The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1915-04-23

Sheriff Forbin died, leaving behind him
an uneXpired term of two years, and
Samson was summoned hastily to
Frankfort. He returned, bearing his
commission as high sheriff, though,
when the news reached Hixon, there
we're few men who envied 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 men,
orable one in HiXon. Samson South
was coming to town to take up his
duties. Every one recognized it as the
day Of final issue, and one that could
hardly pass without bloodshed. The
Hollmans, standing in their last
trench, saw only the blunt question Of
Hollman-South supremacy. For years,
the feud had fared and slept and
broken again into eruptions, but never
before had a South sought to throw
his 0utposts Of power across the wa.
tiers of Crippleshin, and into the coun-
ty seat. That the present South came
bearing commission as an officer Of
the law only made his effrontery the
more uncomfortable.
Samson had not called for outside
troops. The drilling and disciplining
Of his own company had progressed in
silence along the waters of Misery.
They were a slouching, unmilitary
band of uniformed vagabonds, but they
were longing to fight, and Callomb had
been with them, tirelessly whipping
them into rudimentary shape. After
all, they were as much partisans as
they had been before they were issued
state rifles. The battle, if it came,
would be as factional as the fight of Is
years ago, when the HQllmans held
the store and the Souths the court.
house. But back OF all that lay one es-
sential difference, and it was this diff
ference that had urged the governor
to stretch the forms of law and put
such dangerous power into the hands
| " one man. That difference was the
IAN himself. He vas 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 tt
assemble along the streets Of HlXon;
and to congregate into sullen clumpS
with set faces that denoted a grim
unsmiling determination. Not only the
Itollmans from the town and immedl
ate neighborhood were there, but theil
shaggier, flercer brethren from remote
creeks and covers, who came only a
urgent call, and did not come without
intent of indicating their presence
! Old Jake Holman, from "over yon" or
the headwaters of Dryhole creek
brought his son and fourteen-year-olt
grandson, and all of them carried Win
chesters Long before the hour TO-
the courthouse bell to sound the cal
which would bring matters to a crisis
women disappeared from the streets
and front shutters and doors closet
themselves. At last, the Souths began
to ride in by half-doZens, and to hitcl
their horses at the racks. they ais
fell into groups we'll apart. The tW'
factions eyed each other sOmberly
sometimes nodding or exchanging
greetings, for the time had not we
come to fight. Slowly, however, tn
Hollmans began centering about tn
courthouse. They swarmed in tn
yard, and entered the empty Jail, AM
overran the halls and offices of tn
building itself The Souths, now CON
ing in a solid stream, flowed wit
equal unanimity to McEwer's hote
near the square, and ,sappeared in
side. Besides their rifles, they carrie
saddlebags, but not one of the I'M
forms which some of these bags cor
tanned, nor one of the cartridge belts
had yet been exposed to view.
Stores opened, but only for desu
tory pretense of business. Horseme
led their mounts away from the NOR
public racks, and tethered them t
back fences and willow branches !
the shelter of the river banks, wher
stray bullets would not find them.
The dawn that morning had sti
been gray when Samson South an
Captain Callomb had passed the Mi
Ter cabin. Callomb had ridden slowl
on around the turn Of the road, an
waited quarter Of mile away. Fl
was to command the militia that da!