Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-17
The Daily Story
"A Round Robin-By Dwight Norwood.
copyrishteo. 1914 by Associated Literary Bureau

yere evidence Of conspiracv - ~
part, with Bill CundiH. to 80
me. Bill. havin' shown signs "a
nation lately, instead OF com,',..
the deed, comes to me repeptant
with tears in his eyes hands "a. =.
yere agreement to pay him I'm :
my scalp. He finds me Hksr,..
pentant for my many sins and A..
ed to abandon gun law and leave ~
yere questions to the courts To
fore It il my painful duty to xw.,.
a warrant agin you four genu. IA 8
dealt with by the courts In the w..
way"
There was grim silence On fhs =,
of the men who in trying to Be s,,r.
of Jimtown had walked into !.
and, according 10 law, would Be =,
ished by death or fmprisonmen, ~ !.
courts they had taken so much ~.
to establish.
"Owin' to the tenderness a, :.
heart" the desperate continued, ~,
the reformation goin' on in nv bo.,-
/ don't want to be hard on you v,
duty as reformed citizen Is pIal,,, !,
let the law take its course. gut ~
gents bein' disposed to help Us vbo =,
tryin' to turn from our wicked vsr,-
Bill Cundiff kin testify to thst-,,
some of you havin' families, woud,,
mind pecuniary consideration iusts.s
of seem you suffer. In the fust pl,,
Bill, who was too conscientious To hi,
the price Of my blood, should be l.
warded for right dom. Five tuud,.;
dollars would be a small sum "a, /.
much resistance to temptation. In Il,
second place, IL your scheme had vo,s.
ed / would now be sleepin' In thew
ley, with the long grass wavin' cry
me and coyotes scratchin' for III
bones. All these should be paid 70,
But, rememberin' that there's no ma,
wealth In the town, I'll make the q.
ures reasonable Call my share 81 500
The signers of the round robin si
ed how long they would have to accer
or decline this generous propostcr
and to raise the money IL they sccey.
ed it and were given three days, at th
end of which time the warrant vou1
be sworn out. Then they retired fs-
consultation.
Advancing civilization brings nany
problems. Here was problem With
paradox. A villain was about TO use
court of justice as an instrument 70,
the condemnation Of men who ves
working to eradicate crime. What was
to be done? After consultation the
round robiners sent message to ask
the two reformed men If, on the pay
ment of the sum demanded, they would
leave the town, never to return. Ths
reply was that, having reformed, theI
would prefer to remain and CundH
had decided TO run for mayor.
While the deliberations were going on
it happened that young man who
had served an enlistment as an cleo
trician passed through the town on bis
way to a large mining center thar nad
acquired civilization, where he was 70
be employed putting in electric Lights
and different devices made practicable
by electricity. Hearing OF the dilemma
that confronted the citizens OF jim
town and especially the round rcoln-
ers, he volunteered to show them
method by which they might get I'd
of the two villains without danger
themselves. They offered to pay nm
literally for any device that woue
bring about that end, but ne decnns
to receive money for such purpose
to work it himself.
During the three days that the roun'
robiners had been given to come 70
decision and raise funds the eieeff
clan worked nights, and no one saw
what he did. He was engaged In iaF
ing wires from an empty CABIN % .n'
house of one Of the remnants OF lns
vigilance committee, Martin snas'
When the time was up, after e1pl.iS
ing his device to Mr.. Shaw, ne WIZ
drew from all participation In 'n'
scheme.
On the third day after the return v
HOLSTER and Cundif they were -
vited to the deserted cabin IN W.T.
the electrician had been at worA "
receive the first installment OF tne iaD'
som that had beer levied on the to"A
The four citizens most interested We
I'm the cabin, at the other emu =,
wires. where they could see pam
the place to which the rascais -.
been invited. Citizens were warns
keep away from the CABIN ana ,,s
garded the warning. Hollistef =.
Cundiff went into the cabin prepa
for them and found a bottle ana
glasses on a table. They poursu
a tumbler of liquor each. raiss. =.
classes and were drinking wnen i
floor rose I'D, they were tossed -
dred feet in the air, and wnen -
came down they had ceased 70 -
rors to J.mtown. The caoin Ia
undermined and charge OF
tgnited by electricity. xsh
ThsS ended the reign OF terio. .,,c.
which JImtown had been afnic'. ~
its settlement The courts 49, ~.
recttve schools were opened. anu -.
ilization grew rapidly. But 10" , x
citizens who witnessed the eAp .,e
by which the last Of the gun - e.rs
eliminated remain, and they
to give the story.
March II in American