The Huttig news., 1909-10-16

| the brush along the creek rode as | close as they could, unobserved to ward the crossing. while Du Sang and the cowboy Karg, known as Flat Nose rode down to Bags ranch at the foot of the pass.
 AL that point Dan Baggs. an old To- eomotive engineer. had taken home stead. got together little bunch of cattle, and was living alone with his son. a boy of ten years. It was a i hard country and too close to Will Hams Cache for comfort, but Dan got on with everybody because the tough est man in the Cache country could get meal, a feed for his horse, and a place to sleep at Baggs', without charge, when he needed it.
 Ed Banks, by hard riding, got to the crossing at five o'clock, and told Bagge of the hold-un and the shooting Of Oliver Sellers. The news stirred the odd engineman, and his excitement l threw him off his guard Banks rode straight on for the middle pass, leav- ing word that two of his men would be along within half an hour to watch the pass and the ranch crossing, and asked l Bags to put up some kind of fight for the crossing until more of the posse came up-at tke least, to make sure that nobody got any fresh horses.
 The boy was cooking supper in the l kitchen, and Bags had done his milk l ing and gone back to the corral, when two men rode around the corner of the a4at4r1 nei-n
 omething to eat. Poor Bags sold his ffe in six words: Why, yes: be you 1 Banks men?',
 Du Sang answered: No; we're from 1 Sheriff Coon's office at Oroville. look ng up a bunch of Duck Bar steers that's been rGn somewhere up Deep creek. Can we stay here all night?"
 They dismounted and disarmed l Bags suspicious, though the condi sion of their horses might have warned 1 him had he had his senses. The un- fortunate man had probably fixed it in l his mind that a ride from Tower W te Deep creek in 16 hours was a physical 1 mposs.bility.
 Stay here? Sure! l want you to stay said Bags. blufiy Looks to 1 fne like l seen you down at Crawling @tone, aint I?" he asked of Karg.
 Karg was lighting a cigarette. T used to mari. at the Dunaing ranch,
 le answered, throwing away his
 match.
 That's hit Good! The boys cook.
 ng supper. Step up to the kitchen nd tell him to cut ham for four more 7
 .Four?"
 Two of Ed Banks men will be here y six o'clock. Heard about the hold ID? They stopped Number Three at 3ower w last night and shot Ollie
 oilers, as white a boy as ever pulled
 throttle Boys. a man that'll kill . ocomotiYe engineer is worse'n an h.
 ian; I'd help skin him.
 The hell you would," cried Ou Sang. Well, don't you want to start l Tn on me? I killed Sellers. Look al ne; ain't I handsome? What you go ng to do about it?'
 Before Bags could think Du Sang l vas shooting him down. It was wan. ton. Du Sang stood in no need of the 1 outchery; the escape could have been made without it. His victim had pulled n engine throttle too long to show
 he white feather, but he was dying | by the time he had dragged revolver from his pocket. Du Sang did the killing alone. At least, Flat Nose. who alone saw aiii of the murder, after. ward maintained that he did not draw l because he had no occasion to, ane that Baggs was dead before he, Karg. lad finished his cigarette. With his right arm broken and two bullets l through his chest, Bags fell on bis l face. That, however. did not check his murderer. Rising to his knees Baggs begged fol his life. For Gods sake. I'm helpless, gentlemen. I'm 1 helpless. Don't kill me like a dogiH But Du Sang. emptying his pistol. threw his rife to his shoulder and sent 1 bullet after bullet crashing through the shapeless form wrifhing and twitchins before him until he had beaten it in the dust soft and flat and l still
 | Banks men came up within an hour to find the ranchhouse deserted. They l saw lantern in the yard below. and near the corral gate they found the l little hoy in the darkness screaming beside his fathers body. The sheriff's men carried the old engineman to the house; others Of the posse crossed the creek during the evening, and at II o'clock Whispering Smith rode down from the south pass to find that four 5 of the men they were after had taken fresh horses, after killing Bags, and passed safely through the cordon Banks had drawn around the pass and along Deep creek. Bill Dancing. who had ridden with Banks men, was at the house when Whispering Smith ar rived. He found some supper in the kitchen, and the tired man and the giant ate together.
 Whispering Smith was too expert enced campaigner to complain. His party had struck trail 30 miles north of Sleepy Cat and followed it to the Missions. He knew now who he was after, and knew that they were bottled