Bridgeton pioneer., 1910-11-03
HOW HE
WAS SAVED
BY WILLIS BEACH POTTER
Copyright, 1910. by American Press
Association


was hot to find some un to string up
fer warnin'. Ole Man Thompson
had been murdered in his bed and
5000 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 feller as you ever see
wouldn't hurt nobody. But he liked
to hunt, and, it bein' in the fall O. the
year, when game was plenty, l got
lot O. my friends to go over into Ma
son county, where there was wood
cock. We took a kit with us, calcu-
latin to be gone week.
Waal, ore evenin' 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. l wanted to go out
and hunt for him, but the rest lowed
1 couldn't find him in the dark, that
he'd got lost or so1nep'n and would
turn up next day.
Waal, about midnight 1 was woke up
by Tim himself.
'By gum, Tim" says. "Have v
seen a ghost?'
He was the most skeered feller you
ever seen-white as the snow and his
teeth a chatterin'. AS soon as he
could ketch his breath he said:.
They're comm to hang me. | was
watchin' fer birds when l met a man
who looked at me kind O. queer. He
went off and come lack with two 9th
er men. They all tied my hands and
TUX me to a small town. A feller was
brought In, who looked at me and said,
"Thats him." Then they all set around
and talked me over. / knew they TUX
me fer some un else, and there wasn't
no use tryin' to make 'em think l
wasn't. Most of 'emtw for hangin'
me right up at onct. They said if the
law got q holt of me I'd never be pun
ished. / begged SO hard for 'em to give
me one day to prove who l was that
at last they consented
"They 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 'em both to drink. He brought
back a bottle, which they finished,
then the other one, he went off and
got another bottle, and by the time
they'd drank that they was both
drunk. First one went to sleep then
the other. l dug cut and here 1 am
AS soon as I'm missed I'll be follered
woke up the otter men, Abe Wood
ruff and Oliver Swayne, and we held
consultation. Eff they come to take
Tim thered probably be enough of 'em
to take him in spite of all we could
do, but we was four shotguns in the
party and concluded to put up a fight
rather'n have 'en take him. About 4
O'Clock in the mornin' we heard the
barkin' O. dogs, and 1 knowed they'd
md Tim shore, since they was after
him with bloodhounds.
We wasn't fur from Jimtown, where
there's a postoffice, and the railroad
runs through it. While we was con.
sultin' we seen man git up on a plat
form and hang a mail bag to one O.
them posts what's used fer deliverin
the bag to man in the mailcar on a
pasln train without its stoppin' The
man left the bag and went away. The
barkin' was comm mighty near and ]
concluded I'd go out and meet the
nd hor- 4aII
my shotgun across the pommel of my
saddle, l rode forward, crossin' the
track beside which the mail bag hung.
lookin' in the night for all the world
like a man swingin' on gallows. AT
fust it seemed it meant that my broth
er would swing shore. Then all on
student an idee come to me. There
was faint light in the east when
met the party comm down the road
counted ten of 'em.
''Hellor' 1 says. whats up?'
''Yistiday," said one on 'em, 1--WE
caught the man that killed ole Thomp
son. Sam Jones found him hidin' in a
wood. We tux him and was keepin'
him under guard till tomorrer mornin
~ AdAS AL AuuIcWS anu CQdrlle
Moore was watchin' him, but he got
'em both drunk and lit out"
''Waal," says 1, there's two crowds
of us got onto the same purpose, and
we got ahead of you. He was hidin
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 if we didn't" so
''You don't mean it?"
''Yas, we done it,
"Whar did you hang him?"
Right over there. l kin show him
to you, but we don't want no interfer
ence with the body, since 1 give him
my word of honor I'd send it to his
wife for burial"
TUX 'em whar they could see the
mail bag, bat not very near it.