The Monticellonian., 1916-08-31

| ford, always dY-sed against violence.
But Jones had a boy Of eighteen, a
heavy-faeed, dull-witted lad, who was
possessed of the desire to kill. to be
known among his fellows as bad
| man. This younger Jones it was who
had aimed his fathers sawed-off shot
gun at Sam Lunsford as that hulking
figure of a man swayed back and forth
as he rocked the baby that suffered
| from collie, The patriot Hill, Will
Jones the born murderer, a father
and son by the name of Hinton. had
been the murderers of Tom Reynolds.
| There were no others who would go
so far as to kill to avenge their fan.
cied grievances.
The summer was dragging to its
close as the conversational special
agent got his information together
| The yellow was stealing into the trees
| of the hillsides when Billy Gard, he
| whose health had been broken behind
the ribbon counter, came back to Ten.
ney's for another few weeks in the
| open. He wandered into the woods
anu met the lu5LIlfe llOIi lHo OOulI
Carolina Jail The jail bird and the
| ribbon counte. clerk talked long to-
| gether and when they parted the plans
were laid for the nipping off of the
| men who would murder for their stills
1t was a week later and the quiet
of after-midnight rested upon the lit
| tie mountain town of Wheeler. In
such towns there are no all-night in
| dustries, no street cars to drone
through deserted thoroughfares, not
even an arc light to sputter at street
crossings. There is but the occasion
| al stamping of horse in its stall or
| the baying of watch dog in answer
to the howl of wolf ON the hillside.
But murder was planned to take place
that night in Wheeler and A. Spauld
ing Bowling knew all about it.
AS the town slept four stealthy
figures crept down the trail that cuts
across the point of the Hunehback.
Soft-footedly, rifles in hand. they
passed down a side street beneath
the dense shade of giant sycamores.
1t was but three blocks from the
woods to Main street. Reaching this
| artery of the town. two of the men
crouched in the shadow while two
others crossed the street and vent a
block further, turning 10 the left Each
group then shifted itself a hundred
feet to the left and paused again.
So stationed the four men found
themselves in front and back of Todd s
livery stable. The building itself sat
back little from the street On the
ground floor were the stalls for the
horses and the shcds where the
wagons were stored. Overhead were
bins of corn and hay and a living
room where Todd slept that he might
always be near his teams. About the
whole was a roomy barnyard enclosed
by high board fence The gates
to the outer enclosure were locked,
but once past this wall man would
have the run of the whole place.
The mountaineers, two in the front
and two in the rear of The building.
swung themselves 70 the top of the
fence and leaped to the ground inside.
Rifles at hip they started to close n
on the building Each party entered
at opposite ends of the corridor down
the middle through which a wagon
might drive. Nothing interfered with
their progress and no sound was heard
except a sleeping horse occasionally
changing feet on the board floor of
his stall. Stealthily the four figures
gathered in a cluster and turned up
the steep stairway that led to the
sleeping room of Todd. With every
rifle ready for action they pushed open
the door. The moon coming Ia at a
window disclosed what seemed to be
sleeping form in the bed. Deliber-
ately the four rifles came to bear
upon it. There was pause and then
from the leader came the order:
"Firei"
Every finger pressed the trigger of
it's rifle. Every hammer came down
on its cap. But no report followed.
Not gun had been discharged.
Come on out in the open. you
sneakin towards" came a clamorous
voice from the barnyard that was rec
ognized as being that of Todd. Come
out in the lot and III larrup you all. "
The men In the room looked puz-
zled, one at the other, End then at the
form on the bed. They approached
the latter and found it to be but a
dummy to represent Todd. They had
been trapped. They would fight their
way out.
The mountaineers charged down
the stairway. AS they came into the
moonlight at the opening of the barn
they faced the tall form OF a man
they knew we'll. the United States
marshal of the district. With no gun
in his hands the marshal raised his
hands on high.
Listen, men," he commanded. "A
parley. You are trapped. There are
armed men at every corner of this
building and every man who runs out
of 1t will be shot dead. Your powder
has been wet and none of you can
fire a shot You can't fight armed
men. There is but one thing for you
to do and that Is to surrender
In the parley that followed the mar
shall asked each man to try his gun
to see If it could be fired. None could
respond. The mountaineers found
themselves caught in the very act of
attempting to kill Todd, whom they
had often Threatened. They had been
duped and trapped.
So had these young detectives of
the new school worked out most diff
ficult case and one which later proved,