The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1920-02-06
Smashing
Barriers"
EPISODE II
Trapped Like Rats"


/
As Dick, shooting along at high
! speed in the automobile, plunges into
the deadfall in the road, which Bull
head and his gang have dug, Bella
gets tho lariat from her saddle and
throws one end of it into the pit
where Dick is struggling amid the
wreckage of the auto and the boughs
and brush that had covered the trap.
He is just able to get hold of the
lariat and with the aid of the brave
Bella is dragged to safety when Bull
head and his Williams close in on him.
Dick and Bella get start on the
Williams, however, and while Bella
rides on alone, Dick hides in some UNI
derbrush by the roadside The gang
rides by, all with the exception OF
Virgins, who lags on behind. Dick
notices Virgins and hulTying to a
rock overhanging the trail he drops
down on the back of the surprised
william. A well-aimed blow on the
nose disposes of Virgins and Dick
starts up through the hills in the
general direction taken by Bella and
the pursuing lumberjacks.
Bella, finding her mount good one
keeps putting distance between her
self and the gang. She is dismayed
in the midst of her fight, however, TO
come across three Of the gang clear
ing the big tree from the road, where
they had previously placed it to stop
Dick. They see Bella as she nears
them and then notice their chief,
Bullhead, pursuing her. Two OF
them rush forward and hold her up
with their rifles About this time
Dick, by hard riding, has reached a
spot on the hill looking down on the
scene where Bella is being held up
and faces capture again.
Just as he rides up on the two
ruffins confronting her she pretends
to surrender. Suddenly she spurs the
horse forward and the two men are
knocked down. The third keeps her
covered with his rife Dick takes
hand and with a well-aimed shot
knocks the rifle from the ruffin's hand.
Bella rides on and reaches town
lust in time to board train for the
city. Squinty Mullan, unnoticed, also
gets aboard. Dick misses making
connection with the train. He deter
mines to catch it, however, and takes
shortcut to railroad bridge sew
eral miles outside of the town.
Squinty approaches Bella on the
train and threatens her. Dick, by
hard riding, reaches the railroad
bridge, climbs on top of the trusseS
and Jumps to the roof of one of the
cars Just as the train passes under.
Making his way inside the cars he
finds Squinty intimidating Bella. ne
takes him and throws him bodily
from the train.
In the city the court is preparing
to take up the question of the owner
ship of the timber lands. Bullhead'
aided by a confederate, who poses as
a court officer, succeeds in overpow-
ering Dick, Bella, the elder Manners
and their attorney. They are bound
and gagged and imprisoned in va
cant room in the court building.
Virgins attorney demands that
the case be dismissed. The judge and
the court officers make a last call Tor
the compliments, who are Dick ana
the elder Manners. Long Tom ana
Shannon, the detective, discover
Dicks predicament just in time. lhey
are all released in time to present
their case. The Williams escape and
Dick traces them to the den of Halfa,
the clairvoyant. AS the officers
search, Dick, Bella and her father
wait in small room which proves to
be a steel lined trap. Haifa lowers
the room into a pool of water intend
ing to drown them, and the ceiling OF
the room automatically closes down
on them. Tom and the others, hear
ing their cries, batter in vain at the
steel door to release them.
Continued next week.