Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-17

| hold good The citizens OF Jfmtown
| found, their efforts to dispense with the
| vigilance committee and establish
regular court of law attended with
| difficulty. As one of them expressed
IL: I'VE was between IRE and water.
We was burned up IL we kept still, and
IL we Jumped we'd be drowned.
Jimtown-now Jamestown-has de-
welcomed into a beautiful city, with
schools and churches innumerable, but
I'm the DAYS when gun law had be
come unbearable the principal build
ines in the town were devoted to gam
bling houses, in which an apology for
LIQUOR was sold at 20 cents drink.
In these places every man was armed,
and whenever a dispute arose the only
question was which disputant was the
quicker on the trigger. This state OF
! affairs attracted desperate characters,
and the town was rapidly going from
bad to worse. A secret meeting was
held among the best citizens, at which
twelve men were selected as vigi-
lance committee to clear the town OF
roughs. By a vigorous course OF lynch
ing and shooting 1t got rid Of all the
bad characters except one, but four Of
the twelve had been eliminated.
The bad character left, Pete Hollis
ter. was not to be intimidated. The
only way to get rid OF him was to kill
him, and the vigilance committee had
! found that method decimating it's own
ranks. Four of the rem aiming vigilantes
had been killed. leaving four men who
had become tired of the work.
Meanwhile a court had been organ
lied and brought to a state Of tolerable
| efficiency. 1t was easy enough to con-
Wet a person guilty Of breaking the
! law on sufficient evidence, but 1t was
not easy to get the party into court IL
he would not come willingly. 1t GER
| tainly was not easy to get Pete Hollis
| ter there, because he would not go
willingly, and any one trying to take
| him by force was sure to get killed.
| The four men remaining on the vigil
| lance committee held meeting to con-
slider means of eliminating the des-
perado. 1t was agreed that If Pete
| could be got out of the way there was
| only Bill Cundiff remaining, and Bill
was not considered a very hard case.
| 1t was even thought that he might be
! converted to a supporter of good order.
| In some way Cundiff got wind Of the
| movement to get rid of HolliSter, and
| one day he asked one of the commit
| tee how much would be given for the
| desperado's scalp. The other members
| were consulted, and each man sub
scribed $50 for the purpose. Cundif
| said that to do the job was worth more
than that but if they would take the
responsibility Jointly with himself he
would consider the proposition. He
| said he didn't wish to be tried for muir
der in the newfangled court that had
/ been organized and must have some
guaranty The best guaranty he could
have would be an order to do the job
| signed and sealed by the committee.
After good deal of elaboration the
| four men remaining on the committee
signed a round robin instructing him
to make away with" Peter HOLSTER
and agreeing to pay him the sum OF
5000 for the job. At the time the ar
rangement was made the intended vic
! tim had gone to an army post near by
/ TO look. as he expressed 1t, "for scabs
among some o. them sojers." Before
! Cundiff started on his errand of mercy
such it was considered by the citizens
OF Jimtown-the committee offered to
pay him in advance the money that
had been subscribed for the job. But
Cundiff said he wasn't sure he could
"get him" and his conscience wouldn't
| permit him to take pay for job he
hadn't done.
The committee was much pleased at
| this, feeling encouraged to hope that
after Hollister had been put out OF the
way Cundiff would make an excellent
citizen. An election for mayor had
been called, and some were in favor or
running Cundiff for the office. The
rumor that he might be candidate
reached his ears, and he stated deh-
nitely that he proposed to reform and
didn't consider any man reformed who
had anything to do with politics. This
added to the growing confidence that
was being built up in the man who
was to do for Jimtown what Charlotte
Corday did for France.
When Cundiff, covered all over with
knives, pistols and Winchester rifles,
rode out OF Jimtown- on his errand In
behalf of law and order he was given
an ovation. There were by this time
many respectable women in the place,
and they, their husbands and their
children turned out to wish the re-
formed man success Handkerchiefs
were waved to him by the women,
while the men fired salutes from their
revolvers. Cundifr was seen to draw
his shirt sleeve across his eyes. which
was considered evidence of those IN
tense emotions that are usually part
of the reformation Of a wicked person.
They were destined to meet with
surprise. Not two hours after Cum
diffs departure he returned, and riding
beside him, still in the flesh. was Pete
RolIister. A chill passed over the citi-
sens of Jirntown, most of whom saw
the entry from their windows and did
not GO out to welcome back the man
they had sent of with such enthuss
asm. HOLSTER refined up before