The Adair County news., 1921-09-27

at his side. 1t was foolish, worse
than useless. to show fight; dozens
of rifles were staring al him with their
frowning, murderous eyes, and their
bullets would riddle him if he showed
fight. He glanced toward Walt Tur-
ner, kinsman of the Balls.
Turner was laughing openly. Pore
little kitty!"
"If ever l have the chance" NUT
tered Bill Dale, "Tll thrash you for
this cute little joke of yours"
"You won't never have the chanst,"
laughed Walt Turner.
The Balls and the Torreys began
to close in on all sides, and a solid
ring of dark and for the most part
bearded, wickedly triumphant faces
formed itself around Dale. Adam
Balls father, the acknowledged leader
of that band of cutthroats that was
now the Ball-Torrey faction, glared at
Dale with black eyes that were filed
with the fire of intense hatred; then
he seized Dale's revolver and thrust
it inside the waist-band of his worn
leans trousers. Dale felt the grip
of rough hands on his shoulders and
arms. He fully realized his great
danger; but he strove to keep all signs
of fear out Of his countenance, and
he was not unsuccessful.
81 presume this is what you call
taking the law into your own hands,
isn't it?" he said with a smile that
was forced. --'-r'--, r'-""-~7 '7'4"i'~i
"Edzactly!" snapped old Ball. ave
ketched ye fo' the law, and we held
ye fo' the law, and we turned ye over
to the law; and 'en, by comics, the
law turned ye loose the very next
dayI And 'en the shuriff he comes
out here and arrests four O. US! Eff
the law won't try ye and punish ye
fo' a-shootin' my son Adam in cold
blood, by comics, Wen try ye and
punish We fo' a-doin' 1t. But ye
needn't be skeered none at all. Ye're
plumb shore to git jestice. I'll prom
Use ye jestice,r%
you've evidently overlooked the
fact that another man confessed to
the killing, and that that was why
they liberated me-" said Dale.
ITS some cussed frame-up," snarled
the leader Of the gang. mo man on
earth don't like no other man well
enough fo' that. Asides, you're the
one at killed my son Adam, by gon-
MES, and you're the one at must suf-
fer fo' it. Right here onder this here
warnut tree we're a-goin' to hold cote
and have yore trial, by tedge and jury,
and you'll shore git what's a-comin'
-n
Bill Dale cut in with some bitter
ness: "And you'll be the judge, and
your plans have already been laid, and
I'm to be hanged by the neck until
dead; eh? Well, you'll pay dearly for
it, promise you. We always have
to pay for what we get, you know.
The Morelands and the Littlefords will
be quick to settle the account. You
know that"
NO." old Ball disagreed hOtly, 81
don't know that"
He turned to the others.
"Set down, boys. It's the same price
as standin'. The jury will please set
over thar" pointing to his right. "The
pris'ner and his guards will please set
right over thar" pointing to his left.
"The hOn'rable jedge, which same is
me, will please set right thar" indi-
eating a spot at the base of the gnarled
walnut. "The rest" he finished, twill
set anywhar they d-n pleases. Set
down, men,"
His orders were obeyed. Dale found
himself sitting on the ground between
two pairs of mountaineers and facing
line Of twelve mountaineers-the so
called jury. To his left was the self
appointed judge, and to his right
lOunged a score or more of men whose
attention was then being turned to
ward a jug of fiery new whisky thai
had never been near to revenue
stamp or anything else that was hon
est. The jug travelled rapidly from
one hairy mouth to another.
Old Ball passed the jug to mem
Der of the Jury" and announced:
"Well, dammit, co'tes open now."
kitty, kitty, kitty!'' taunted Wal
Turner. Pore little kittyr
The mockery began. 1t was ridicu
lOus, ana yet it was grim. Adam
Balls father himself furnished mos
of the evidence; also he acted al
prosecuting attorney. Of course ther,
was no counsel for the defense, ant
it wouldn't have helped if Dale hat
had a proverbial Philadelphia lawye
on the grounds all the proof and elo
quence and pleading in the world neve
would have changed, in the slightest de
gree, the sentence that had been cut an
dried for Bill Dale. The mock tria
was being held solely because tn
Balls and Torreys felt that by hold
ing it they were insulting the majest
of the law and making their ver
geance sweeter. 1t became worse thal
a travesty.
Night fell during the wordy an
profane harangue Of the Ball leader
and it was ordered that fire be bull
at once. At once a fire was built, DIR
brushwood being used, and in its re
and Pickering glare the faces of tn
hillmen looked doubly dark and doubl
wickad Then the iudge begged