The Rich Hill tribune. (Rich Hill, Mo.) 1903-1911, 1908-03-19

80 - EE MNNL HNN
lan'a daughter hut you say convict.
ed. Was there ever any Doubt DO
you question his being guilty77
Hampton pointed IN silence to tho
hidoous creature behind them That
man could tell. but no has gons mad"
nrant e%ndeayored 20 speak. but tho
words would not come; his brain
seemed paralyzed Hampton held him
self under better control
II have confidence. Lieut. Brant. IN
year honesty, he began. graYely. "and
| believe you will strive 20 do what
eve Is best for her, n anything should
happen to me out yonder. but for the
possibility OF my being knocked out. I
wouldn't talk about this. not even TO
you, The affair is a long way from
being Strengthened out so as 20 make
a pleasant story, but IN give you all
you actually require to know in order
to make Il clear 20 her, provided I
shouldn't come back. You see, she
doesn't know very much more than
you do-only what / was Obliged to
tell to keep her from getting too close
~ entangled with you. Maybe I ought
to have given-her the full story before
l started on this trip. I've since
wished ! had. but you see. / never
dreamed Il was going TO end here. on
the Big Horn; besides. l didn't have
the nerve.
You see. Brant. I feel that simply
have TO carry these dispatches
through. I have a pride in giving
them to Custer myself, because Of the
trouble I've had in getting them here.
But perhaps | may not come back.
and in that case there wouldn't be
anyone living 20 tell her the truth. II
seems to me that there is going to be
a big fight somewhere Ia these hills
before long. SO / want to leave these
private papers with you until / come
back. II will relieve my mind to know
they are safe; II l don't come. then /
want you to open them and do what
ever you decide ia best for the little
girl You will do that, won't your"
He handed over a long manila e n
velope securely sealed, and the young-
er man accepted II. noticing that IL
was unaddressed before depositing Il
safely in an inner pocket Of his fatigue
jacket,
Certainly. Hampton he said. is
that all?r
AN except what I am going to tell
you now regarding Murphy. There Is
no use my attempting to explain ex-
actly how I CHANGED TO find out all
these things, for they came TO me little
by little during several years. I knew
Nolan. and l knew your father. and I
had reason TO doubt the guilt OF the
captain. in spite OF the verdict OF the
jury that condemned him. In fact, l
knew at the time. although Il was not
In my power to prove Il. that the two
principal witnesses against Nolan lied.
thought I could guess why, but we
drifted apart, and finally | lost all
track OF every one connected with the
affair Then I happened 20 pick up
that girl down In the canyon beyond
the Bear Water, and pulled her out
alive just because she CHANGED 20 be
OF that sex. and / couldn't stand 10 see
her fan into Indian clutches. I didn't
feel any special interest In her al the
time, surprising she belonged 20 old
Gillis. but she somehow grew on me
she's that kind. you know; and
when / discovered. purely by accident.
that she was Capt. Nolan's girl. but
that IL all had been kept from her. I
just naturally made up my mind I'd
dig out the truth n I possibly could.
for her sake. The fact is. I began to
think a lot about heF-not the way
you do. you understand. I'm getting
too old for that, and have known too
much about women.-but maybe some
what as a father nigh, feel. Anyhow,
/ wanted TO give her a chance. a
square deal. so that she wouldn't be
ashamed Of her own name q ever she
found out what Il was.
About that time I fell foul OF Muir.
ply and Slavin there In Glencaid.
never got my eyes on Murphy. you
know, and Slavin was so changed by
that big red beard that ! failed 70 rec
/ osnize him. But their actions aroused
my suspicious. aud ! went after them
good and hard. I wanted to find out
what they knew. and why those lies
we're told on Nolan AZ the trial ! had
an idea they could tell me. SO. Cor d
starter ! tackled Slayin. aupposing w
were alone, and I was pumping the
facts out of him successfully b. bold
ing a "a under his noH aud coca
s]ionally iogging his memory. wher
this fellow Murphy got excited. and
chasaeed into the game. but happened
10 nip his partner instead OF me 10
the courae OF our little scunle
CHANGED 20 catch a glimpse of the Gel
lows right hand. and q had a scar OF
the back OF % that looked mighty "a
mlliar. / had een n before. and
wanted 80 see Il again SO. when
got ont OF that scrape. and the docto.
had dug a stray bullet put Of ms
anatomy. there didn't seem 90 be- aal
one left for me Q o chase excepting
Murphy. for SlaVin was dead ! WASH