The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-12
HunsI

Neo Mdsk-a name that might nave
stampeded the village. The mob
charged him. Bound as ne was. he
dashed at them. A bust OF his shout
der caught the foremost man. burly
blacksmith, on the jaw. He went
down like a beef under the maIiet A
drive Of his head to the pit of the
stomach crumpled up another A we'll
directed kick laid out third.
He fought as the men of his blood
had always fought But what can one
man, with his hands tied, do against
many? They had his blouse ripped off.
his shirt in shreds, and a hundred
hands still itching to get at him. They
beat his face; his body-wherever
first or a club could reach him. A
stick Of stove wood in the hands of
a lanky woodchopper laid open an
ugly cash across his head.
Half-dazed, he was trying to wink
the blood and mist out of his eyes
when a roar was heard on the out
skirts of the crowd. and the stocky
form of the old Boss was seen fight
ing his way into the circle. He had
probably, gone up to Fallen Rock, as
he had promised the night before,
missed the Pearlhunter, and come on
to the village. He fought well. and
opened a narrow swath, halfway
through the circle to his friend. But
just there somebody struck him above
the ear with the flat of barrel stave.
The ripple subsidized; the swath closed.
The Pearlhunter's last friend was
down and out.
Who knows where the mob gets its
rope? The lamentabie fact is they al
ways get it. The Pearihunter fought
against it with the strength of desper-
alton; with his shoulders, his head,
his teeth. In spite of him. and by
sheer mass of numbers. the moose was
slipped about his neck. and he was
forced back under the outreaching
branch of great oaksthat stood near
the center of the open plot.
The rope was flung over limb. Half
a hundred hands, some of them wom-
ems hands, stretched up ready to pull
Half hundred hands did pull. The
rope ENTHUSIASTICALLY A hush fell on
the mob; hush so deep that the
Tightening of the rope could be dis
tinctiy heard. That last final scene,
the last stroke that stops a life-it
it a solemn moment; even to mob.
The Pearlhunter was lifted: the last
light tips of his toes left the grass;
flames ran up and down his spine;
the world turned black.
There came sudden dash of hoofs,
and a man rode straight at the mob.
It takes a hardy person to withstand
the charge of a horse. The crowd
parted. The horseman reached the
dangling man. and with one slash of
n 10 NJ he
The stroke came barely in time. The
ling down to the grass by the arm of
the horseman. dropped limp and gasp
ing against the side of the horse
Slowly the world quit reeling; the iignt
came back: he raised his eyes; caught
vest of his rescuer.
1t is marvellous how one brave man,
with the law behind him. can awe a
mob.
who is this MANI" yelled the
sheriff.
A man. whose mouth had been
mashed by a butt of the Pearlhunter's |
head. clawed the red mask up from the |
ground. trampled and so!led. but still
and held it high. The |
sheriff started: glared hard at the
AN so it's you they've ropedi" he
growled. Damned if / hain't notion
to let 'em finish the job.
A snarl ran through the mob. They |
surged forward. The sheriff drew his
revolver again, and cursed them back. |
Red Mask or red devil" he storm
ed, hes entitled to a trial under the |
law; and a trial he'll git"
The mob muttered ominously but |
fell back. leaving some little space
about the horse. The Pearlhunter was
the tallest man there. His height en-
abled him to see with tolerable clear
ness to the outskirts of the crowd. He
swept his eyes over the heads of the
others like a man looking for some
thing he fully expected to find. He
was not disappointed. In the outer
edge of the crowd, leaning carelessly
against hitch rack. stock the man
he was expecteding to see. He had
come out of the Mud Hen at the be-
ginning of the uproar but had taken
no part in the lynching. He didn't
need to. He had a whole town to do
It for him.
The Pearlhunter was not surprised
TO see MIN there why SnOu4unl ne De
there, very much interested specta
tor at the final working out of his
well laid plot. plot that had worked
put so. infinitely better than he had
planned? Why shouldn't man come
TO see himself hanged?
And there the Pearlhunter stood.
with the rope around his neck-the
wrong neck-and no proof to put Il
around the right one. Something
;welled under the rope. something
hat 'surged up to his eyes and struck
out a splinter of fire. He turned to
he man on the horse.
Sheriff. if you'll sick my gun back
md cut my hands loose. I'll rope you
he real Red Mask"
1t was an unwise thing to say. He
knew il the moment he'd said Il 1t
vas unlike him. The man leaning
n apparent carelessnesS against the
itch rack was probably quite unaware
hat he was suspected. 1t might prove
costly mistake to let him know that
he was Besides. t was extremely un-
likely that he would have the pearl
till on him With the pearl gone The