Mexico Missouri message., 1917-10-25
CHAPTER XIV.
A Race to the Swift

Since Sheriff Harding had left his
office in the county Jail and had gone
home to his ranch on the north side
of the river some hours earlier, not a
little precious time was consumed in
hunting him up. Beyond this, there
was another delay in securing the dep
uty. When Starbuck's car came to q
stand for a second time before the
mesa-frOnting entrance OF the court
house, Smith came quickly across the
walk from the portal.
"Mr. Harding" he began abruptly,
Judge Warner has gone home and he
has made me his messenger. There is
a bit Of sharp work to be done, and
you'll need a strong posse. Can you
deputize fifteen or twenty good men
who can be depended upon in a fight
and rendezvous them on the north
side river road in two hours from
nOw?"
The sheriff, big, bearded man who
might have sat for the model of one
Of Frederic Remington's frontiersmen,
took time to consider. "Is 1t q scrap?"
he asked.
sit is likely to be. There are war
rants TO be served, and there will
most probably be resistance. Your
posse should be well armed"
"We1l try for It," was the decision.
"On the north-side river road, you
say? You'll want us mounted2"
at will be better to take horses. We
could get autos, but Judge Warner
agrees with me that the thing had
better be done quietly and without
making too much of stir in town."
"All right" said the man of the
law. ''It that allT'
"No, not quite all. The first of the
warrants is to be served here in Brew
ster-upon Mr.. Crawford Stanton.
Your deputy will probably find him at
the Hophra House. Here is the paper |:
1t is a bench warrant of commitment
on a charge of conspiracy, and Stan
ton is to be locked up. Also you are
to see to it that your jail telephone
is out of order, so that Stanton won't
be able to make any attempt to get
hearing and ball before tomorrow"
"That part of 1t is mighty risky"
said Harding. "Does the judge know
about that, tooT"
"He does; and for the ends of pure
] Justice, he concurs with me-though,
of course, he couldn't give a manda-
tory order"
The sheriff turned to his Jail dep
uty, who had descended from the
| 1agnohIo Coof In tho RaoH
"You've heard the dope, Jimmie" /"
ne said shortly. go and get His
Nobs and lock him up. And If he
wants to be yelling 'Helpr and send
ing for his lawyer or somebody, why,
the telephones takin' a lay-off.
Savvy2"
The deputy nodded and turned upon
his heel, stufflng the warrant for Stan
toms arrest into his pocket as he
went. Smith swung up beside Star
buck, saying: 'Tn a couple Of hours,
then, Mr.. Harding; somewhere near
the bridge approach on the other side
OF the river"
Starbuck had started the motor and
was bending forward to adjust the oil
feed when the sheriff left them.
"You seem to have made a ten
strike with Judge Warner" the ex'
cowpuncher remarked, replacing the
hash-lamp in its seat pocket.
"Judge Warner is a man in every
inch of him; but there is something
behind this nights work that don't
quite understand" was the quick re
ply. 81 had hardly begun to state the
case when the judge interrupted me
Il know he said. 4 have been wait
Ing for you people to come and ash
for relief What do you make oi
that, Billy7"
II don't know; unless someone II
Stanton's outfit has welshed. Shaw
might have done 1t. He has been tt
Bob Stillings, and ShlIings says he II
sore at Stanton for some reason. Shaw
was trying to get Stilllngs to agree tC
drop the railroad case against him
and Bob says he made some vague
promise of help in the High Line bust
ness If the railroad people wOulC
agree not to prosecute"
"There Is q screw loose somewhere
sknow by the way Judge Warne
took hold. When proposed to swea
, out the warrant for Stanton's arrest
} he said, 4 can't understand, Mr.
Smith, why you haven't done this be
fore and he sat down and filled ou
: the blank. But we can let that go TO
the present. How are you going t
get me across the river without TAX
ing me through the heart of the tow
and giving the Brewster police q sh'
at met"