The Press., 1915-07-14
Twice
 Married
Bat the Second Wedding Was Very
 Different From the First.
By WILLARD Bl.AKEMAN

He had various names, but none Q
 them was so widely used as The Eel It had been given him to denote tha
 he was extremely slippery, He ha'
 been cornered . number of times. ba
 on each and every occasion he hat
 slipped through the fingers of thos'
 who were attempting to hire him. H'
 had victimized both men and women
 especially winning the latter withou
 half trying. He had married a number | of them. got possession of what none,
 they possessed and then lit out. H' was good fighter. and when he coulc not get out of a sheriff's clutches by chicanery he would put up defens, that had thus far saved him from con viction.
 1 was sheriff of Union county wheI one morning one of the women he ha6 married came into town, having riddeI twenty miles to bring the information that The Eel was working among the settlers about Hobson, where she ha6 seen him, though, she having been one of his first wives and he having mar ried so many since, he did not recog nize her. Instead of making herself known to him, she had brought us the news of his presence in Hobson that an effort might be made to capture him.
 It occurred to me that as one of bis victims and therefore imperyious to his fascinations she might aid in his capture. But 1t was probable that If he came into close contact with her he would remember her. l therefore pro- posed that she should give herself a darker complexion and wear a wig of different hair than her own. The com plexion she could manage, but wigs were scarce in that country, and some other means of changing her hair must be found.
 She entered into my scheme heart and soul. There was drug store in the town at which she purchased a complexion and hair dye, and from blond converted herself into a pro nounced brunette. She was a young woman, not too old to pass for my daughter. l made up as farmer look ing for a place to settle and buy land. I provided myself with arms, but concealed them under my clothes. also took with me several packages of paper cut to the size and shape of a blank bill and on the top of each pack age placed a real bank bill. planned that The Eel should endeavor to get these packages through my supposed daughter, and I might lay trap to take him while he was doing so.
 Belle Ashurst-that was the girls nams-and l started on horseback for Hobson one morning and reached 1t in the middle of the afternoon. We rode up to the tavern and my atten- ton was attracted to a man about thir- ty-fiye years of age sitting on the porch in chair tilted against the house smoking long cigar. There was noth ing noticeable about him to one not used to dealing with dishonest char. acters, but there was something in his eye that told me at once he was our quarry.
 Belle and dismounted and went into the house, where registered as Peter Bunker of Independence, Mo. Till SUD- per time contented myself with ask ing the landlord for information about the surrounding country, the charac- ter of the soil and if there was any property for sale. While we were talk ing The Eel came in and told the land lord in his presence that I had $3,OOO in currency with me to put into land. The Eel, who was posing as MT. Jeffer- son Mccormick, joined in the conver- sation and said he knew a man who had a farm that was about to be sold out under a foreclosure of mortgage and could be bought dirt cheap. I told him that l would be greatly obliged to him for the information.
 While We were talking the supper bell rang, and down came Belle As- hurst. introduced MT. Mccormick to her. and she received him very cordial ly. asked him to join us at supper. He accepted the invitation, and gave him seat on one side of Belle, while sat on the other side of her. 1 watch ed him when she first spoke to him, fearing that her voice would give her away. saw him look up at her quick ly. but she was so well disguised that doubted if she had betrayed herself.
 After supper we went into the loung- ing room. where I left Belle and MT. Mccormick. while I sauntered about the town When I went back to the tavern l saw Mccormack and Belle sitting together, and they had evident ly got pretty thick. When Belle saw me she excused herself to him and, coming out. joined me. She had re- strained herself very well, but she told me that her desire to lash the villain for his perfidy was so great that she was glad of an excuse to get away from him. He had used the same Embellishments with which he had won her several years before.
 I told her that on her preserving her equanimity and playing her part we'll depended our securing his capture and her revenge. She promised to control herself She had succeeded In pre- tending to be much pleased with Mr. Mccormick. He had asked her to go Tor ride with him the next morning. and she had told him she would do so provided her father would consent. took the matter under consideration and the next morning told her she might go. l suggested that she say to Mccormick that she was interested In her fathers buying property and ask him to point out any that he knew was for sale.
 When Belle came back from her ride she told me that her companion had made violent love to her. telling her that 1t was case of love at first sight, that the moment he saw her he knew they were made for each other. She had responded so far as her indigna- tion would permit and acknowledged that she was very much pleased with him.
 Several days passed. during which l wQa I0vfDO rIou fo- vrl,o I,ors- .z.