The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-02-23
Mr.. Samples Sister
By M QUAD
Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.
By NJ. QUAD

l was serving my first and only term
OF sheriff in an Indiana county when
smart looking aged man who gave
the name of SAMPLES arrived ut the
county seat and gave out that he was
looking around for a site for a large
factory. He was provided with let
tiers of recommendation and the air OF
a man of business and soon had the
two bankers in the town and other
business men interested In his project.
of cloth out Of what be called Persia Ii
hemp. He had samples of the cloth
to show, and it could be made and
sold at 400 per cent profit. Samples
himself would put 100000 into tile
enterprise, but he wanted the town TO
subscribe 100000 additional So as to
make it a home affair.
On the second night of Samples ar.
rival in our town fine horse was
stolen from a citizen. During the first
weeks stay more horses were run off
In three weeks time twelve of the
best horses in our township were TAX
en-. AS sheriff l was not idle for an
hour after the first horse was taken.
Even if | was a little green myself as
an officer | had two or three consta-
bles and deputies who were old hands
at the business. Some of the horses
we traced a few miles, always headed
for the Ohio river, but the thieves
were slick fellows and covered their
tracks so well that not horse was
recovered.
One day while | was shivering in
my boots and expecting to hear that
the thirteenth horse had been stolen Il
flash of light came to me. Every
horse taken had gone south by GER
tain road. At certain point all trace
had been lost. Ten miles to the south
of us was big huckleberry swamp OF
1000 acres. IT was wilderness and
had only been explored by hunters. 1t
was a big tangle, full of snakes and
wildcats, and even berry pickers took
good care not to penetrate too far. 1t
flashed over me that the stolen horses
instead Of being run out of the state
had been corralled in this swamp
to wait until the hue and cry were
over. Within two hours | had started
for the swamp, accompanied by con-
stable. By pure good luck after a
tramp of half day we came upon a
trail showing the hoof prints of horses.
and, following it to the very center OF
the swamp. we came upon the whole
twelve stolen animals Feed had been
brought in to them by another trail
1t was fine plant" we uncovered.
There were two men to take care OF
the horses. One of them was black
smith. and be had forge and dozens
of horseshoeS AS the animals were
run out the plan was to shoe each one
with the shoes reversed and thus de
ceive US in case we struck trail. We
made cautious approach. but in spite
of us the two men got away. We
scarcely regretted it, however. in view
of the capture of the third one, who
had just arrived It was Mr.. Samples
the fax cloth man, the factory man.
the man with letters of introduction
Yes, sir, he had arrived to give his
subordinates directions, and as he fled
with the others he tripped and fell. and
we were enabled to overhaul him He
didn't even bluff We had got him So
pat that he could not say anything. In
his pockets were letters sufficient IT,
convict him twice over, and his game
was up.
You know what human nature is i'll
a small town. had been maligned
and abused without stint for failing to
capture the horse thieves. Now that
| had got all the stolen horses in q
bunch and the horse thief in addition
nothing was too good for me. | was
called a hero and all that and got a
serenade from the band and had bon
fires galore in my honor. The arrest
of Samples was a thunderclap, but the
public soon got over it's establishment
and demanded that he receive the
maximum punishment of the law. He
was examined. committed for trial. and
took care to give him the strongest
cell in the county Jail. The man gave
me no trouble. After recovering his
cheek little be claimed that he would
be able to prove his entire innocence
before a jury, and he was so CHEEKY
and good natured that | came to like
him. He had three months to wait
for the circuit court. and he made DO
move in regard to lawyers or witnesses
until half the time had expired. By
that time the public had lost most OF
its interest in the case.
One day Samples announced to me
that his sister would soon arrive to see
about getting him lawyer and so
forth, and a day or two later she called
at the Jail. She was rather quiet
looking woman of about twenty live,
spoke in a choked voice and wore a
veil, and without questioning her much
| led her to Samples cell and left them
alone. 1t so happened that had to go
into court directly after, and | left it
to a turnkey to let her out. He did
so. and it was three hours later when
| made the discovery that the two had
exchanged clothes, and the woman had
been left behind The turnkey hadn't
noticed anything ont of the way as the
woman" passed out.
didn't faint away or have fit or
commit suicide. | simply rendered my
resignation and went off on a vaca-
ton. knew my public. and 1 knew
that although | had recovered the
horses that sister business had taken