The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1910-05-19


to jump up and crack his heels to-
gether whenever he felt a-mind.
IL was nearly midnight when Sandy
Mcpherson, the tavern keeper, ham,
fnered on the door of Parson Wheel
er's two-room cabin down the gulch
Billy got up to see what the matter
was.
They got that man from Bitter
Creek down in Shorty Macs place,
parson," said Sandy, "and they'll sure
hang him IL you don't go over and
talk to 'em. Stormy Jones is out now
hunting rope"
The fellow had the look of lion,
but his head had got turned on train
robber talk.
Billy hastened down to Shorty
Macs place, which was the principal
saloon and card roem of the town
The boys were sitting around on kegs
and boxes, smoking quietly, while the
committee searched for a rope. The
bad man, white and in state of utter
collapse, was under guard on bench
in the rear.
Boys" said Billy, "what are you
going to do?"
Just hang that coyote over there"
replied Big Enough Jim Hines, the
stage driver.
"Hang him? What's be done?"
"Killed thirteen men up at Bitter
Creek he said so hisself."
But that was only in fun" replied
Billy. "That fellow never killed a
man in his life"
"Then we'll hang him for lynn
bout it, said Hines decidedly. This
mans rode twenty miles, parson, to
come down here and show us how to
run this town. He lowed he'd killed
thirteen men up at his diggin's and
was comm down here with loads in
his guns for thirteen more. We've
give him fair, square trial and every
man has found him guilty Now we're
just waitin on the rope If that amt
the law I don't know what law is"
There was an approving chorus
from all the assembled humanity save
the condemned. Billy realized that
he was up against the proposition of
his frontier career. These wild, un-
tamable spirits, yet endowed with a
high sense of justice, were on the
borders of civilization and chaos. A
failure here would set his work back
for many years. The task to save
this cringing braggart would be tre-
mendous one, because his execution
ers were actuated. as they looked at
it, by motives as fair as the laws of
Solomon.
AS the committee appeared with
the rope Billy desperately determined
to save the man Il he could, invented
wife and children for the con-
demned and talked pathetically of
their lonely condition with the father
and bread winner taken from them.
Guided by the idea that the end JUS
titled the means. he went ahead and
described the little cabin home in the
mountains, the mother at her work
| making and mending the clothes, the
little ones running about barefooted
and tattered, crying for the father
who would never come, and then
drew a final picture, the tragedy of
starvation and death amid the noun
tains solitude and the wolves feast
| ing upon the forms of mother and
children.
Stormy Jones threw the rope under
the bar. Big Enough Jim uneasily
shifted his position once or twice and
held whispered consultation with
| the others. 1t was clear that Billy's
speech had made an impression; he
was the one man in the camp who
| could make talk and the boys would
| have shot any one who doubted the
accuracy of any statement their par
SON. made.
At last Big Enough Jim, leader OF
the occasion, spoke up huskily.
"Parson, we're mighty glad you
come" he said. you told us some
things we didn't know, an II we
hadn't knowed 'em we might "a been
sorry for long time. The court
hereby reverses itself an lets this
man go free. We're much obliged to
you"
Billy, tremendously elated, shook
hands all round and then went back
home. In the morning while the
"parson" was waiting for his mail at
the post Office Shorty Mac and Stormy
Jones, their eyes glowing with enthu-
siasm, came in and led him outside
the office. where Stormy related the
sequel:
1--WE did the thing up right last
night, parson, after you left. All the
boys thought just like you did about
1t, and so when l made motion te
pass the hat they voted unanimous
1t footed up s225 in coin and we give
the whole cargo to the Bitter Greek
man to take home to his wife and
kids. st. Louis Globe-Democrat.
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