Charlevoix county herald., 1916-12-15

lunch, had gone to the courthouse and
were busy with the recorder who was
trying to find the missing book, when
clerk coming in told about the hight
down street, and of a prisoner, named
Spike, the crowd was trying TO take
from the sheriff.
Storm and Helen, not waiting to
pursue their search, left the room to
ascertain what the disturbance was
about.
BY this time the sheriff and his dep
uties had succeeded in getting Spike
to the calaboose where they pushed
him inside. But the crowd, now
mob, had followed hard on their heels.
II was growing larger every moment
and the feeling was running higher.
In fact, Storm and Helen had hardly
reached the street when they were
told there was a good prospect of the
city Jail being raided and Spike be-
ing dragged out and hanged to the
first pole
Seagrue had sent Lug out to look
for Bill, whose disappearance dis
turbed him. And Lug, finding his part
ner lying deserted on the sidewalk,
tried hard to bring him around. He
stopped a man running past and with
his help propped Bill up.
Helen and Storm, reaching the edge
of the crowd in front Of the JAIL saw
and heard enough to make them real
ize the seriousness of the situation.
They looked at each other.
What do you think?" asked Helen
of her companion anxiously.
Storm shook his head. We've got
to get help, Helen, and get it quick.
The only place it can come from
is the camp, then" responded Helen
with decision. And we must go after
it, George"
They fastened to the station and
told the story to the agent. Storm
wrote a message, directing a boy to
rush upstairs with it and get it off.
When Rhinelander opened the tele-
gram a few moments later, he read:
SPIKE WORKING IN OUR BE-
HALF IN TROUBLE WITH SEA-
GRUE'S GANG. THEY ARE STORM
ING JAIL TO LYNCH HIM. ON EN-
CINE. HAVE HELP READY AS
SOON AS WE ARRlVE-STORM.
Rhinelander, without less Of time,
assembled his men, told them of the
trouble at Las Vegas and asked if they
were willing to help rescue Spike.
They answered with an affirmative
yell and he ordered them to climb
aboard fiat car.
In front Of the Jail man was ha-
ranguing the crowd and urging them to
get the murderer. And his listeners
were already in a humor to rush the
place Within, the sheriff and his men
were anxiously watching develop
ments.
The sheriff ordered a deputy to slip
quietly out the back way and get hold
Of a car The moment the machine
appeared the sheriff struggled Spike
out, meaning to take him to the coun-
ty jail for safe keeping. Unfortunately,
an alert rioter saw the move. He
gave the alarm.
Before Spikes captors could get
chine off. 1t was then a case of any
port in a storm and the officer with
his little party took refuge in the city
council chambers, Handwriting Spike
TO the floor in order to have everyone
free to hold the rioters at bay.
Helen and Storm had boarded a
switch engine in the yards and run 1t
down to camp where the fat car filed
with men was coupled to it and with
Rhinelander in charge, headed again
for Las Vegas.
The sheriff in the council chamber
found himself surrounded. He went
to the door and addressed the mob
He told them he would defend the
prisoner with his life. The officer went
inside. fastening the door behind him,
and his men made a barricade Of
desks TO protect themselves from &C.
casional bullets that now whistled
through the big windows opening on
Main street But though the men
made themselves safe for the time be-
ing, stray shot struck the wires
leading from the telephone and in con-
tact with a scratch pad. Unobserved
by anyone in the excitement of the
moment the paper caught by the short
circuit began to smoke. In moment
it blazed up; little tongues of fire be.
gan to lick the wall beside which the
pad lay. At this juncture Rhineland-
err with his men eager for a fray
pulled into the station.
Scrambling from the fat car they
fastened, led by Rhinelander, up Main
street. The sheriff perceiving timely
aid in sight, punched his men and
charged out into the street. Taken
front and rear, the mob scattered and
the sheriff dividing the new arrivals
into posses under his deputies, pur.