l passed that chills me whenever l think of it. For melodramatic quality l often have thought that it would eclipse the efforts of nF a1fr n build plots around locomotive wrecks, du- | tomobile crashes, burning tenements, ship wrecks, cyclones, powder explosions | and other stirring features. l It began quietly in the pleasant sur roundings that the mountains of Pike | county, Kentucky, furnish. It was fall and the ground was covered with red l leaves, frost nipped your nose, and the l smell of the forest acted as tonic 1t | looked more like a paradise for a lover l of nature than setting for hair-raising ] adventure.
 l The revenue department had been busy l cleaning out the ''moonshining'" industry l in the mountain sections of the state. we l had a large force that had proved ex- | tremeIy active and fully capable of deal | ing with the moonshners as long as we 1 had faithful guides. My duty on this oc- | casion was to scout ahead of the raiding 1 party by a day and bring or send word l to them when the time was rlgnt.
 1 It was almost impossible to bring a l large body of men near moonshine re- l treat without the mountaineers being | warned of their approach. The melo- l dramatic came in when l was sent on l my usual task in a point called Bear l grass Creek, where still was in Full 1 operation. I moved carefully, as had | horse with melt being impossible to l cover the great distances involved by foot. l The raiding party was stationed b miles l away. apparently on fruitless search Tor 1 moonshine stills. l was within mile of my place and | preparing to dismount and tie my horse l in order to proceed the rest of the way on l foot. when the play started. It started l quietly. sharp crack somewhere in the 1 forest about me. a puff of smoke, l stinging streak on my right cheek where | a bullet had grazed it's way, warned me. l Then dug my heels into the horse's sides l and forced it in great leaps toward the 1 road which I had left | Another crack followed, sharp thud. l and my horse fell to It's knees, mortally 1 wounded. I had not time to, consider the l animal. but leaped from it's back and ran l for cover as I unslung my repeating rine.