The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1915-03-04

was serving my first and only term
OF sheriff In an Indiana county when
"a smart looking aged man who gave
the name OF Samples arrived at 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
man of business and soon had the
two bankers in the town and other
business men interested in his project
His factory was 10 make new kind
Of cloth out of what he called Persian
hemp. He had Samples of the cloth
to show. and II could be made and
sold at 40 per cent profit Samples
himself would put S.OO.OO0 into the
enterprise. but ne wanted the town to
subscribe $2U.WU additiongi So as to
make 1t u home affair.
On the second night OF Samples ar
rival In our town Il fine horse was
stolen from a citizen. During the first
weeks stay more horses were run of
In three weeks time twelve of the
best horses in our township were TAX
en-. AS sheriff was not Idle for an
hour after the first horse was taken
Even II ! 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 few miles. always beaded
for the Ohio river. but the thieves
were slick fellows and covered theft
tracks so well that not horse was
recovered
One day while ! was shivering in
my boots and expecting 10 bear that
the thirteenth horse had been stolen j
flash OF light came To me. Every
horse taken had gone south by Ger.
tain road. Al d certain point all trace
! had been lost Ten miles to the south
Of us was big huckleberry swamp OF
1000 acres u was a wilderness and
had only been explored by hunters. IL
was a big tangle. full OF snakes and
wildcats. and even berry pirkers took
good care not to penetrate too far. II
flashed over me that the stolen horses
instead of being run out of the state
had been corraled In this swamp
to wait until the hue and cry were
over. Within two hours I had started
for the swamp. accompanied by con
stable BY pure good luck after d
tramp OF haIf a day We came upon u
trail showing the hOOf prints of horses
and, following IL to the very center OF
the swamp. we came upon. the whole
twelve stolen animals. Feed had beer
brought In to them by another trail.
1t was a fine plant" we uncovered
There were two men TO take care oi
| the horses. One Of them was black
smith. and be had a forge and dozens
Of horseshoes. AS the animals were
| run ont the plan was to shoe each one
I with the shoes reversed and thus de
/ ceive Us In case we struck a trail. We
made a cautious approach, but In spite
| Of US the two men got away. We
scarcely regretted 1t, however. in view
| of the capture of the third one. who
had lust arrived. 1t was Mr.. Samples
| the fax cloth man, the factory man
| the man with letters OF introduction
Yes. sir. be had arrived to give hi:
subordinates directions. and as he fec
with the others be tripped and fell. ant
| we were enabled to overhaul him. H'
| didn't even bluff. We had got him 81
pat that be could not say anything. IL
his pockets were letters sufficient T.
convict him twice over, and bis game
was up.
You know what human nature is II
| a small town. ] had been malignet
| and abused without stint for failing Il
capture the horse thieves. Now tina
I had got all the stolen horses In
bunch and the horse thief In addition
nothing was too good for me. ! wal
called a hero and all that and got
serenade from the band and had bon
fires galore In my honor. The ares
Of Samples was a thunderclap. but TIT
public soon got over its astonishmen
and demanded that be receive thu
maximum punishment of the law. III
was examined. committed for trial. ant
took care to give him the stronges
cell In the county jail. The man gav'