The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-05-29
Copyright, 1911, by the Bobbs-Mer-
ill Company.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
II went to a cabin across the road.
Just few yards down from the Dog
gets gate, to see Aunt Mirandy Ran
som. an old colored woman who lived
there"
What was your reason for wanting
to see Miranda Ransom that time.
Colonel Todhunter?"
II wanted to engage her to keep a
close watch on the girl, Lottie-May
Doggett, sub. did not believe that
Tom Strickland killed Stamford Tuck
,er, nor did believe that he was guilty
of wrongln' Lottie-May. He himself
had told me that the girl confessed to
him that Stamford Tucker had been
maxim love to her secretly. felt sure
in my own mind that Stamford Tucker
had been killed for wrongin' Lottie-
May Doggett, and this would mean
that he was killed by some man who
loved Lottie-May and knew that STAN
ford Tucker had wronged her or that
the girl herself had killed him. l want
ed somebody to watch that house. and
knew l could depend on Aunt Mirandy
Ransom better'n on anybody else.'
did you see this woman. Miranda
Ransom, sir?"
II did, sub. She promised to keep a
close watch on the girl and on the
house, and she kept her word. 1t was
through her that learned the news
that sent me away to Rails county
lookin' for Chickasaw Jesse Bream and
Lottie-May Doggett, subj
do you mean that she learned Of
their fight, Colonel Todhunter?"
Eyes, sub. She crep' up close enough
to overhear what they was a-sayin'
when they met in that clump o trees
between the Doggett house and the
Ransoms' cabin, sub. She heard all that
went on between EN-, sub. She was
waitin for me when got home from
Colonel Bill Strickland's the night be-
fore this trial began, and she told me
the whole story"
What did you do then. Colonel Tod
hunter?"
There wasn't but one thing to be
done, sub, If Chickasaw Jesse was to
be caught and Tom Strickland saved
from bein' found guilty of murderin'
STAN Tucker. That one thing was to
follow Jesse Dream and Lottie-May
Doggett without losin' minutes time
and arrest him befo' he got out o the
state, SUBJ"
The witness then confirmed in detail
that part Of the girls testimony relat-
ing to the capture Of Jesse Bream.
did this man, Jesse Bream. make a
confession of his guilt as being the
murderer of Stamford Tucker?"
Eyes, sub. And, furthermore. under
oath, he told mighty strange story
Of happenin' that in itself might ha'
hung Tom Strickland"
There was a quick stir Of heightened
dramatic expectancy in the courtroom.
Major Gentry Dryden paused until it
had subsidized.
''What was that strange story, Colo
mel Todhunter," he asked. (which. as
you have just testified, the man Jesse
Bream told you and the sheriff of
N8llS county unUeC OdIu! -.
"He told me, sub, that Tom Strick-
land himself appeared on the scene
Of the murder almost the next moment.
AS l hollered to STAN Tucker, cussin'
him and tellin' him that was a-goin'
to kill him for. havin' wronged Lottie-
May said Chickasaw Jesse Bream,
STAN Tucker drew his gun and fred
Just the mint fired. My shot got
him. but his.n didn't tech me. When
l saw that he was a-layin' still ran
up to his body. looked down and saw
that had plunked him through the
head, right between the eyes, and that
he was stone dead. Then turned and
started to run down the road to'ards
the town of Nineveh.
"'I hadn't gone any ways hardly
when a man came to'ards me on that
road. When he saw me he laughed,
and the next mint he outs with his
gun and fires at me. was skeered,
cause I didn't want to be recognized,
and turns and runs straight through
the woods, lookin' back once or twice.
And that man came to the edge of the
woods, and heard him laugh and
then mutter like he was drunk and
.talkin' to himself, and then he DELHI
erately turned back on the Black Bot
toms road and went to'ards town."
did Jesse Dream tell you and the
sheriff Of Rails county, Colonel Tod
hunter, that he recognized the man
whom he thus met after having killed
Stamford Tucker?'
HE did. subj"
"What was that mans name?"
1T was Thomas w. Strickland, sub.
Chickasaw Jesse Dream swears that
he, saw him plainly, and he takes his
oath that 1t was Tom Strickland.
Did Jesse Bream tell you what he
did after that encounter
Yes. sub. He says that he lay out
in the woods for about an hour and
that then he went back on the road
and came into towS and the next day