The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-10-21
HOW HE
WAS SAVED
BY WILLIS BEACH POTTER
Copyright. 1910. by American Press


fer warnin', Ole Man Thompson
had been murdered in his bed and
$500 taken Bill Stimson was held up
on the road and relieved Of his watch
and chain. These and other crimes
were committed, yet no one was ar
rested.
About that time my brother Tim
come from Californy and was stayin
with me on the farm Tim was as
peaceable Teller as you ever see
wouldn't hurt nobody. But he liked
to liunt. and it bein' In the fall D. the
year. when game was plenty, ! got a
lot o my friends to go over into Ma
son county, where there was wood
cock. We took kit with us, calcu-
latin to be gone week.
Waal, -one eveHin' when we was
collectin in camp all ON us got in ex-
cept Tim, When we sot down to sup
per he wasn't there and when it was
time to turn in we was obleeged to do
it without him. wanted to go out
and hunt for him, but the rest lowed
/ couldn't find him in the dark, that
he'd got lost or somep'n and would
turn sup next day.
WAL about midnight was woke up
by Tim himself,
"By gum, Timp' says. "Have "
seen ghost?' x
He was sthe most skeered Teller you
ever seen white as the snow and his
teeth clsatterin AS soon as he
could ketcb his breath he said
They're comm to hang me- I was
watchin' fer birds when i met a man
who looked at me kind o. queer. He
went off and come back with two 9th
er men. They all tied my hands and
TUX me 10 a small town A Teller was
brought in, who looked at me and said,
That's him" Then they all set around
and talked me over / knew they TUX
me fertsome un else, and there wasn't
no use tryin' to make 'em think I
wasn't. Most of 'em was for hangin'
me rightlup at onct. They said If the
law got holt of me I'd never be pun
ished. ] begged so hard for EN- to give
me one day to prove who / was that
at last they consented.
"fhey TUX me to some un's office and
left me In charge Of two of 'em. One
of the two left me in charge Of the
other, while he went Off to git somep'n
for EN- both TO drink. He brought
back Il bottle, which they finished,
then the other one, he went Off and
rot another bottle. and by the time
they'd drank that they was both
drunk First one went to sleep then
the other. | dug out and here am
AS soon as I'm missed I'll be follered."
woke UP the other men. Abe Wood
ruff and Oliver Swayne, and we held
consultation. IF they come to take
Tim there'd probably be enough Of 'em
TO take him III spite OF all we could
do. but we was four shotgunS In the
party and concluded to put up fight
rather'n have 'em take him. About 4
o'clock In the mornin' we beard tho
barkin O. dogs, and ! knowcd they'd
find Tim shore, since they was after
him with bloodhounds.
We wasn't fur from Jimtown. where
there's postoffice, and the railroad
runs through it. While we was con.
sultin' we seen man git up on plat
form and hang mail bag to one o.
them posts what's used fer dellverin'
the bag to a man in the mailcar on a.
pasin' train without It's stoppin'. The
man left the bag and went away. The
barkin' was comin' mighty near, and /
concluded I'd go out and meet the
posse and have talk with em. Restin'
MY shotgun across the pomme Of my
saddle, | rode forward crossin the
track beside which the mail bag hung.
iooIln' in the night for all the world
Ike man swingln on a gallows. At
1ust 1t seemed 1t meant that my BROTH
or would swing shore. Then all on a
Student an idee come to me There
was o faint light In the east when
met the party comm down the road.
J counted ten Of EN-.
"He!lop' ! says whats upY'
"Yistiday," said one on em, Eve
caught the man that killed ole Thomp.
son. Sam Jones found him bidin' In
wood. We TUX him and was keepin'
him under guard till tomorrer mornin'
10 hang him. All Andrews aud Charlie
Moore was watchin him, but he got
'em both drunk and III out"
'Waal' says /, there's two crowds
of us got onto the same purpose. and
we got ahead OF you He was hldin'
from us when you TUX him. When he
escaped, like fool he run right agin
us. We strung him up at onct, fearin'
he'd git away II we didn't"
You don't mean III"
"Yas, we done It."
"Whar did you hang himT'
Right over there. kin show him
to you, hut we don't want no nterfcr-
epce with the body. since | give him
my word OF honor ia send it TO his
wife for burial"
TUX 'em whar they could see the
mail bag. but not very near It.
1T looks all right, said the leader o.
the party, but ! think we'd ought to
see that It's our man"
NO" ! says, "T've done all ort to
40 shown you the corpse, We got
hnntln' party over there, and I'm shore
none Of 'em would let any one inter-
fere"