St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1909-05-22

came from the Dutchman in the back
room
There may be q little fuss out here,
Peter" cried the detective. IF you
hear the sound of a shot or scuf1e,
just shoot the prisoner through the
head first, and then come out and give
me hand"
Dots shust vat I'll do" replied
Peter, placidly.
The members of the trio looked rath-
er blankly at once another, as they
listened to Peters reply. Clearly these
kidnapers of their luckless friend were
not persons to be trified with. They
turned away from Murray as though to
| hold whispered conference, but that
alert officer interrupted them with a
significant wave of one of his weapons.
None of that he said, tartly.
Face me, and keep your hands in
front, all of you"
They complied, sulkily, and the man
who had first spoken addressed Muir
ray again.
May we speak to the prisoner" ne
asked.
"One Of you at time may, from
this side of the door of that room"
assented Murray.
The spokesman of the party ad-
vanced to the door of the chamber,
and hailed the prisoner by name An
inarticulate gurgle was the only re-
Spouse, and he turned a puzzled face
to Murray
He don't answer" was his COM
ment. Guess your man must have
tied his mouth up
"Oh, Peter shouted Murray, "take
the plug out of that gentlemans jaw
and let him speak to his friends out
side the door,"
A torrent of excavations in Baldy's
rough voice showed that the order
had been promptly obeyed. In reply
to his friends inquiry as to what Of
Tense he had been arrested for, and
what he wanted them to do, the cap
tive again ragged furiously.
Don't stand there. talking and chat
tering like monkey" he yelled.
why don't you cussed fools get start.
ed and cut the hearts out of these fell
lers? If had my hands free for just
a minute I'd show you"
This sentence trailed off into an
other explosion of oaths, and Murray
grinned as he pointed to the front door.
Il guess that will be all your friend
has to say he remarked. so Il
won't detain you three people any
longer. Goodnight"
Under cover of the detectives
guns the trio filed out Of the main
door. Their comrades in the street
had retired to the edge of the side.
walk, where they stood, talking the
matter over. AS the last of the trio
went out, he turned suddenly and
flung himself against the door, in an
attempt to swing it wide open. Muir
ray, who had been expecting some
trick, thrust his shoulder squarely into
the fellows chest, sending him stag.
gering backward, and slammed the
door.
There was a chorus OF curses and
shouts from those outside that seemed
to preclude another assault on the door
against which Murray was leaning
with all his force, trying to Sc.
cure. Suddenly shot rang out
in the back room, followed by hor-
rible moan, and the yells of the attack
ing party ceased with startling abrupt. |
ness. In the stiffness that ensued Muir
ray heard one of his enemies say, in !
agitated tones:
by heavens, it's all off with poor |
Badly now, boys. That skunk of a |
marsha1s pardner has shot hint"
We'll, what will we do now?" in.
CURED another voice.
"Do!" repeated the first speaker, bit.
terly. What can we do? The only
plan can see is to wait till morning
comes, when there'll be light enough
to look about u.s. Then we can see
what we're up against, and maybe get
q chance TO break even with them two
murderers. They can't get out of the
hotel without us seeing them, any.
way, and amt disposed to take
chances on a shooting bee with them
n the dark"
A murmur of assent ran through the
crowd about the door, and Murray
1eaved sigh of relief as he shot the
asst bolt into place and fastened to see
whether Dutch Peter had actually adj
the coup-de-grace to the
'edoubtable Badly. On entering the
Jack room he was greeted with a
cheerful grin by the deputy, who point
ID to the bound and gagged figure of
he prisoner lying on the floor About
IN inch above the 1atters head ap-
,eared a round hole in the wall, a
oxen of where the bullet from Peters
evolver had plowed its way when he
lred the shot to cause the gang out.
ide to think that the prisoners earth.
y career was at an end.
The train for Chicago was due in
alf an hour. Murray slipped upstairs
nd peeped through a window at the
forces outside They
5ere standing around in groups, drink
ag freely from whisky bottles, but not
to keep watch upon the
ront entrance Of the hotel. Murray
roceeded to explore the house in the
ope Of finding another way of egress,
nd looking out through a rear win.
ow saw road leading to the station.
Ie returned to Dutch Peter, and with
ne deputy's assistance lugged his
risoner out by the back door and
eaded for the station. They lay con.
ealed behind fence close by the
epot until the train came in, and then
licking up the helpless Drinkwater :