Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1909-03-04

him, Wilkie stepped to a corner of the
room, took up q shotgun loaded with
bucksbot and fired without a word or a
moments hesitation in the direction
whence the noise and voice had come.
A pause followed, during which Mrs.
Reynolds grasped her husbands arm as
he let the gun fall. Then came a groan
from the darkness, a scattering of feet
and all was still.
Quite white now and trembling, Wilkie
caught up a lamp and rushed forth. Not
five rods from his door he almost STUN
bled over prsstrate form. He lowered
the lamp and bent over it.
"God! It's Edwards boy! What have
! done? Here, Emma. quick, lend
hand" But Mrs. Reynolds hsd tainted
and sunk in the doorway, and he had to
return and draw her aside before he could
clear a passage for the other burden,
which he speedily carried into the
kitchen.
A glance showed that the boy was
dead. He had received the full charge in
his breast. He had fallen in mis- tracks,
while his companions had run away in
/ the darkness.
Wilkie Reynolds drew back dazed.
/ Though a rough, harsh man, given to fits
OF uncomfortable anger, strong in his
dislikes and somew hat revengeful in dis
/ position, his heart smote him as he gazed
at that haxen-haired boy, and realized
/ what it all meant. He had taken q hu-
man life in a moment of passion. Per-
haps he would be called a murderer.
Maybe the gallows awaited him. And
all as the outcome of miserable political
/ fight in which he had practically nothing
at stake.
Reynolds had barely revived his wife
from her faint and stood trembling aud
wiping the cold sweat from bis brow
when there came a knock at the door and
several neighbors entered. The report of
the gun and the turmoil had sounded the
alarm. They could only look on in
silence as Wilkie stammered out his
story.
"They rotten-egged US and stumped me
out to fight. was crazy mad and jest
blazed away with tn gun. Didn't know
who twas an didn't aim at nobody in
particular. Oh, dearl Oh, DEAR
Later, officers came and took Wilkie
Reynolds to the village lookup. Not a
soul at the Center slept that night. Peo-
pie stole from house to house, talking OF
the shooting and relating the different
versions of it. John Edwards, the vic
tim, was regarded as a good boy, and it
developed that be had gone along with a
crowd Of young roughs to see the fun and
had taken no active part in it. The
names of the party were soon known.
Some Of the rowdies had been drinking a
little and, being in sympathy with the
Granger side, had determined to serenade
Wilkie and celebrate his defeat. The
taunt for him to come forth and fight
had been uttered without forethought by
one considerably the worse for liquor.
This was the story as told by the partic-
ipants, who made the shooting seem al
most unprovoked. The chance to re-
venge himself on Squire Edwards, his
bitter, and for the moment, triumphant,
foeman, under the guise of defending
himself, prompted Reynolds to shoot
down that foeman's son, it was declared,
boy without an enemy in the world
The murderer ought to swing for il, said
many in Kingston that night.
The little town figured extensively in
the public press for the next few days.
The irregularities Of the caucus almost
: disappeared in contrast with the commits
sion OF a high crime. In their despera
tion, the Granger faction made the most
of the sad affair. II was q logical result
their editors said. Of the sediticus doc
trines put forth by a candidate who bac
} gone up and down the state stirring th'
people to madness and hatred. II WoulC
bury the fanatic beneath an avalanche o
; votes. Distorted reports OF the shooting
, made it appear that Reynolds, an ignor
ant and vicious bushw hacker, recognized
D as SpenceT's factotum, had been beaten al
: the caucus. and in revenge had slain il
cold blood the son OF his leading local OPP
: ponent, a prominent attorney, whom h'
5 had threatened to kill on sight.
: 81 don't believe these Stories" SAID
Hazel Spencer, 'snd I'm going right owe
to Kingston and find out the truth"
She came, interviewed Wilkie at tn
Jail, talked With Squire Edwards, WHIT
3 was too broken in heart to summon bit
E terness, and got information first hand
: She prepared a statement OF the matte
from the beginning, with graphic ant
: accurate report Of the caucus incidents
a which q few newspapers received ant
$ published. Most Of them, however, de
e clined it on the ground that they had al
e ready reported the affair in full.
Throughout the state. the effect coul'
e not fail to be injurious to the Spence
: canvass, which, at the moment, hat
o gained remarkable impetus. Most of th
b caucuses held the same day as Kingston
r showed results decidedly favorable &c th
: Westmont man, so much so that, il re
, ports were dependable, he would prob
n ably have a slight lead in the convention
= The few struggling towns to caucus last
; largely on account OF the Kingston TRACE
r dy, increased the Granger vote and LEI
the result still in doubt.
d Wilkie Reynolds, committed to Jail I
e await the grand iury's action, regaine
: his composure in a few days and face
d the ordeal calmly.
70 81 shot tn boy, but l didn't murde
II him. / expect to go to prison fer m
It hasty act" he told visitors. "Bu
: hang? No, never"
He even undertook to prepare a conte'
z against the Squire's delegation at tn
e state convention, but finally abandone