The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-02-05
18th Installnent
OF This Years
Best Story
EHEPT TX,
4 h.sssag> -r--. e Grave.

fvATa -lsEERSl I'll from the
w ucsIe d.. been unno.
5S-Tz=s deed 10y Ia laws, and be.
sG fore any o. the camp
could make sure that le man was
dead 2 couple Of the exicans had
quickly slipped down the hill to him.
Che found him stil alive. Without
raEi8a az attention 80 John DORIS
ma8, vic were s.Iil Goubtful of the
oats one u the p8'de they dragged
ja-lr is.iei leader a9ay and .D iuao
their own temporary camp.
It Wis 10. long aetore Will .~z1u F,.-
viyed IL was terribly br Ed SAD
almost insane tom physica, ..,a .Ij
via ra-a ar h,s Iefeat. j Va, 'eEI
di5ou-ts tnat ne unsmilsr- o-t.aws
restrained E'm Their chic t.a> uroE
timse3. ~. task of MAXI gla:u to
Wu&ersgn tla, this wa d" tine for
81 ana o-ganized at'agh
CfcE hare beaten us s. ga. senior
oia quietly. "anG vou are ;ecy
T"mJr row we SHAH see"
ae HyH mornings aTu At@ s.erre."
Touched the peaks ar 54e laDaE'@ius
when Nilkerson Stretched lis III.
sore '-rs Is and began --gSh a....r,a. g..
IL lie it clear l., Ia 1eaE.. ~ use
Nj. IN outlaws H.; ,lnv n.st 'yor.,
swiftly.
".; won't be 10 ..".,ga tie laN, 0f
lis fighting ge's or nd the .Ithe",-
..,-; take a han .. ~a.d. "But { va
O.. n just get Il IS la.... INTO our posse.
sion in the me- .#s.. days can r.yr
sou and yOuI u.a p.aeaayic work
men and swra~ t... !H.rr ard his gang
are trying { take om gr ye.;y away
by force. ,-7,>e jay we'd waI he IS
good as hi
VERY We" "-..u5 a." t..Iirau
after thOughtfully a.-....s.l tja 5aal-
ter. We can get back =. g: N",i'1 So
twenty-four hours from here. = .sI,
as you pay us and let us-what =.
you call it-loot, my men are with
you"
Wilkerson covertly studied the deS-
peradO'S impressive viSage. Jose Nigas
bore a renowned name on the border
JOl SllISNulltSS anu NithtNt-
ness. He was known as The Mcrci-
less" For five years he had had Il
price set on his head. yet because Of
the loyalty of his adherentS and his
own fearlesSness he had escaped.
No man better fitted for sinister
purpose could have been found. Yet
mingled with Wilkerson's satisfaction
ut having such 4 tool to his hand was
4 dread of the man himself. and his
calm insistence on the privilege of loot
ing the camp when it was captured
gave him a sense of nausea.
After all, they were Americans down
there in the Master Key" camp.
Through his binoculars he could see
Ruth on the porch of the bungalow.
EigaS, too, saw her He took no pains
to conceal the cruel interest in his eyes.
The next few days resulted in little
advantage to either side. John DOrr
could not reopen the mine nor even
send in for much needed supplies be-
cause of the constant menace of the
outlaws. who occasionally fired scat
tering shots down into the gulch as 4
warning that they were vigilant.
On the other hand, Wilkerson found
it impossible to seize the camp with
out precipitating Il battle. from which
he shrank. Deeply involved as he al
ready was i'll crime. he dreaded 10
cross the border line which would for
ever place him beyond the pale and
make him an outlaw.
Instead, he used every method to
put himself OutwardIy in the right. He
sent plea after plea to the sheriff of
the county 20 come and restore order.
asserting that he had been driven from
his rightful property by violence and
that the situation was such that, with !