The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-03-25
The Rider of Golden Bar
By WILLIAM PATTERSON WHIT
Copyright 1922

them back In February, q butcher
knife. paying for It in stamps.
They gave the catalog number OF
this butcher knife, and the catalos
number ID the same number as
that OF. the butcher knife with
which Tuckleton was killed. You
cut T. w. on the handle OF this
knife, rusted It a little and ground
1t some, and then you-Rale, you
rat, I've got you right where you
can't even wriggle."
Billy leaned across the table to
emphasize what he was saying,
heard a slight sound in the bed
room and promptly blew out the
lamp. With a heaye OF one arm
he slammed the table over on the
district attorney. The later, taking
the table to his bosom went over
backward, together with the chair
he sat In, and walowed on the
floor.
Both guns exploded simultarA
eously. What happened next has
never been clear In Billy's mind.
He only knows that his head rang
like q struck bell at the shot. and
burning powder grains stung his
ear aud neck. He fired blind. A
voice above his head cried aloud
on the name of God, a hot and
sweaty body collapsed upon him,
and he dragged himself out from
under precisely In time TO glimpse
the district attorney. who having
torn open the door Into the hall,
was siIhouetted for an instant
against the dim radiance emanat.
ing from the kitchen.
Billy hunched his right shout.
der, took a snapshot, and drove
an accurate bullet through the
right leg OF the district attorney.
Hes socmln' around" said Shot
gun shillman. Now he'll be a in
valid nuisance for a while, like
Rale."
whats Jack trying TO do?" Ri
ey Tyer asked. Here, take that
out of your mouth"
1t was Billy who reached laciG
Murray first. He snatched the
wadded ball OF paper from Jack
before he could close his teeth
lover IL.
Billy smoothed out the crumpled
wad. 1t appeared to be a letter
and a promissory note.
Billy read:
Judge Hiram Donelson,
HiIlsville,
Dear Sir: The man who killed
Rafe Tuckleton is the county
prosecutor Arthur Rale. RaIe
owed Tuckleton five thousand dol
lars on q note and couldn't pay
1t. Rate wanted his money. Early
in the evening on tho day he was
killed, ruGkleton came TO Rales
house where | was at the time.
and demanded payment. He
brought the note with him. Rale
refused and they Quarreled. Tuck.
Teton had been drinking. Before
Tuokleton left he said he was 60
Ing to the Walton ranch. After
he left, Rale told me be had plan.
ned some time ago to kill Tuckle-
ton and get the note back at the
first opportunity. This looked like
o good opportunity. Rale showed
me a butcher knife. Ho said II was
Just Ike one at the Walton ranch.
He had cut Tom Walton's Initials
on the handle SO It would be like
It. Rale said he had tried TO got,
the original knife. but had not
been able to. This one he had fix
ed up had TO do. He said when his
knife was found on Rates. body.
everybody would think Hazel Wal
ton had killed him, and nobody
would believe her II she said the
knife wasn't hers. He asked me to
so with him. l went, and we huns
around Walton's TIL Tuckleton
came out, and then we followed
him, and Rale stuck the knife in
him a couple OF times. When
Tuckleton was dead, RaIe took the
note out OF Tuckleton's pocketboo&
and l held Rale UP and took the
note away from him,
Here Is the note he took off
Tuckleton.
Yours truly,
(Signed) JACK MURRAY.
Billy handed the letter and tho
Rale note to Shotgun Shillman,
who folded both carefully and slip
ped them into an inner pocket of
his vest.
Well" observed Sam Prescott,