Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-05-14


Tom StrickIand's plucky eyes, IN
Pickering, though still bIoodshot from
overnight drinking, held those Of the
speaker in level glance.
III tell you the truth, colonel" he
answered. II won't vary from it by a
hair il know it"
How did the meetin' between you
and STAN Tucker come about. TomT'
asked Colonel Todhunter. Tell me
just when and how you killed him"
Colonel" replied Tom Strickland,
81 have no recollection OF killing STAN
Tucker last night. don't even remem-
ber meeting him"
What do you mean by that?"
81 mean that l started out to meet
STAN. and that it was my intention to
kill him if he didn't publicly tell the
truth about him and e-May Dog
gett, but ] amt clear in my mind as
TO what happened after ] left Nick
Bledsoe's barroom. l got TO drinking
there, thinking while was waiting for
STAN Tucker to keep an appointment
that | made by letter. and | got tired
waiting for STAN to show up. so start
ed oct to go to his house. seeing as how
he wouldn't come TO the place / had
named. This much / remember, and
I've got confused recollection OF wan
derinG about the edge of town. but the
first thing | remember with any dis
| tinctness after leaving Nick Bledsoe's,
is finding myself in the Nineveh hotel
barroom drinking again. Whatever
happened between is gone from my
memory. ] was drinking hard, Colonel
Todhunter. and that's all there's to it.
started drinking because l had lost
well. 1 didn't care what happened to
me, sir" Tom concluded.
You were armed. of course. when
you went to meet STAN and have it out
| with him.
yes. sir: I had my pistol on me-
well. then-well. then. Tom-when
! you were arrested this mornin' after
STAN fuckers body was found on the
side OF the road halfway between his
| home and the town. what story did
| your gun tell, boy? If you had had a
shootin' scrape durin' that time your
weapon would have said so-a man
in your condition. with this difficulty
settled. wouldn't have reloaded his gun.
What fix was yours in. Tom:"
That was the first thing the deputy
sheriff looked ut when he placed me
under arrest" said Tom Strickland,
his eyes dumbly perplexed. Colonel
TOdhunter. one chamber of my pistol
was empty. | reckon / must surely
have met STAN on the road and killed
him"
Tom" snid Colonel Todhunter. al
most pleadingly, whatever way STAN
Tucker was killed be got one shot al
the man that killed him. His own
weapon was a-layiR' right at his hand
when they found him. and one bullet
had been fired from it. In Gods name
my boy. If you was that other man
you must have some sort OF recollec,
ton of the shooun' scrape. It's the
truth I'm tryin' to get at. Tom; the
truth of how STAN Tucker came to hi:
death. II you killed him we've got t
know 1T, because the whole line of de
Tense has. got TO be based on absolute
knowledge OF the truth of whether OIL
not il was you that shot and killed
STAN Tucker last night. Dig down IL
your mind. Tom. Ny God, boy, you've
got to remember everything you dc
every minute OF the time you say YOU
was out lOokin' for STAN Tucker
Tom Strickland drew a deer, breath
1T must have been me that killeI
him." he said. II was on my way Il
do It And who else wanted to xii
him? But can't remember anything
about it, Colonel Todhunter. Ia b,
glad II could"
I Colonel Todhunter sat helpless for {
5 moment Finally. did you go hom,
I after the hotel bar was closed?" b,
e asked.
$ mo, sir. slept at the hotel las
o night"
l. What time were you arrested7"
I About o'clock"
o Yesterday afternoon. when you hat
been TO Nick Bledsoe's barroom for III,
b first time, did you then so out to Sc,
Lottie-May DogGert as you told Nicl
l you was a-goln TO dog"
!. Yes. sir"
did you see herT'
: Yes, sir. 1 asked her TO tell tn,
! truth and acknowledge that | hat
nothing to do with her disgrace.
q told her II she didn't I was going I
1 see Siam Tucker and make him do /
or else kill him"
j What did SIC say 10 that?"
'She laughed at me. That girls
she devil. Colonel Todhunter SD
: wouldn't even acknowledge 10 me tina
: she had lied in telling Mrs. Todhunte
what she did. She just laughed"
You also limited TO Nick Bledsoe tina
there was some serious trouble brewiI
between you and STAN about Lottis