Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-09-21
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
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 a
stand for 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
bit of sharp work to be done, and
you'll need a strong posse. Can you
deputlze fifteen or twenty good men
who can be depended upon in fight
and rendezvous them on the north
side river road in two hours from
nowT'
The sheriff, big, bearded man who
might have sat for the model of one
of Frederic Remingtons frontiersmen,
took time to consider. as it a scrap"
he asked.
at is likely to be. There are war
rants to be served, and there will
most probably be resistance. Your
posse should be well armed"
"We'll try for it," was the decision.
"On the north-side river road, you
say? You'll want us mOunted?"
ut 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."
Gall right" said the man Of the
Law. ut that all?"
''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 a
hearing and bail before tomorrow"
"That part of it is mighty risky"
said Harding. "Does the judge know
about that, too?"
"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
rumble seat in the rear.
you've heard the dope. Jimmie" !"
he said shortly. "Go and get His
Nobs and lock him up. And if he
wants to be yelling 'Helpp and send
ing for his lawyer or somebody why,
the telephones takin' a lay-off.
| SavvyT
The deputy nodded and turned upon
his heel, stuffing the warrant for STAN
toms arrest into his pocket as he
went. Smith swung up beside Star
buck, saying: "In 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
fash-lamp in its seat pocket.
"Judge Warner is a man in every
inch of him; but there is something
behind this nights work that 1 don't
quite understand" ewas the quick re-
ply. 81 had hardly begun to state the
case when the judge interrupted me.
4 know he said. 4 have been wait
ing for you people to come. and ask
for relief What do you make OF
that, Bnly?"
81 don't know; unless someone in
Stnnton's outfit has welshed. Shaw
might have done 1t. He has been to
Bob Stillings. and Sdllings says he, is
sore at Stanton for some reason. Shaw
was trying to get Stillings to agree to
drop the railroad case against him
and Bob says he made some vague
promise of help In the High Line busi.
ness If the railroad people would
agree not to prosecute"
"There is a screw loose somewhere
know by the way Judge Warner
took hold. When proposed to swear
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 out
the blank. But we can let that go fol
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 shy
at meT
Starbuck's answer was wordless
With n quick twist of the pilot whee
he sent the car skidding around tn,
corner, using undue haste, as 1
seemed, since they had two hours be
fore them. A few minutes farthe
along the lights of the town had beel
left behind and the car was speedin;
swiftly westward on a country roat
paralleling the, railway track; tn
road over which Smith had twfc
driven with the kidnapped Jibbey.
III SlilI SueSSluS, TIE pdSSenRe
yentured, when the last of the rail
road distance signals had flashed /
the rear. And then: whats the fran
tic hurry, Billy7"
Starbucl was running with tn
muller cut out, but now he cut it 1
and the roar Of the motor sank to
humming murmur.
IL thought So" he remarked, turr
ing his head to listen. "You didn
notice that police whistle just as W
were leaving the courthouse, did you
nor the answers to it while we wer
lodging through the suburbs? Som,
I. body has marked us down and passe
the word, and now they're chasing u
with buzz-wagon. Don't you hea
3 it?"
Y BY this time Smith could hear tn
] sputtering roar of the following ca
; only too plainly.
e Its big one" he commente,
"You can't outrun 1t, Billy; and, b.
sides, there is nowhere to run to