The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-07-08
CHAPTER XVI.
THE MOB AT HELLER.s GAP.

EL#...H. --- 1. ..r.L ~ W.
THE MOB AT HELLER'S GAP.
Squire Hartswick was first OF all
q man of action. He struck when the
iron was hot and he struck hard. He
formed his theory instantly and acted
instantly. Rose was Ill; 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 hour after the
scene at the store, confirmed the
theory. BY no means must she stay
for the funeral; it might upset her
completely. She must have change Of
scene, n 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. II was useless for her to
protest or resist; 1t was her fathers
will.
Thus moved the tragedy, and in the
interludes the chorus on egg crate and
biscuit box commented and conjec-
tured and philosophical. The squire,
strangely enough, sided now with Lem
Fisher. Rose clearly had been SPELL
bound; she had been hacked by the
Paintings; and it was driving her to
physical ruin and madness. It was like
~hypnotism,. he ayerred; 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 n OF the robberies. He was
absent for days at a time. To those
who knew him there could be only
one result; IL the Farthings were even
| nrnnfnI oRRtlfwH fhAxv xwrat.II cas- fA. N "a
to the full extent of the law. The
elimination vas bound to come and
soon. There was tragedy I'm the air:
1t haunted the valley all through the
June days like a premonition of war.
But before the squire had his case
complete something took place utterly
unlocked for and unprecedented. On
the night of the second of July the
sources own store was entered. The
audacity Of 1t was beyond belief;
while the hunter was securing the
woods, the hunted was in his cabin
making free with his possessions.
1t was a cool, carefully engineered
Job, done by some one familiar with
local conditions. 1t had come on the
one night in three months when the
store had not been guarded. In a
benevolent moment the squire had con-
scented to. let his clerk, who usually
slept In the Office, go home to see his
| sick mother. That this time OF all 9TH
ers a been chosen showed clearly that
TIE gang had 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 al
Il fhn yaInNy #oRYaVnNfn1 NhnN. NhA -.,4-
kept in his back store a large mastiff
which at night was allowed TO roam
about the Office room. Tom Farthine
had seen this dog, 50 the squire al
legged, one rainy day when at the store
for coal oil. Failing to find any one
he had sought the clerk in the bach
room and had remarked on the dog
That was clue No. l..
The thieves, it seemed, had thrown
to this dog a piece OF meat, undoubt.
eddy drugged. The remains of thi.
j piece were still on the back room floor
1 and the evidence of the drugging wa.
the behavior OF the dog. The SPUR,
) declared that he had never known hin
to act so numb I'M ~listless. TIL
thieves had entered by a small win.
. dow which the clerk admitted had beer
' left u~nhasped. Clue No. 2 was a poke
hi rdkerchief found near the safe.
In one corner were the Initials ~
IN F. .s". ...'.. ..... ..w.... .... r..
! There were other startling details
> The gang had evidently started to blow
. open the safe. They a rolled II Int,
position, had covered the top witt
, horse blankets and had left behind
chilled steel bit and a brace of pc,
culiar mechanism. Evidently som,
, thing had scared them at the critica
moment: They had taken an old booI
: In which the squire had kept hi
stamps; they had riied the none,
drawer; n had carried away, as IA
, as could be ascertained. a suit OF read,
4 made clothes, a wooden blanket, L
cans OF salmon, two boxes OF cigar
, and a pair Of shoes-a curious assert
ment; put one In keeping with tn
~plunderings in other places.
AS the Jews spread through the val
ley, the farmers once again droppe,
their work and focked into the cen
> ter store. An excited crowd ha
/ gathered on the front porch. discuss
v Ing h news In low voices as IL tn
thieves We're still near at hand. SPUR
: Hartswfck was dangerously cool. TIL
Epostoffice inspector could not come un
: I'll late In the week, and the old ma
was conducting the case himself. II
! examined with utmost care every trac
left by the robbers, ms he made ar
arrangements with cold precision.
BE careful. men" lie counselle
. calmiy. NO mistake TINS time. WeY
got him o dead sure, and there
: be no bluffing. The sheriff's out {
town and can't get here Until 5 thi
afternoon, and we must be might
careful not to let Farthing kno-
? what's coming. We must catch hir
, red handed with the plumber right o
: him."
II doubt il you can do IL, squire
protested Ulie. TITS hid up In that oil
cabin still. I'll bet yeh anything. an
! we don't dast to go there.
"You walt and see. IL It's hid with