Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-05

!
by which he sought 20 induce me to
take this course were a promise OF
silence as to certain episodes In my
past career. and q threat of instant
publicity. Including a possible arrest
refused. In the presence OF my
private secretary. Philip Chaloner. Of
my Iriend n servant, William Somes.
and OF the chief Of police, Connell
himself. am debating this state
ment.
TWENTY-FIVE years ago I came to
New York. Since that time my ca.
reer a been thoroughly exploited.
Inc detective force of the city. sup.
piemented by whatever talent could
De procured or suborned. has had me
under investigation. To not n act
nave they been able to point of which
am ashamed, or upon which they
could fix an attack.
when I came to New York I was
nineteen years Of age. | was born in
Vermont. I received a common school
education graduating from the high
schooi when l was sixteen. My father
died before / was born. my mother at
my Dirth. Some small property &C.
cruing to me was turned over to me
ny my guardian on my graduation
from the high school. / spent two
years at sea as a cabin boy. and then
drifted west, finally bringing up at
XIII Devil Camp in Wyoming.
There I came under the influence
OF a woman older than |. who thought
1t not u~nbecoming to her to beguile
ana entrap the young eastern tender.
root who vas Just entering upon his
nineteenth year. was young, inex-
p~erienced. impressionable; l fell com.
pletely under her influence. There Is
something to be said for her, poor
woman. h wal married to q drunk.
en- brute of a husband. a miner, a
gambler, who was no only unfaithful
to her, but who abused her fright.
fully. I think my sympathies moro
than my affections were engaged. I
had a chivalric desire to help her, a
boys reverence for womankind
abused and suffering. a Q~uixotic spirit
OF knight errantry. of which even now
I am not ashamed.
II had still some little money left,
n resolved to take her away from
her intolerable life. l do not wish to
shelter myself behind a woman; but
have always told the people Of New
York the exact truth, and I am do.
ing 1t now. We had planned to leave
the camp on a certain night and ride
south to the Union Pacific. That
night was the night Of the great bliz
card Of 1882, which Is still remem.
bered in the west. 1t was very late
when l reached her cabin with the
horses. The woman was ready fol
me. waiting eagerly in fact. Her hus
band had recently won a small sum oil
money by gambling. That money she
took with her.
I'VE had turned to the door to &c
out. although 1t was almost certain
death to be abroad in such a storm
when her husband entered the room
| How he knew. or whether he knew
what we were going to do. l canno'
say. At any rate, he was there. HI
covered me with a gum; l was entire
ly helpless.
Il worked In a desperate hurry, ant
at last got my hand on the butt o
my pistol. l saw from the look Of hi
. eye that / would have little time t
draw 1t. realized that unless l coult
o I was a doomed man. At that In
d slant there was a flash and a repor
In the room. Immediately after tn
man pulled the trigger OF his Owl
pistol. but the bullet went wild. H,
sank down on his knees. and fell bacl
n dying. ! dropped my own weapon an
If bent over him. There wal a hole II
his breast through which the bloc
I" was oozing."
who shot him?" growled the CHIEF
who had been listening with the grea,
c. est absorption to the narrative.
"The woman shot him." answere
It Gormly. But you need not put tina
e In. Chaloner. Let 1t 60 as l hav
,r dictated It," He resumed to his ste
n%ographer:
Id There was nothing that I could d
ID for the man. 1t was more than eve
al necessary that we get away. In pit
for the woman, I tore a blank lea
re from a book and wrote upon 1t that
". had shot this man. We left that not
e. on the body and plunged into tn
ct storm. Words cannot convey tn
frightful nature Of the tempest. W
ne became separated in the storl
10 through no fault of mine"