Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-07-09
CHAPTER XVI.
THE MOB AT HELLER's GAP

THE MOB AT HELLER'S GAP.
Squire Hartswick was first of all
a man Of action. He struck when the
iron was hot and he struck hard. He
formed his theory instantly and acted
Instantly. Rose was i'll; the shock at
the fire had unbalanced her; she was
not responsible for her behavior. DR..
Kuack, the family physician. who was
consulted within an our after the
scene at the store, confirmed the
theory. BY no means must she stay
for the funeral; 1t might upset her
completely. She must have change of
scene, and above all, expert treatment
and care. Therefore on the very next
morning her father took her to Pitts
burg, where her mothers sister resid-
ed, and secured for her a trained
nurse, and the best medical counsel
In the city. 1t was useless for her to
protest or resist; it was her fathers
I will.
Thus moved the tragedy, and in the
interludes the chorus on egg crate and
biscuit o commented and conjec-
tured and philosophical. The squire,
strangely enough, sided now with Lem
Fisher. Rose clearly had been spell
bound; she had been haexed by the
Farthings; and 1t was driving her to
physical ruin n madness. II was like
hypnotism, he averred; she was at the
mercy Of the Farthings, and was not
In the least responsible for her words.
The squire, however, talked very lit
tie; yet all took note that the black
look on his face deepened with every
day. He studied absorbedly the de-
tails of the Keichline murder and OF
every one of the robberies. He was
absent for days at a time. To those
who knew him there could be only
one. result; If the Farthings were even
remotely guilty they would suffer and
to the full extent Of the law. The
elimination was bound to come and
soon There was tragedy In the air;
1t haunted the valley all through the
June days like a p~remonition of war.
But before the squire had his case
complete something too place utterly
unlocked for and unprecedented. On
the night OF the second of July the
squire's own store was entered. The
audactty OF IL vas beyond belief:
while the hunter was securing the
woods, the hunted was in his cabin
making free with his possessions.
II was a cool, carefully engineered
Job, done by some one familiar with
local conditions. 1t had come on the
n night in three months when the
store had not been guarded. In a
benevolent the squire had con-
sented to let his clerk, who usually
slept in the office, go home to see his
sick mother. That this time of all 9TH
ers had been chosen showed clearly that
the gang lac been long in the near
vicinity, watching night after night
for >their chance.
Furthermore, one, at least, of the
breakers had previously been inside
the store n knew the geography
of the place-that was evident from
the way In which they had proceeded.
They had known too what few in all
the valley suspected, that the squire
kept In his back store a large mastiff,
which at night was allowed TO roam
about the office room. Tom Farthing
had seen this dog, so the squire al
legged, n rainy day when at the store
for Goa oil. Failing to find any one,
he had sought the clerk in the back
room and had remarked on the dog.
That was clue No. i.
The thieves, 1t seemed, had thrown
to this dog a piece of meat, undoubt-
eddy drugged, The remains of this
piece were still on the back room floor,
and the evidence of the drugging was
the behavior of the dog. The squire
declared that he had never known him
to act so numb and ~listless. The
thieves had entered by a small win
dow which the clerk admitted had been
left u~nhasped. Clue No. 2 was a pocket
~ A0oa0 AAtaA NA1 0alC.
In one corner were the initials u.
F.'
There were other startling details,
The gan had evidently started to blow
open the safe. They had rolled II into
position, had covered the top with
horse blankets and had left behind a
chilled steel bit and a brace of pc
thing had scared them at the critical
moment. They had taken an IL book
In which the squire had kept his
stamps; they had rifled the money
drawer: n had carried away, as far
as could be ascertained, a suit Of ready
made clothes. a WOODEN blanket, L.
cans OF salmon. we boxes of cigars
and a pair OF shoes-a curious assort-
ment. but one In keeping with the
plunderings In other places.
As the news spread through the val
ley, the farmers once again dropped
their work and fiocked into the CEN
ter store. An excited crowd had
gathered on the front porch. discuss
ing the news In iow voices as II the
thieves were still near at hand. Squire
Hartswick was dangerously cool. The
postoffice Inspector could not come IN
III late In the week, and the old mar
was conducting tho case himself. He
examined with utmost care every trace
left by the robbers. and he made ar
rangements. with cold precision
sBe careful. men, he counselled
calmly. mo mistake this time. We've
got him now dead sure. and therel
be no b7uflng. The sherin's out OF
town and can't get here until 5 this
afternoon. and we must be mighty
careful not 10 let Farthing know
lred handed With tina plumber right on
him."
II doubt IL vow can do II. squire,
protested Tile. Ntss hid up In that ole
iIcdBiu still. mi bot YIN 4nythin8. and
we don't dast 70 20 there"
s'Yon walt and see. II It's hid with,