Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1909-07-03
The House of the Black
hE=..... Ring e.,g!.... 9,.z
CHAPTER xv-continued.

| peteHt Witness, youH admit, the man
went on calmly. He and his wife and
were in their house until 20 o'clock.
when we went up to bed, and that we
came down and ate breakfast at 6
o'clock. This d make. as you'll admit,
some lively work IL we went to Sugar
Valley and back-40 odd miles each
way. over the DEVILS own make of
roads, in the dark, in eight hours. Now.
you've got telephone here. I'll wait
for you to phone the Squire right off
now before I leave the store"
The old man made no move; he sat
glum and black.
Very well. The Squire's in his Of
flee by this time and you can get him
/ II you wish. You can call my bluff
! in just one minute II you care to.
Furthermore, ! can bring 100 of the
best men in Paoli, where I've lived
for 20 years and where the boys have
lived all their lives till they came here,
who'll give us character that'll be all
any man could ask for. I'll give you
the names OF some OF them who've got
telephones and you can get 'em right
Off now on the long distance II you
want to. There's another way you can
call my BLUM. All right; you can do
/ as you please. Now a man don't US
ually defend himself until he's given
the evidence against him, but things
have been going mighty strange down
mere ana tneyre going TO stop now,
rtght-of-short."
The words snapped like trap teeth.
You can bring any charge against me
and my bows. Squire Hartswick, but
give you fair warning that it'll go hard
with you II you fail to prove your case.
My boys mean good deal to me, and
they are going to have fair play"
TITS a damned bluff" sneered the old
man, "a devilish bluff." His face was
fairly blue with rage. The veins stood
out plump and black on his forehead.
I've given you a way 10 call my
bluff II you care to. II you don't, you
place yourself In a serious position, as
you'll admit. If you fail to make your
case, I'll promise you here and now
that it's going hard with you. l shall
push II to the very limits of the law,
and I'm somewhat of a lawyer myself.
l know perfectly well what I'm about.
DO any Of you wish anything of me be-
fore l go?"
He arose and swept a keen glance
over the crowd. There was that in his
manner and look that awed and domi-
mated them.
Here. hold right on there" The
Squire was regaining his self-posses-
sion. How about jim? The evidence
all points to him. What have you got
to cay about Jim?"
He was at home last nioht with his
mother"
How do you know he was? You
want there"
His mother II testify to it. or
course he was there"
wal, he want, that's ALL Wait q
minute, men. See he don't get away"
He hustled over to the telephone and
called for Lawyer Troutman.
Hello! Is that you Squire? Say, did
Al Farthing and Tom spend the night
with you last night? Heigh?
Jest what time was it? Sure, are
yeh? :" Then the old man hung up
the receiver with an angry jerk and
wheeled about.
Wal that don't make any difference
with JIM" he snapped. That won't
clear him. and all the evidence anyway
is against him"
viii you kindly explain?"
Yes, sir, / will, and you won't want
to hear 1t. either. In the hrst place. as
l said, Jim want at home last night.
We can prove by two good men that at
10 o'clock he was driving with his colt
down towards Sugar Valley. Then he
had a motive for the crime that alone
Is enough to convict him; He's hated
Karl like hell all the spring, and he's
threatened him. He could have done
that job himself alone; he's stout
enough to. Then, as a clincher, a
hammer with your letters on 1t was
found close to the body. What have
you got to say to that?" The confidence
Of the man weakened little at the re-
cital. He turned slightly pale.
Il don't know anything about this"
he said perplexedly, but my boy
didn't do It; l know that. There's a
mistake somewhere"
IT'S as clear as daylight. Jim's the
man, and we'll have him before sun
down"
You'll have him before then" He
stepped toward the door, but turned |
short about I'll bring Jim right down. |
There's mistake, that's all, and I'll
clear 1t up, Ira Hartswick, to your full
satisfaction There won't be any sneak |
ing or lodging about this. It's going
to be fought in the open, and you're |
going to fight fair" He went straight |
out through the door and no one op-
posed him.
There was silence for the space OF |
10 pipe-puffs. Then Amos raised his |
voice:
"Wal-Tll-be-dumb
Hes a cold-blooded, desperate man."
exploded the Squire. He's the coolest, |
brazenest devil I ever met in all my |
life. II you can look at him one min |
ute and not size him up as an expert |
enced criminal you're a pack of fools. |
But he can't fool me. l called his BLUM |
for him. See how he backed down, |
did yeh? He knew Jim was in a trap |
and he came IN here to brazen us, but |
it didn't go. He's gut the wrong man. |
BY mighty, I'll run this gang down II |
1t costs my whole property" Again he |
smote the counter with resounding fist |
Now, l amt quite so sure, Squire" |
drawled Amos, refiectively. Wed bet |
ter go a little slow, don't yeh think? |
The man kinder looked to me as IL he |
was honest in what he said, and amt
very often deceived in a man." He was
rubbing his chin absorbedly, a puzzled |
scowl on his face. He seemed to be
aloud. Now what could he |
want to bluff us for? That's what /
don't understand. He cleared himself
and Tom all right, but how could he
think he was going to get Jim out Of
it? How was 1t goin' to help the busi-
ness by comm down here? BY hunkey
1t looks to me as II he believed Jim was
innocent. 1 don't get fooled very often,
and 1t looks to me as IL them proofs
agin Jim was all new to him. They
kinder passed him. I'll bet a quart Of
beans he'll have Jim here on schedule
time"
"Humph!" snorted the Squire. Don't
be a fool"
But what's the uste arguin' about
1t 2" broke in Lem Fisher. "Haint l |
told you-uns over and over ag'in that
Al Farthing didn't have to go down to
Sugar Valley in order to knock over
poor Karl? Hain't told yeh Already?
It's clearer n mud to me. Don't you see
how strange II was that he and Tom
should be over there 40 miles away on
the one night of all the year when
they might have to give an account Of
themselves? See II now, do yeh? tells
you still there's something awful about
this-something awful. There's pow
wowin' in it"-lowering his voice
somebody's been pow-wowin'"
Wal, by mighty! I hope If there's
goin' to be any more pow -wowin in
this valley they'll take you and pow
WOW half a spoonful of brains into
"Pow-wowin'! Lord Almighty, IL I
amt good and sick Of pow wowin'!
Can't an old yarler hen lay a big aig
in this valley but what she's been pow
vowed? Now, why don't you stop this