Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1921-09-15
the Moreland Coal colnpany's staIwart


threaded dense thickets of great laurel,
mountain laurel. sheep laurel, and
huckleberry bushes. They were one
hour in stretch of woods where the
hemlocks. pOplars and hickories stood
SO thicllly that the interlacing branches
overhead shut out completely the light
of the sun and half the light of day.
Fearing panther, or ii wildcat, Dale
kept his revolver, loOsened and ready in
its holster. Walt Turner armed him
self with a long staff-fOr snakes, he
said; and then he proved it by killing
rattler that had eight rattleS to its
tail
But they travelled rapidly, nOtwith-
standing the fact that the going was
difficult; and two hours after the be-
ginning of the little journey Dale saw
before him q small and almost circular,
level-bottonfed basin walled in by low
cliffs. A small creek ran through this
basin and made two easy ways of en-
trance. In the hollow they saw clumps
of laurel and huckleberry bushes, and
wild grasses knee-high; toward the
center stood a solitary big and grarled
black walnut tree.
They entered at the point at which
the creek ran in, and went to the wal
nut tree. There Turner halted and
faced Bill Dale with a peculiar CLINT
in his eyes. Dale was looking ut the
rugged walls of stone, and at the
thick green forest that rose above
them; he was marveling, as only a
true lover of beauty can marvel. at
the wonderful grandeur of it all.
Walt Turner of Turner's Laurel,
opened his slit of a mouth and spake.
Here's the kitty!"
Dale was brought out of his en-
joyment most rudely. From behind
| clumps of laurel and huckleberry
! bushes, from the tall grasses, from
everywhere-it seemed from nowhere
there sprang dozens of Balls and
| Torreys with rifles in their hands!
| Bill Dale had walked, as gently as a
| kitten, straight into a trap.
| His right hand moved toward the
butt of his revolver, then dropped
| at his side. 1t was foolish, worse
than useless, to show fight; dozens
of rifles were staring at 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 / 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 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, gared at
| Dale with black eyes that We're filed
with the fire of intense hatred then
he seized Dale's revolver and thrust
1t inside the waiSt-band of his worn
Jeans 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,
was forced.
'Edzactly !" snapped old Ball. eve
ketched We fO' the law, and we held
We fo' the law, and we turned We Over
to the law; and zen, by comics, the
law turned We loose the very next
day, And 'en the shuriff he comes
out here and arrests four o. us! Fl
the law won't try ye and punish ye
fo' a-shootin' my son Adam in cold
blood. by comics, We'll try ye and
punish We fo' a-dOin' it. But yt
needn't be skeered none at all. Ye're
plumb shore to git jestice. I'll prom
ise We iestice."
You've evidently overlooked the
fact that another man confessed tC
the killing, and that that was why
they liberated me-" said Dale.
ITS some cussed frame-up," snarleC
the leader of the gang. mo man OF
earth don't like no other man wei
enough fo' that. Asides, you're tn,
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 iedge and jury
and you'll shore git what's a-comin
Bill Dale cut in with some bitter
ness: And you'll be the judge, anC
your plans have already been laid. ant
I'm to be hanged by the neck unit
dead; Ell? Well. you'll pay dearly fo
it, | promise you. We always have
70 pay for what we get, you know
The Morelands and the LittIefOrds vii
be quick to settle the account. YO'
know that"
No" old Ball disagreed hotly, ''
don't know that"
He turned TO the others.
''Set down, boys. It's the same price
as standin The jury will please Sc
pris'ner and his guards will please Sc
right over thar" pointing to his left
THE hon'rabIe jedge, which same Il
me. will please set right thar" indi
eating spot at the base of the gnarlet
walnut. THE rest" he finished. "wil
set anywhar they d-n pleases. Sc
down. men,
His orders were obeyed. Dale fOun,
himself sitting on the ground between
two pairs of mOuntaineers and facinI
line of twelve mOuntalneers-the SO
called jury. To his left was the self
appointed judge. and to his righ
lOunged a score or more of men who's
attention was then being turned to
ward a jug of fiery new whisky tina
had never been near to a revenu
stamp or anything else that was hon
est. The jug Travelled rapidly iron
one hairy mouth to another.
Old Ball passed the Jug to a mem