Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-02-26
Mr. Samples Sister
BY M. QUAD
Copyright. 1915. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate

|
looking around for a site for u large
factory. He was provided with let
ters 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
His factory was to make q new kind
of cloth out of what he called Persian
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 the
enterprise, but he wanted the town to
subscribe 100000 additional so as to
make it 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 | 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 a 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 a big huckleberry swamp OF
1000 acres. 1t was a 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
Tor the swamp, accompanied by con-
stable. BY pure good luck after
tramp of half Il day we came upon
trail showing the hOof prints of horses
and, following II 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
II was II fine plant we uncovered.
There were TWO men to take care OF
the horses one of them was IA black
smith and he had Il forge and dozens
of horSeShoeS. As the animals were
run ont the plan was to shoe each one
with the shoes reversed and thus de
Ceive MS III cl~e we struck II trail We
made Il cautions 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 1t was Nh Samples.
the flax clolh man. the factory man,
the man with letters of introduction.
les. sir. ne mad arrived 10 give his
Subordinates directions and as he fed
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 to
convict him twice over. and his game
was up.
You know what human nature is in
a small town. | had been malgned
and abused without stint for failing to
capture the horse thieves. Now that
| had got all the stolen horses in
bunch and the horse thief In addition
nothing was too good for me was
called a hero and all that and got
serenade from the band and had bon
fires galore in my honor. The arrest
of Samples was thunderclap. but the
public soon got over its establishment
and demanded thar 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 he claimed that he would
be able to prove his entire innocence
before 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 no
move in regard to lawyers or witnesses
NA'ei' hHii AHt llllc tlil tA DlIGu. DN
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 a lawyer and so
forth, and a day or two later she called
at the Jail. She was a rather quiet
looking woman OF about twenty-five,
spoke in choked voice and wore a
VEIL and without questioning her much
| led her to samples cell and left them
alone. II so happened that | had to 20
into court directly after, and left it
TO 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 opVtbiup ont ~ fba ,tro a. Nc, th,