davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03
90
o

went out and took a long hunt for him.
and then came hack to say TO his son:
You sit here as IL II was Of no inter
est to you whether that dog is living or
dead
why. father nothing has happened
to old Buck" was the reply.
You don't know. YOU don't care"
But ! do care, father. IL the old dog
isn't home in an hour I'll go out and
look for him
At 10 O'Clock the canine had not re-
turned. Mr.. Danforth was stewing
about it as much as If he had lost a
horse. and he finally said:
Robert. you go down the road and I'll
go up. I shouldn't wonder IL Buck had
gone up as far as Rathbone's. That girl
OF theirs has got some skunks or coonS
or rabbits for pets. and he may have
gone smiling around"
Miss Viola Rathbone and Mr.. Robert
Danforth had never met socially. Acct
dent might have brought about an in
dent as yet. When the young man went
out to look for the dog Il was far from
his mind that there would he an acct
dent that would affect his future years
When Miss Viola took her seat at the
window at II o'clock she had slight
hopes of firing a handful of bird-shOt
over a tramps head and running him
into the next county. but nothing be-
yond that.
Old Danforth walked up the dusty
highway, whistIing and muttering. and
halting now and then to say:
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03
LYING I'm AMBUSH

blamed necks the first thing in the morn
ingr
And the girl steals softly down stairs
and tells Caesar that he must amend his
conduct or be turned loose to shift for
himself, and after a time the row p
quieted. and the moon goes back to her
job OF sailing around the earth. When
morning comes there is no wringing of
necks- It's a mean man that will twist
a rabbits head of
And so the incident is forgotten until
next time, and Miss Viola keeps right on
with the nuisance. and devotes more
time to those eight rabbits than would
make sixteen young men very happy.
There was a change on the way.
however. Miss Viola Rathbone got up
one morning TO discover that two of
her rabbits had escaped. No, they had
not escaped. They had been taken
from the hutch by human hands and
the door carefully closed again. She
ran into the house to give the alarm
and to add in a hysterical voice:
Father, 1 want that negro Sam ar
rested"
For what?"
Because he took the rabbits"
I'm"
when he was working here he was
always telling how nice rabbit stew
was"
Did he leave his old hat behind to
show that he was the thief"
"Of course not. but he got the rab-
bits"
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03
THE WATSON WI[LDMlESS

First. he saw her opening them. then he
saw her trying on the baubles. He closed
his eyes and pictured the various express
sions that would cross her face. The old
mare. seeming to know this. logged along
quite as IL the reins were held by human
hands rather than twisted carelessly
around the whip.
We'll show the town what indul-
eence will do for MiIly Watson Greely.'
he told the old horse. It'll make her
more lovin' an more happy an better
in every way; that's what it'll dor
Still driving himself, the old mare
at last pulled into the suburbs of the
city. Leaving the rig at public
stable, Elmer started out at once for
one of the many jewelry shops. 1t
was lunch time. but what was mere
food in comparison with the great OBJ
ject of the trip?
And every article on the list he got.
Even the bracelet with the queer blue
stones reposed in his pocket when at
last he started homeward.
We've got sem all. Hannar' he said
softly, as they slipped into the twi-
light shadows of the stretch of woods
Just outside of River Hill. Tt won't
be long now. Hanna. before we'rt
showin' 'em to herr
But II was longer than he expected.
When he pulled in sight of his farm
ne was surprised to see no friendly
light in the windows.
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03
eve
o

Must be some neIghbor's sick. Han
na." he said. staring. Get up! Nothin'
else would take Milly away from home
at this hour. Why. it's o'clock"
Hanna tried to pretend that she was
fifteen instead of twenty-eight, and
really made pretty good time in get
ting into the yard. Without even
hitching her. Elmer jumped to the
ground, and ran to the kitchen door.
''Milly"' he called, as he entered the
house.
In the dining-room. just as he had
hoped, he found a note. In impatience,
he touched the burning match to the
kerosined wick, and put on the globe.
Then, he caught up the slip OF paper
and unfolded it.
Dear Elmer" it read. II have gone
up to Harperville to spend the day with
Fred Kent"
Elmer gasped. He dropped the note
and sank into a chair. Suddenly the
dire warnings OF the village rushed over
him.
"a watson!' he whispered. sinking his
head into his hands.
Then he sprang to his feet and began
to pace the floor. He had known that
Milly had gone to school with Fred Kent
that they had been boy and girl sweet
hearts before Fred Kent had moved to
the next town. He had not known. how
ever. that Milly-
Tt can't be-" he cried. "oh. MiIly!
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03
90
o

Milly, You're just my simple little girl!
know you. Milly"'
Yet. there was the discriminating note
and written by her own hand! Why had
she told him where she was going, il she
would go? What did it all mean? ITO
spend the day he repeated dazedly.
Not exactly knowing where he was
going. he strobe swiftly to the door and
out into the darkness. He found his
feet taking him to the house OF Milly's
aunt. Perhaps the old lady would be
able to throw some light on things.
But the old lady was as much at sea
as Elmer himself.
"Milly gone." she cried.
She sank weakly into a chair. Her
hands clenched themselves tensely.
Elmer hesitated before launching the
worst fact.
"she's-she's not alone" he began grad
ualIy. really fearing that the old lady
would receive lasting harm from the
shock, "She's-with a man."
"a man." she grew white to her finger
tips.
He nodded. Fred Kent"
The effect of this news was tremendous
The old lady rose to her feet with a
mixture of hope and excitement on her
face.
why, Fred Kent's deadr she cried.
why, boy, Milly's foolin' you! She
knows he died last week. I told her 50
myself"
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03
tCoryright. lal4)

tCoryright, l9liO
Elmer GreeIy ate his breakfast with a
singing heart Indeed. it was tangoing
heart, Was he not at last going to the
City to buy jewelry for Milly?
For Elmer did not believe. with all the
rest Of River Hill. that Indulgence would
spoiI this member of the Watson tribe.
He had laughed at tn dire warnings OF
the village when he had married her.
As il MiIly would turn out wrong just
because her ancestors did" he had
scoffed Indignantly.
II he had been financially able to- ne
would have shown" the town, then and
there, by covering her with rings and
necklaces Immediately after the cere-
mony. All through his engagement his
heart had burned with Indignation against
the old aunt, who had brought her up;
not one lot of fun had the child ever
had.
Just wait till / get some extra
money!" he had vowed to himself.
Wen see who has the most gewgaws in
River. Hill"
And this was where he made his mis-
take: he vowed II only to himself. Pride
and a natural taciturnity kept him from
doing what he called blowing" Instead
of telling the girl that he longed to do
things for her, and some day would, he
kept the wish locked tight in his heart.
He let her go on working for him with
no suspicion that she would some day
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03
BY Leom0re Kelly

At this point the two turned swiftly.
The creak Of door had startled them.
There in the doorway stood Miliy.
And what a changed Mrly she was!
Haughtily her head was raised Her
eyes blaZed in anger
I hope l gave you a good scare" she
cried vibrantly. You deserve one, El-
mer Greedy! Any man who'll go OF
with another woman. who'll buy her
things when his wife is slavin' for him
night and day" In trembling contunely
she flung down on the table a SCRAP Of
white paper and stood back. as though
10 say that that could finish her sentence
for her.
With a quick step Elmer bent over It.
1t was the list of jewelry articles. He
had thought he had lost it on the drive
to the city; had thought it must have
blown away when he sank back IN ria
seat and put his thumbs in his vest
pockets: but he must have lost Il in his
own house.
AN it's not the first time you've
bought things for her." accused Milly.
" Bracelet to match the blue necklace
What blue necklace? There's none On
the list,''
But Elmer was in no mood to answer
her; his heart was beating prayers OF
thankfulness at the discovery that she
had not gone the way of other watsors-
Come home" he said gently, taking
her arm firmly in his, and We II see
who that other woman isl
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03

have pretty things like other girls II
only she could have known:
But she did not know. Even on the
no inkling of the true reason for his
trip.
Coin to buy another machine?" she
asked listlessly as she cleared the table
of the breakfast dishes.
Elmer nodded. He tried to conceal the
smile that would come on his face. and
failed
I'm smilin' cause I'm goin' to have
the best machine in River HILL" he ex-
planned weakly. "A new sort Of har-
row."
AS the girl went through the kitchen
door with a puzzled backward look, he
slipped his hand into his pocket and
swiftly drew cut the little slip of paper
he had carried for so many weeks.
Topaz necklace, Amethyst ring, silver
mesh bag, silver headed umbrella. brace
let to match the blue necklace it
read.
He smiled down on the list fatuously.
Yes sir! She was going to have the whole
bunch of gewgaws at once! He was
to use every bit of the potato money.
What a showing they would make! How
the town would start next Sunday when
Milly went to church! The only cloud on
his horizen was a fear that he would
be unable to get the bracelet with the
strange blue stones in it; the necklace re-
ferred to was one he had seen on a
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03
90
o

If I find the old dog up there I'll
90 there tomorrow and tell that girl
what l think Of her! No girl has any
business to keep pets around that will
encourage a dog 10 run away from home.
BY hockey, this world is getting wuss
and wuss all the time
The rabbit hutch was in sight over
the fence from the street.
Mr.. Danforth thought he saw his old
dog spooking around. and he whistled.
"Ah. it's a tramp's sisnal"' exclaimed
Miss Viola as she started up.
Darn that dog. I'll go in there and
see what's holding on to him. NUT
tered the owner.
Step! Step, Step,
The gun was softly poked out Of the
window.
No dog in sight. but the old man ap-
preached the hutch TO see If he could
make out what sort of pets were in
side.
In the window above. the girl drew
long breath. hoped she might go to
pulled trigger.
Viola had never seen an old man-an
eccentric man-an irritable man receive
a charge OF birdshot while bending over
a rabbit hutch or any other old hutch!
He exclaimed! He roared.
He gallOped about in circle and
turned handsprings.
Twenty seconds after the discharge Of
the gun Mr.. Rathbone was in his daugh-
ters room and demanding:
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03
BY Carl Jemk inns

What in the name of Tophet have
you been doing novT'
"Oh, father. I have killed a tramp
The devil you havei Let me see,'
He was after my rabbits. VIII they
eIectrocute me for killing him.
Il don't believe that's a tramp. rn
going down to see
Three minutes later he was bending
over the victim and flashing the light OF
a lantern in his face.
Say" he said, as he turned TO his
daughter, who stood fearful and trem-
bling, You have shot old Danforth.'
"Oh-h-h-h"
Yes. she has," came from the bundle
on the grass. and she'll go to State
prison for the rest of her life!'
OF course, he was taken in and put tc
bed. and OF course the doctor was called.
1t was Miss Viola herself who had tc
ring up young Robert Danforth and an
nounce:
Hurry right over here! I have just
shot your father
Has a shotgun and birdshot anything
to do with falling in love? II certainly
man could be moved home the young
folks were in love, and stranger vet. the
victim Of the gun was glad of II.
Miss Viola will not keep rabbits after
the wedding
Buck the lost dog, came home al
right. He had just been over to lick the
constable's dog. There were forty-twe
birdshot in the gun.
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03

Perhaps So"
Perhaps 1t is so. and I want you to
telephone the constable to come over
here right away
Il never mix up in rabbit cases"
But I do" and away she went to
the telephone and ordered the officer
to appear forthwith.
He came and listened.
why do you think it was SamT
he asked.
Because he knew about the rabbits"
But Sc did l."
And he just loves rabbit SOUP"
Ditto"
But il you arrest him you can scare
him into confessing."
But / can't arrest him. He is work
ing a hundred miles away"
Then, il he didn't take the rabbits,
who did?" demanded the indignant
girl
"Tramps. I guess"
Yes. you guess. and that is to be
the end of it,"
'I guess it is. Three tramps went
into camp down the road last night.
This morning l spied around a bit, and
/ found fur and bones"
And you didn't make an arrest"
"Can you swear that they were the fur
and bones OF your rabbits?"
'Of course, l cam"
''All right. then. You go before the
justice of the peace and swear out a
warrant and I'll overhaul the fellows be-
fore noon"
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03

stranger whether he is a white man or
a negro. All this occurred In February.
1880. ] continued to be an active revenue
officer in the field until last August, when
my old friends In Iowa nominated me
for Congress.
IT some times smile to myself" MI,
fitzpatrick continued. when / think that
as q boy feared the civil war would
end before I had an opportunity to do
any fighting. I was born in Ohio, but
my parents moved to Iowa when ! was
seven years old. often say that came
into the world between two rows of corn,
but that fact does not make me a pump
kin. I hurried into the Union army at
the beginning Of the civil war, enlisting
as private in the Second Iowa Infantry.
Everything would be oyer. complained,
before I had a chance to fire a shot
II was not SO. however. The South did
not surrender at the end of ninety days
as was prophesied. and it was fout
years and four months before returned
to the West and became a cowboy.
1T seems to me that have had a gun
on my back or under my arm ever since
1 left home. more than fifty years ago.
My baptism of fire. as call Il, occurred
at Fort Donelson- The Second Iowa got
into Official disfavor In st. Louis. We
were detailed to guard a large number
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03
Remarkable Experiences Of Hon. Sanford Kirkpatrick Dur
ing Twenty-seven Years Government Detective IN
the South, Tracking and Destroying Stills

Yet, as remember the terrible occur
rences of that morning. was prudently
watchful. Yes, he knew Mr.. Hunt In
deed, he was going in Mr.. Hunts direc-
ton kept him on q line with the
shoulders of my horse. We talked IA
miliariy.
"All at once We came to q clearing.
recollect every little detail Of the scene
in front OF US. saw a log cabin.
tumble-down stable, a rail fence. a COW.
and a woman with a thin bucket in her
hand. Henry Mack sheered away from
me and toward the woman as We ap-
preached the stable. One Of my men de-
clared afterward he heard Mack say TO
the woman: I've got them now But
heard nothing Hunts farm, we were
led to suppose, was farther on.
Shot Mack Through the Heart.
Suddenly Mack darted into the open
door of the house. instantly thought
he meant to run out of the back door,
disappear in the woods and signal q
warning. 1 ran my horse right up and
almost into the open door. Just at that
moment Henry Mack sprang beneath
the neck of the horse, stuck a shotgun
in my face and fired. I fell but while
gong DOWN put f4-DullcI InIOuEn
Henry Mack's heart. His dead body lay
upon the ground across my own.
'one OF my eyes, as I have said. was
gone. The other eye contained three
shots. Ny jaw was broken and 30
were most of my front teeth. The top
of my forehead was as soft as pulp. I
bled so frightfully that I thought my
jugular vein had been ruptured. e4-
pected to die inside Of three minutes.
Covered with mud, made Of my own
blood. and blind besides, I stood on my
feet.
Take me out of this, boys said
to my men. IF live, I'll come back
Il did go back many times afterward.
by the way, and destroyed thres stills
owned by Henry Mack's father. I felt
my neck and assured myself that was
not bleeding TO death quickly. The boys
put me on my horse. Then up rose q
dozen men from the brush. They began
firing on US with rifles and shotguns
How we escaped I do not know. guild
ed my horse by the sounds made by the
other horses as their riders ran them
out of the clearing and into the woods.
We came to farmhouse. There I got
some water to drink
"One of my men went on to Hillsboro
for the purpose of telegraphing the news
to Jonesboro. In his confusion he sent
message to Washington. By and by
word reached my wife in Jonesboro by
way Of Raleigh She hired a locomotive
and car and that night. more dead than
alive, I was being patched up by the
surgeons at a hospital in Jonesboro.
Became a One-eyed Detective.
1T was months before I could return
TO duty. Dentists built up my broken
teeth with gold. The surgeons saved, in
part. the sight Of my right eye and mend
ed my jaw. The shot embedded in my
skull were never removed But my
vision grew dim as the years passed, and
I was compelled to search for moon
sinners with spectacles and a magnifying
glass. / can't tell now when meet a
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03
BY. JAMES b. MORROW.

Though he has only one eye, Hon San
ford Kirkpatrick authorizes me to say
the. he challenges any man in the United
States seventy-two years old or over.
former professionals barred. to wrestle
him catch-as-catch-can, two falls in three
or three in i've.
Nor can Mr.. Kirkpatrick see very well
with the eve that remains. Besides, he
has 900 bullets. more or less, Of assorted
sizes in his body-mostly above the waist
line. For twenty-seven years he was
government detective. Moonshine $ nInt-
ed him while he hunted them. Today he
Is in the House Of Representatives from
Iowa Moreover. he has 100 acres OF
corn growing on land which he bought
for a song, but which is now worm
great deal of money.
The challenge is an answer TO all qucs-
tIons pertaining to Mr.. kirkpatrlck
feelings at his time of life He is WHY
ayerage-sized man, with lean, roagh
face. Possibly he has also battled win
smallpox. He is a talker and a nghter
and a ready person with his head II is
said that he has sent more lawbreakers
TO iail than has any other man In the
service of the United States For nearly
three decades" he says, "1 have been
waginE war against crime and criminals.
Part OF the time he followed the trans
with a rnagnifying glass Actually. But
there was a gun loaded with ouckshot
on his shoulder and revolver unoef each
arm.
'sMy worst fight" he said, was in
North Carolina. near the little village OF
Hinsboro. That's where 1 lost my eye.
And he took the glass one out ana nelo
II in his hand as proof OF the event MY
HEADQUARTERS then were at Jonesooro.
boarded a train in the evening ana
reached Hillsboro at O'Clock the next
morning.
A Horn Alarms the Country.
-Four of nv men met me at the sta
tion. We planned to keep the lnnaol-
tants ignorant of our presence. were
revenue officers to visit livery stable
or a hotel a darkey would hy out the
hack door and spread the alarm. Signals
pass the news along in moonshlne re-
gions about as quickly as if the news
were sent by telegraph. A bell will ring
or a horn will blow, and then far away
in the mountains other bells or horns
will be heard. and thus the whole coun-
try is notified
walking along the railway track for
half a mile, we found five horses tied In
the timber. We rode ill dawn toward
the farm of a man named Hunt. Just
in the gray of the morning l saw ma
tive watching US in the woods. He said
he was Henry Mack. Now a friendly
attitude and a sympathetic interest con-
stitute a part Of the necessary machin-
cry of a detectives occupation
What might your business be?" I
asked Henry Mack. as though I would
like to make his acquaintance.
We'll. suh.' he replied. I teach school
during the week and preach the Gospel
on Sunday
That sounded reassuring to me. So
we talked for several minutes. 1 did not
know then nor suspect that Henry Mack
was one of the regular night guards Of
the moonshiners in that neighborhood-
The Washington herald., 1914-05-03
Has 200 Bullets IN His Body and Glass EyeHad to Use
Magniying Glass to Locate Lawbreakers-
i Terrible Battle in North Carolina.

he was at deaths door Confinement
was killing an American accustomed to
breathing Gods pure air and wandering
freely among Gods eternal hills, SO the
doctor fntimated.
Mr.. Wildcat, therefore. was turned
loose and would be making whisky again
as soon as he could buy another kettle
and build a furnace. Nor did he ever pay
the fine. Judges nowadays. I am glad
to say, are sending blockaders to the
penitentiary for a year and a day. Just
the same the Illicit manufacture Of
whisky ID increasing steadily. The pro-
hibition laws of the South / regret to
confess, are. In part. responsible for the
present state Of matters. I'll give YOU
some surprising figures In the year 1883.
revenue men found and DESTROYED 4si
stills In 1885. they found ana DESTROYED
2562 stills In 1910 the stills torn down
and burned Up had a capacity Of 5000
gallons Of whisky a day. I believe that
than ever before
Caught the Man Who Shot Him,
viii you tell me about the third at
tempt the moonshiners made on your
life?" I asked Mr.. Kirkpatrick
I'VE were breaking up a still in the
night a mile, so our lying guide assured
US, from the nearest house. One Of my
men wanted to take the copper worm
was holding a wet and muddy gunny-
sack in front of me SO that he could
wrap 1t around the worm. when bang.
went a gun and / was peppered with
large shot in the breast and legs The
gunny-sack saved my life.
We went back the following day and
surrounded a log cabin that stood a
quarter of a mile from the spot where
had been attacked. We captured a
barefooted man. / ordered him to put
on his boots The boots had iron plates
on the heels and fitted the tracks Of the
assassin who had fired on me in the
woods. We had a clear case and the
jury. though sympathetic, had to find
against the prisoner. The judge. as l
remember. sent the man to prison for
ninety days.
II had grown almost blind in the
meantime. but l relied on common sense
and a magnifying glass in the detective
work i was constantly doing in cities
and villages and out in the hills.
agree with William ]. Burns when he
says that common sense is the beginning
and the end Of a successful detective
business. Criminals invariably leave signs
behind. The trick is to find the signs.
and they may be verbal or physical It
is not hard to do SO II one has an alert
intelligence and is capable OF srouptns
trifies into a reasonable theory.
Then, a detective should have per-
sonal magnetism Burns has II. Men
tell him their sins after they know that
he knows they are sinners. II a wild
cat let's me put my hand on his shoul-
der and lets me talk to him I'll turn
hin, inside out before the session is over.
There is neither romance nor mystery in
catching criminals II is just hard mat
ter-of-fact work"
tCopyrisht, lgI By James B. Morro-i