Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1912-05-16

figure OF a man lying motionless
across the broken wagon tongue. Tho
grizzled hair and beard were streaked
with blood. the face almost unrecox-
nizable, while the hands yet Crashed
bent and shattered rife. Evidently
the man had died fighting. beaten
down by overwhelming numbers after
expending his last shot Then those
hends had scalped and left him where
he fell. Fifty feet beyond. shot in
the back, lay younger man. doubled
up In a heap. also scalned and dead.
That was all; Keith secuted over
wide circle, even scanning the stretch
OF gravel under the river bank. before
he could fully satisfy himself there
were no others in the party. 1t SEEM
cd impossible that these two travelling
alone would have ventured upon such
trip in the face Of known Indian
hostility. Yet they must have done
so. and once again his lips muttered:
"Of all the blame fools!"
Suddenly he halted. staring about
over the prairie. obsessed by a new
thought. an aroused suspicion. There
had appeared merely the hoof-prints
or the cne horse alongside of the flee
ing wagons when they first turned
out from the trail. and that horse had
been newly shod. But there were two
dead ponies lying back yonder: Meth
er shod. yet both had borne saddles.
More than this, they had been spur
red. the blood marks still plainly Wis
iole. and one OF them was branded:
lie remembered II now. a star and ar
row. What could all this portend?
Was It possible this attack was no
indian affair after all? Was the dis
hguring OF bodies. the scalping, mere
~ done to make II appear the act of
savages! Driven to investigation by
this suspicion. he passed again over
the trampled ground. marking this
time every separate iRdeutation. ev-
cry fsintest imprint of hoof or foot.
There was no impression Of a mecca
sin anywhere; every mark remaining
was OF booted feet. The inference
was sufficiently plaintiffs had been
the deed OF white men, not Of red; foul
murder. and not savage war.
The knowledge seemed TO scar
keiths brain with Gre. and he sprang
TO his feet. hands clinched and eyes
blazing. He could have believed this
OF Indians, II was according to their
nature, their method OF warfare; but
the cowardliness OF It. the atrocity of
me act, as psrpetrated by men OF his
own race. instantly aroused within
linn a desire for vengeance. He
wanted to run the fellows down. to
discover their identity. Without
thinking OF personal danger he ran
forward on their trail. which led di.
rectly westward. along the line OF
cottonwoods. These served to oon-
ceal his own movements. yet for the
moment, burning with passion. he
was utterly withsrt caution, without
slightest sense Of peril He must
know who was guilty of such q crime:
he felt capable of killing them even as
he would venemous snakes. It was a
perfectly plain trail to follow. for the
fusttives. apparently convinced Of
safety. and confident their cowardlv
deed would be charged to Indian raid
ers. had made no particular effort at
Concealment. but had ridden away at
a gallop, their horses' hoofs digging
deeply into the soft turf On this re-
treat they had followed closely along
the river bank, aiming for the ford
and almost before he realized ii Keith
VAS himself at tie waters edge where
the trail abruptly ended, staring
vssuely across toward the opposite
shore. Even as he stood there. real
IVinr tho ft-f5 % -
amid the maze OF sand dunes opposite,
the sharp reports OF two rites reach
ed him. spurts OF smoke rose from tie
farther bank, and bullet chugged
into the ground at his feet, while an
other sang shruly overhead.
These shots, although neither came
sufficiently near to be alarming. serv-
ed to send Keith to cover. Cool-head-
ed and alert now, his first mad rage
dissipated, he scanned the opposite
bank cautiously, but could nowhere
discover any evidence of life. Little
by little he comprehended the situa-
tion, and decided upon his own &C
ton. The fugitives were aware of his
presence, and would prevent his
crossing the stream, yet they were
not at all liable to return to this side
and thus reveal their identity To
attempt any further advance would be
madness, but he felt perfectly secure
from molestatien so long as he re-
NAMED quietly on the north shore
Those shots wers merely q warning
to keep back; the very fact that the
men firing kept concealed was proof
positive that they simply wished to be
left alone. They were not afraid OF
what he knew now, only DESTROYS Of
not being seen. Confident as to this,
he retreated openly, without making
the slightest effort to conceal his
movements. until he had regained the
scene of murder. In evidence OF the
truth Of his theory no further shots
were fred. and although he watched
that opposite sand bank carefully not
the slightest movement revealed the
presence of others. That every mo-
ton he made was being observed by
keen eyes he had no doubt. but this
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