Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1914-04-30
a Round
Robin
1t Proved to Be a
Boomerang to
Its Sianers
By DWIGHT NORWOOD

T. By DWIGHT NORWOOD I.
Reforms are seldom accomplished all
at once, and when they are they rarely
hold good. The citizens of Jimtown
found their efforts to dispense with the
vigilance committee and establish 8
regular court of law attended with
difficulty. AS one of them expressed
It: I'VE was between fire and water.
We was burned up if we kept still, and
If we jumped we'd be drowned
Jimtown-now Jamestown-has de-
veloped into beautiful city. with
schools and churches innumerable, but
in the days when gun law had be
come unbearable the principal build
ings in the town were devoted to gam
bling houses, in which an apology for
liquor was sold at 25 cents a drink.
In these places every man was armed,
and whenever 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 vigil
lance committee to clear the town of
roughs. BY vigorous course of lynch
ing and shooting it 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 inundated The
only way to get rid of him was to kill
him. and the vigilance committee had
found that method decimating its own
ranks. -Four of the remaining vigilantes
had been killed, leaving four men who
had become tired of the work.
Meanwhile a court had been organ
lied and brought to state of tolerable
efficiency. 1t was easy enough to con-
vict a person guilty of breaking the
law on sufficient evidence, but it was
not easy to get the party into court if
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 vigi-
lance committee held a meeting to con
slider means of eliminating the des-
perado. 1t was agreed that if Pet.
could be got out Of the way there was
only Bill Cundiff remaining, and Bill
was not considered very hard case
1t was even thought that he might bc
converted to a supporter of good order
In some way Cundif1 got wind of the
movement to get rid of HOLSTER, 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
sclibed SO for the purpose. Cundif
said that to do the job was worth NOR,
than that but if they would take tn,
responsibility Jointly with himself hi
would consider the proposition. ii
said he didn't wish to be tried for mur
der in the newfangled court that ha,
been organized and must have som
guaranty The best guaranty he coul
have would be an order to do the jo
signed and sealed by the committee.
After good deal of deliberation tn
four men remaining on the committe
signed round robin instructing hi1
to make away with Peter Holliste
and agreeing to pay him the sum 6
5000 for the job AT the time the a.
rangement was made the intended VII
tim had gone to an army post near b
to lock, as he expressed it. for scat
among some O them sojers." Befol
Cundiff started on his errand of nero
such it was considered by the either
of Jimtown-the committee offered
pay him in advance the money tn:
had been subscribed for the job. B,
Cundiff said he wasn't sure he coul
''get him. and his conscience wouldn
permit him to take pay for job
hadn't done.
The committee was much pleased
after HOLSTER had been put out of Il
way Cundiff would make an eXcellel
citizen. An election for mayor III.
been called, and some were in favor
running Cundiff for the Office. III
rumor that he might lie a candida
reached his ears. and he stated de
nitely that he proposed to reform al
didn't consider any man reformed wi
had anything to do with l,o..tics'. Eli
added to the growing confidence tn
was being built up in the man wi
was to do for Jimtown what Chariot
Corday did for France.
When Cundiff. covered all over wi
knives, pistols and Winchester rife
rode out OF Jimtown on his errand
behalf of law and order he was Civ,
an ovation. There were by this tir
many respectable women in the plat
and they, their husbands and the
children turned out to wish the !
formed man success. Handkerchief
were waved to him by the wome
while the men fired salutes from thu
revolvers Cundiff was seen to dra
his shirt sleeve across his eyes. viii
was considered evidence Of those
tense emotions that are usually ps
49, ION NJ n r,arcr