The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1912-07-12
What did they measure withf"
"Instruments, Uncle Jim"

Wnhl uiQ tnGI A1CAhuIc MANhA
Instruments, Uncle jim"
Better let It drap, jed" said the
old man with shake Of his head. ut
may be ninety-three million miles TO
the sun, but you can't hnd anybody
around these diggins who'll believe
it's over half q mile and you don't
want to git up and be fussin' about
IT,"
Two landlookers got into trouble at
the Cove and there was shooting
Among the witnesses were the school.
master and both widows, and one day
they had to appear at a town in the
lowlands to give testimony. Previous
to this the Widow Martin had had two
or three talks with Tom Beardsly, the
tie contractor, and had sowed the
seeds Of Jealousy in his mind. He had
also seen with his own eyes that his
landlady was more or less struck on
the schooimaster. The latter had on
two or three occasions spoken highly
Of the Widow Martin, and this had
hufred the Widow Carson. There was
rancor in three human hearts. and
something was 10 follow.
The witnesses were absent from
their homes for two days, and they
had scarcely returned when a band Of
revenue men came up on the noun
tain and raided & still that had been
in operation over two years. While
the officials walked directly to the
still, proving that they must have had
information in advance. the alarm
had been given and they made no ar
rests. The capture and destruction of
the still was sufficient, however, to set
Laurel Cove ablaze. Some one had
blabbed. There was traitor in the
camp.
1t was Uncle Jim Henderson who
figured It out that some information
must have fallen from one Of the
three witnesses who went down to
court. They were examined and each
Indignantly denied 1t. 1t was then
that Tom Beardsly came forward and
told Of having seen the schooImaster
in secret conversation with man In
q livery stable. Jed did not deny the
conversation. He had been asked by
man from the North who was look
ing up coal lands to investigate GER
tain lands as far as he could and TO
port. He had the mans address, but
as 1t was in his own handwriting 1t
condemned rather than cleared him.
1t couldn't be proved that he was
guilty. but 1t was felt by all that he
had at least been indiscreet, and 1t
was determined to administer a prop
er punishment and send him from the
Cove.
Had the proofs been sufficient Jed
Baker would have been put to death.
As it was, the punishment was to be
whipping and banishment He had
been sized up for a man without
sand" It was believed that he would
cringe and weep like a woman. They
looked to see him 60 white and fall on
his knees and beg for mercy even as
the punishment was announced. He
had astonished the Cove by his calm
demeanor during the examination. He
astonished 1t again by saying:
You can whip me and you can
drive me out, but you cannot make al
informer Of me. The charge Is false. y
who could 1t have been II not
your" was asked.
Jed shook his head and stared at the
blank wall and made no answer. At 8
O'Clock that evening he was tied to g
tree and whipped and cast loose and
told to disappear before sunrise. There
were those who felt sorry for him. but
all felt that the punishment was due,
After being cast loose he sat down
on log for an hour with his head in
his hands. While he was sitting there
the widow Carson was going about In
her cabin with tears In her eyes. Tom
Beardsly came In to tell her Of the
whipping. and she detected the ex
uitation In his tones. Then she In
stantly remembered a thing OF two
He had been in town during the two
days she was. She had noticed him
In company with man she believed to
be an official Of some sort. In passing
the hotel she had caught a heetinG
glimpse OF him as he lodged out cl
sight. Her woman's intuition helped
her to a conclusion in a moment, and
wheeling on the young man. she ex
claimed:
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