Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1913-05-16
Dandy Jim
b. ALICE QEENER

Dandy Jim. - he was called from
the fact that he was occasionally seen
wearing q boiled shirt, was a very
good man. but he had very bad luck.
He was walking on q trail in the
Rocky mounta1ns from q prospecting
tour to Denver and was feeling very
happy because he had dug up some
quartz that be believed to be valuable
and was going down to the city to
have 1t assayed.
Besides a pocketful OF nuggets. Jim
had considera BILE dust about him. AMI
Re made up his mind that as soon as
he, reached the stage road he would
look out for coach and buy a ride
But before he got there he met a man
on an iron gray horse. and the idea oc-
CURED to him that he would buy the
animal and ride to Denver.
want b sell that cr1tter7'' he asked
The rider.
What Jon want to give for himT'
Twenty dollars In dust" Jim Of
tered that 70 start Q trade. he
thought the hosss worth three OF four
t4es that amount
"Doner' said the man, nimbly leap.
ing OF the horse.
Jim looked his beast over and could
NOT Ind anything the matter with him.
% be mounted and continued his jour
nsy. He hadn't gone more than a
mile before he was surrounded by a
dozen men, each man pointing a re-
voavsf at him ana calling on him to
surrender
'Git Of my horssr said one Of the
men
Went TO make q long story short, Jim
had paid for . stolen horse. But It
didn't avail anything for him to tell
how no cane BY X. for he was not
known to any Of the party, and what
be said was considered a very thin
story. he was taken down the noun
tain to town where the owner Of the
horse and the rest Of the party lived to
be dealt with, II not according to law.
at least to be tried before Judge Lynch
Dandy Jim was q good looking chap
and not over twenty-five years old. He
was confined IN q room In the house
Of he owner Of the stolen horse. and
young girl hanging up clothes In the
garden saw him standing at the win
dow looking melancholy and hand
soma Either Of these features In a
man Is enough to win a girls heart
and the two together are irresistible.
How this young woman, who was
the niece Of the owner Of the house
and was called Mag. made the &C.
Quaintance Of Dandy Jim was consid-
cred q mystery by the simple people
Of the town. though It Is easily &C
counted for on the theory Of 'love
laughs at locksmiths." Be this as it
may, she had a conference with him
unknown to any one and set her wits
to work to free him from his sad con-
dition. Jim was to be given q fair
trial before Judge Lynch the next
morning. which meant that he would
b swung on BY noon
That night Nag made a second theft
Of the horsscthough she put him back
In the Stable before any one knew OF
bis having been taken-and rode five
miles to ths sheriff Of the county ana
begged kim to interfere in the Illegal
trial and hanging that were to take
place the. next morning. Mays nou-
ncation was net oflciai. land the sher-
II was not disposed to save the necks
Of horse thieves unless compelled to do
% oflcially. When Mag failed in this
she begged he sheriff to- give her an
order for the body Of Dandy Jim. and
the sheriff to get nd Of her granted her
request The officer was not an edu-
Gated man and asked Mag to write
the order. She wrote. "Give the body
OF the horse thief to the bearer" and
he signed hih name as sheriff to It. with
biz official seal
Mag rode. back with her paper and
the next morning KNOCKED at the door
OF young man who had recently come
% town from the east and had hung
out his shinsis a. an attorney. She
told him, that she had been to the
shsri6 to ask him to interfere. but
had failed Al she could get out Of
him was an order for thel horse thief
body, that, she might bury it decentiy.
Couldn't the lawyer do something to
save the mans hfef
The. young man asked to see the or
DER foe the horse thief's body, and as
soon ~ he had read II he sat- up and
tonlr :nnffNa
'THis y Q ,habeas corpus" hsssaid
"A .whatr asked Mag
But the lawyer made no reply. he
sat Down By . table and sprink1ed a
lot OF Latin words over the order. put
N ths horse thiefs rame-whichN he
rot from Mag--and his own name. and
when he got through with It II was
The most formidable legal document
that had ever been seen In those parts
He had scarcely finished when through
q window Dandy Jim was seen being
ned to q ahed near By for trial
He was. convicted before the lawyer
could get ready to 60 10 his defense.
and h. judge was pronouncing SEN
tense when the former approached the
court AMI said:
"Ymr honor. I hereby present an
ordsr Of habeas corpus in this case
from the shsrf6"
The sheeids name. backed BY his
ssal and the sprinkling Of Latiu words.
was TOO much for the committee. and
Il suFrendered the pr1sonsT.
Two days later the real thief was
brosxht, In and was swung Oh In Dandy
Inns p1aca
This STORY ends a. an such stories
SAould end. with 4 wedding bstween
Dandy, Jim and Mag.
. ae.As
I've vloWA
How dismal - lookl" saM bucks'
% his companion - they wsrs gcinl
= - vell An replied TIE other
Il was ss1eetinG - the ussssssness o.
sus. bslng AlleA 1pe. ~ - - awa1
svee . fan ~ eene back empty