Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-01-07
Evening Story
WHAT LAURA KNEW
lRy Alfred howe DaViSO
convright 1918, by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.

3
whatever respect the fifty citizens OF
uahn,s Peak, may have mao Ior ~
mysterious stranger VINO roue IL ~
+nu,n every three or four months lor
supplies. began to give way W Saad
melon when old Sandrus Brown 49,
body was found tied securely IN a NC
a mile or so down the river iionA
ranch. j..
This discovery had caused som. TITO
me residents Of the PEAK 10 nus ,,uon,,,,s
me wild country known as oo,,n-
49,, In the northern part or the ~ nv,
re Pc - make investigation there: lney
so,,od that the old mans shantS hau
heen burned to the GROUND.
o,a sandrus had been in the park lor
49,, Years 80 it was said-the oLits
swrv;,nr of those who hao ollce
,1aysd there was living IN placer Hill
ing in that country s,o
X a. soon as the body had peen US
noyared. It was suspected that SUI
member of the old Browns PARK SIS s,,,s
NOD returned and had killed Sanurus
FOR his enmity toward the sheep
cattle thieves OF that locanls from the
rhe fact that the stranger from 'i ~,
rortr had not put in an appearance -. 20
uahar,s peak since the discovery ".
the murder gave rise to susp'c ,:ne
r,h,ot, ranidly became common Duliel
tha+ he knew something Of the KLINE.
ueretofore hes had come TO tne ~
neriodically, had talked to no one O.
Far as was known, had quletly pu.su had
ed good supply OF proV1 That vas ali
neh,s. Peak had known about MIN OF
cared until this time.
Some Of the Peaks Oldest residents
h.can to wonder audibly whether 'ne
siIent stranger might not pc one "
those whom Brown had forced 10 ,ea.e
tia country and who had aplaea ms
time in the hills until the opportunity
came to kill Brown. o,a as
1T seen that fellar about as Soou as
.rv ~ Vol, for a dozen years now, ever
since he started coming mere anu
want to tell you there is a mighty close
r.sanhlance- in his face to Butch Cas-
.idv's." Jerry Weld the postiilasteni
ana seneral storekeeper OF the feah
observed to a couple OF speculative cI
tens who had fingered atter the Lia
had been distributed to ta!k WI W.
stnrsl.eener for the Peak Jerry was
iikewise the possessor or deputy
sheriff's commission and boosted tne
nnIy painted house In the camp az ~
which gave HIM a voice OF authority III
affairs Of the town. ,,+
The two nodded their heads tnousnt-
fully in agreement with Jerry s'''
ment. ..., civ, ~ |!
Yields daughter, a pretty grl oL
,,abtaen was sitting behind stove IN
sha rear Of the store. At the mention
- Cassidys name, she dropped her
embroidery frame and llsteneu.
"He's too young to be Butch. 90,
lected Peter Baucus, a cattiehlaN' o
zoo stylish" The leather leggins ana
corduroy suit and cap Mnit "a oil. aT
stranger wore had given rise to an
sorts If romantic stories. especially
anoonr the women of the camp.
"If remember right, Butch CASSIDY
nod how" Jerry Weld replied shreWd-
", and rested his case /
The statement produced profound
erect on the others. They looked ser
iously at each other. The girl arose
from her chair and approached the
group of men. Her eyes we're alert, ahu
ana who knew her would have notlceo
nat +hA high color had faded from her
cheeks. , .,o
.What would be more likely than
that Rntch's boy would come back 10
this country that finally got MS dao
and kill the man who was most respon,
sible for Butch's Departure" ASKED
Jerry. =, ,,
"Tiow long has it been since he was
.About four months replied Wleld. |
IT found him hanging around the store
here one night when came IN.
before the three parted that nlsht
Il was decided to investigate the case
az the mysterious stranger. All the eVf
dence was against him. The only tnlIs
that remained to prove was MS ioehtity.
as the son of Butch CASSIDY; hnen, us
Terry expressed it, he should hang any
how on general principles, for no son
of Cassidy could keep from running on
range stock and killing sheep to snip
over the border
The next afternoon Jerry placed his
revolver little closer to the cracker
box. over which he had put board 10
serve as a seat. There were suspicious
hul1es on the left hips of Baucus ana
three or four others who sauntered into
the store toward evening.
Yields daughter remained an hour
or more in the rear Of the store. Sne
was very pale. Talk Of lynching drifted
back to her and despite the loud laugh
ing which interspersed the remarks,
she knew that the men were serious IN
their purpose, for many cattle had dis
appeared recently from the range les
ser crimes had been committed ana
the murder Of Brown was the culmlna-
ton Of a long series of disturbances.
NInA Hahn's Peak for the past ten
years had shown small favor to the
iawless. The town had been purged OF
undesirables.
Al last she wrote hasty note, fold
ed it and placed it on the counter per-
haps a dozen yards from the group or
men, Then she quietly went out the
rear door Of the store and mountaing
horse. rode briskly up the partially
grass grown main street of the camp. !
THE road she took led toward the base |
Of the mountain after which the camp i
had been named and winding about
that. crossed the border into the ad-
Joining state.
AS she passed around corner out OF
sight Of the town she let her horse out
to full speed. Suddenly horseman
doomed up in the twilight ahead He
drew his animal in sharply; then, aft
.er a few minutes hard riding, he was