Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1921-09-01
The Clan Call
By Hapsburg Liebe
cpnt b Page AO
By Hapsburg Liebe

In order that I may know who to
arrest, / must know something of the
circumstances. Only one man must
speak at time. No playing bad with
me; and remember that, gentlemen.
I'll certainly drop the fellow who
starts playing hOss with me, if it's the
last move make on earth. Now some
body gently use his powers of speech" :"
Major Bradley, more sOldierlike than
ever, went forward LAS the attorney
of Mr.. Dale, who stands accused of
killing Adam Ball." he said to the Of
ficer, II beg leave to state that my
client will do no talking at present" !"
Dale understood, and he did not
open his mouth
But old Ball had something to say,
and he proceeded to say it:
''He killed my son, ADAM" pointing
to Dale, sin cold blood. Me and about
dozen o my kin was on our way
over Long ridge to look at bee tree
when we heered three pistol shots. We
was right up thar" pointing to the
nOrthward, 'and we come a-runnin'
over here to see, by comics, what was
the matter. Well, by comics, we found
Bill Dale thar down on his knees
aside O. my son, Adam, who was as
dead as HI or deader; and Bill Dale
was a-sobbin' and a-sObbin' about it.
And eff he never killed my son Adam,
what was he a-sobbin' and a-sobbin'
about, l AK you that? And my son
Adam, he had rife, by gonnies, but
he never shot none at ALL He was
with US up to few minutes before, and
he hadn't shot none all mornin'.
Shuriff Flowers, l wisht ye'd gi' me a
good, big chaw O. tobacker, by gon-
MES, cause my son Adam his death
it has made me feel bad"
Major Bradley stopped caressing his
well-kept gray imperial, walked over to
the dead mans rife, picked it up and
put it's muzzle to his nose. He scented
fresh powder-smoke. Then he faced
old Ball with a strange, hard glitter
in his blue eyes.
"YOu are liar, SIR" he said with a
peculiar pOilIeneSS.
A stir ran quickly over the Balls
and Torreys. Sheriff Flowers called
out:
"Quiet, there!" and there was quiet.
He continued: where is Mr.. Dale's
revolver?'
The Balls had it. They produced it.
1t had three empty chambers when
it should have had but one
pass it to me butt first" ordered
the laws representative. He knew
that many a man had been shot while
taking a revolver barrel first, and he
was taking no chances.
Old Ball obediently turned the weap-
on around.
"Say, sheriff." he chittered, "have
We plumb fO'got about me akin We fo
a chaw O. store-bought? By gonnies
Adams death"
! Flowers turned to Dale.
81 have heard through Luke More
land" he said with more or less of
feeling in his voice, "a good many
things in your favor. l want you to
know that I'm sorry to have to take
you and place you in the Cartersville
Jail. To show you that 1 mean it, I'll
spare you the irons and allow you to
ride your own horse along beside me
as though you were not under arrest
at ALL"
Dale had by this time worn the keen
edge from his grief by means of his
| To c1;
to the officer and replied with grave
courtesy:
Believe me, SIR" with the very
faintest trace of a smile, Il am very
much obliged to you"
Luke MOreland led up the sleek
young bay that Bill Dale had named
Fox, and Dale swung himself easily
into the saddle. He faced the sheriff
IF you're ready to go, sir" he said
''I am"
Together they rode through the
woodland toward the broad, green val
ley, with the Littlefords, the More
lands, Major Bradley and Hayes fol
lowing closely behind them.
Up on the side of David Moreland's
mountain there had been a silent and
unseen witness to the arrest of Bill
Dale. She was hidden behind a
gnarled and twisted clump of sheep.
laurel, sitting on a patch of tiny
dainty, pure blue ayfiowers-crushing
in her hands the tiny purple blossoms
that are known as Jobs tears.
Lord, what'll 1 do now?' she mur.
INJURED.
1t was a great and unanswerable
question, and it was a prayer, too.
Lord, what'1 1 do now?" she re.
peated.
When Bill Dale had ridden out OF
her sight, she threw down the crushed
flowers and flung herself PROSTATE
with her face close to the hemlock
needles and the earth, and wept low
and bitterly, and wept and wept-
Lord, what'l 1 do now?"