The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1915-04-15

beSeiOn, ChllOmD opened toe Dulky Vol
ume Of the Kentucky statutes, and laid
his finger on section 2673.
There's the rub" he protested. read.
Ing aloud: THE military shall be at
all times, and In all cases. in strict
subordinatlon to the civil power"
The governor glanced down to the
next paragraph and read in part;
The governor may direct the com.
handing officer OF the military force
to report TO any one OF the following.
named officers OF the district In which
the said force is employed: Mayor OF
a city, sherlf, TALLER or marshal"
Which liet." stormed Callomb. lis
the honor roll OF the assassins."
AT all evcnts"-the governor had
derived from Callomb much informa.
ton AZ to Samson South which the
mountaineer himself had modestly
withheld-"South gets his pardon.
That Is only q step. wish I could
make him satrap over his province,
and provide him with troops to rule II.
Unfortunately. our form OF govern.
ment has its d~rlwbacks."
1T might be possible" vcrtured the
attorney general. ito impeach the
sheriff. and appoint this or some other
suitable man TO MI the vacancy until
the next election"
The Legislature doesn't meet until
next winter" objected Callomb. There
IL one chance. The sheriff down there
Is n sick man. Let us hope he may
die"
One day. the HiXon conclave met In
the room over Hollman's Mammoth
Department store. and with much pro
family read a communication from
Frankfort, announcing the pardon OF
Samson South. In that episode. they
foresaw the beginning OF the end for
their dynasty. The outside world u
looking on. and their regime could not
survive the spotlight OF law.loving
scrutiny.
THE fust thing" declared Judge
HOLMAN. curly. lis to get rid of these
damned soldiers. Wen attend to our
" business later. and We don't want
them watChin' us. Just now. we want
w ~ hh'sh'' Ih''t " a ol'iN wv
totally quiet until ! pass the word"
Samson had won back the conf.
dcnoa of his tribe. and enlisted the
faith of the state administration lie
had been authorized to organize "a
local militia company. and to drill
them, provided he could stand answer.
able for their conduct. The younger
Souths took glecfully to that idea. The
mountain boy makes a good soldier.
once he has grasped the idea of DIS.
cipline. For ton weeks. they drilled
daily III squads and weekly In platoOns.
Then. the fortuitous came to pass.
Sheriff Forbin died, leaving behind him
an u~nexpired term Of two years. aud
Samson was summoned hastily to
Frankfort. He returned. bearing his
commission as high sheriff. though.
when the news reached Hixon. there
were few men who cnvied him his
post. and none who cared to bet that
he would live to take his oath OF Office.
That August court day was a mem.
orable one In lIiXOn. Samson South
was coming to town to take up his
duties. Every one recognized II as the
day OF final issue. and II that could
hardly pass without blooushcd. The
Hollmans. standing in their last
trench. saw only the blunt question Of
H"ollman.South supremacy, For years.
the fcud had fared and slept and
broken again into c%ruptiOns, but never
before had Il South sought to throw
his outposts of power across the wa.
ters OF Crippleshin. and into the coun.
y seat. That the present South came
bearing commission as an officer Of
the law only made his %cirOntcry the
mDre uncomfortable.
Samson had not called for outside
troops. The drilling and discipliuing
Of his own company had Progressed In
silence along the waters of Misery.
They were n slouching. unmilitary
band of uniformed vagabonds. but they
were longing to fight. and Callomb had
been with Them, tirclcssly whipping
them into rudimentary shape. After
all, they were as much p%artisans as
they had been before they were issued
state rifles. The battle, II IL came,
would be as fractional as the iight OF %
years ago. when the IIollmans held
the store and the Souths the court.
house. But back OF all that lay one rs.
sential difference, and II was this dif.
ference that had urged the governor
to stretch the forms OF law and put
such dangerous power into the hands
of II man. That difference was the
man himself, lie was TO take drastic
steps, but he was to take them under
the forms OF law, and the state execu.
tive believed that. having gone through
worse To better, he would maintain the
improved condition.
Early that morning, men began to
assemble along the streets OF HiNon;
and to congregate into sullen clumps
with set faces that denoted a grim,
unsmiling determination. Not only the
HOllmans from the town and immedi.
ate neighborhood were there. but their
~shAggier, iiercer brethren from remote