The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1920-02-05
CHAPTER V.
The Name.

matters than the hide OF a spotty
yearlln'. but his boys never had
No country Is so isolated that
gossip cannot find II out. The story
of tho spotted yearling went speed
ing thru the country,
Alcok Douglas. infatuated by the
contemptuous attitude which Tom
had taken toward him and his spotty
yearling. and by his failure 10 find
any discriminating evidence on the
Devils Tooth ranch. swore TO n good
many suspicious which he called
facts. and had Tom arrested.
Black Rim country talked and
chortled and surmiscd. Opinion was
about evenly divided. a few declared
that Tom had something up his
, sleeve. Others insisted that Tom
knew when he was backed into a
corner Tom Lorrigan would &c
over the road" for how long they
could only guess according 20 their
secret hopes.
Much OF the talk was peddled to
Tom and the boys under tho guis,
of friendship. Having lived all his
| life in the Black Rim country. Tom
knew how much the friendship was
worth. lie laid down IA law or two "a
his boys. and babe them hold their
tongues and give no heed to the
clacking.
"Thc show ain't over till the cur
tain's down for good" he said. Dor
rowing phrase from Belle. 1--WE
got long time yet to live In the
Black Rim. This here's the law
sharp's job. When he's thru. then
wen play"
Evidence was produced which as
tonished him. For instance. an Al
man had seen him riding over by
Squaw Butte, on the night after
Douglas had accused him OF stealing
the spotted yearling. The Al mar
seemed embarrassed. lie did not
often look up. and when he did he
swallowed convulsively. as tho some
thing stuck In his throat. But his
story sounded matter f,fact and
honest.
He had ridden past Sduaw Butte
the night after Tom Lorrigan was
accused by Douglas. He had been
on his way from Jumpoff and had
cut across country because he was
late. There was a moon. and he had
seen n man riding across an open
space between the creek and the will
lows. The Al man had not thought
much about II. tho he did wonder a
little. too. II was late for n man 10
be riding around on the range.
When no reached the place. he saw
man ride out OF the brush further
along. into clear moonlight 1t was
Tom Lorrigan: yes. he was sure OF
that. He knew the horse that Tom
was riding. He admitted that IL he
hadn't been sure of the horse he
would not have been sure II was
Tom.
Later, Toms lawyer asked him
why he had not spoken to Tom. The
AZ man replied he wasn't close
enough for talking unless he hollercd.
That was all very well. and Black
Rim perked It's ears. thinking that
the case looked bad for Tom. Very
bad, indeed.
But Toms lawyer proved very
adroitly that the Al man had not
been I'm Jumpoff at the time he
claimed. He had been with his own
outfit, and II he had ridden past
Squaw Butte that night he must
have gone out from the ranch and
come back again. Which led very
naturally to the question, Why?
On the other hand. why had Tom
Lorrigan ridden to Squaw Butte that
night7 He himself explained that
later on. lie said that he had gone
over to see IL there was any hide In
the willows as Douglas had claimed.
He had not found any.
Thus two men admitted having
been in the neighborhood OF the
stolen hide on that night. Toms
lawyer was quick to seize the coin
cidence, and make the most Of IT,.
Why, he asked mildly, might not
the Al outfit have stolen the year.
ling? What was the Al man doing
there? Why not suspect him OF hav-
ing placed the hide In the crevice
where II had later been found? That
night the hide had been removed
from the willows where Douglas had
first discovered IL. Douglas had gone
back the next day after IL, and II
had been missing. II was not until
several days later that he had found
1t in the crevice. why assume that
Tom Lorrigan had removed 1t?
IF I'd set out to cache that hide"
Tom here interposed, "I'd have bur
led II. Only darn fool would leave
evidence like that laying around In
sight"
For this the court reprimanded
him, but he had seen several OF the
jury nod their heads, unconsciously
agreeing with him. And altho his
remark was never put on record. 1t
stuck deep In the minds Of the jury
and had it's influence later on.
Toms lawyer did not argue openly
that a conspiracy had been Matched
against Tom Lorrigan. but he SO pre-
scented the case in his closing argu'
ment to the jury that each man be-
lieyed he saw an angle to the affair
which the defense had overlooked.
II appeared to the jury to be n
"frame.up."
For instance, why had Cheyenne, a
Lorrigan man, ridden over to the
Douglas ranch and remained outside
by the corral for long time, talk
ing with Aleck Douglas, before he
went inside to call on the Douglas
girl? Sam Pretty Cow impassively
testified to that. He had been riding
over TO see n halfbreed girl that
worked for the Blacks, and he had
cut thru the Douglas ranch to save
time.
A full week the trial lasted, while
the lawyers wrangled over evidence
and tcchnlcalitles. A full week Tom
slept in the county jail--and for all