The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-21

to find and arrest every one con nected with the killing.
 Ihelr Job this time was mans size. Local feeling ran high against them, and there is little doubt that they would have met fate similar to that of the saWmill owner. and his son had the outlaws been given the oppor- tunjty to murder.
 The agents went tp Little Rock and there took train, not for the scene of their recent raid but for the county seat ot the adjoining county The sheriff, to whom they explained in conIideHce their mission, took them in his surrey to the county line in the foothills There they got out. laden with blankets and food, to make their way on foot through the noun tainS tu the community they had so lately left. As they told the sheriff good bye he shook hands with them
 fervently, wished them good luck, and solemnly expressed the hope that they would come out alive.
 It's bad job, fellows.' he said, l But l hope you make it." His man
 ner clearly indicated that he was reasonably certain they wouldn't
 For forty eight hours the agents traveled by night and slept by day. | They remained in the woods, dis i closing their presence to no one. The l rain that struck to their very mar Brow. For several hours they wan dered aimlessly, cold, Wretched and greatly discouraged.
 "W ell" the older agent finally an nounccd. 1T m going in to the first house l see. I'm not d quitter but
 Eve got enough of this sort of weather for tonight"
 After another hour or so of walk ing they saw light ia the distance. As they came closer they heard the sound of voices A mau, a woman and a boy were making frequent trips from the house to a small out house. The odor of moonshining came to the agents nostrils. They made their way quietly to the house and surprised the man and boy who surrendered without fight. Then the agents destroyed the still and went inside to spend the night. The moonshiners recognized the agents at once, but appeared quite friendly and discussed with them the subject uppermost in all their minds-the killing of the sawmill owner and his son.
 During the conversation the boy made frequent trips to the door, coughing violently each time and conplaining of illness.
 The agents tried to learn from their prisoners something of the community secret. There was no doubt in the agents minds that the family knew the whole story. The man and the boy, however, stolidly refused 10 reveal anything as to the identity of the actors in the plot Getting Secrets From Woman.
 Presently, when the man and the boy were in the other room-the house had two rooms-the older gent turned to the woman.
 "They did q bad thing in Killing the poor fellow and his boy" he said. "They didn't know anything about my partner and me. They didn't know what We were down here for, They were the best friends you people here had
 The woman jumped eXcitedly to her feet
 T knew it, I knew 1t" she ex- calmed. That's what I told 'em all Pat and Bud and all the rest of 'emi"
 She talked fast and in her excite ment unloosed half a dozen names CT more. directly connecting with the murder each man she named The agents professed only casual interest in the crime, however. telling her that their business was to destroy stills They supposed that the sheriff would get the murderers.
 With the artifice and skin that seem to come natural to the good detective they got her story, Within an hour they had the names If all the participants in the plot and fairly accurate description of the manner in which the crime had been committed. The agents then went to bed, taking the boy with them.
 During the night his coughing fits grew worse and he made more ire uuent trips to the door. Presently he ! stood on the threshold. made a fly | ing leap into the darkness and was gone.
 They knew what that meant. He had gone to spread the alarm; there | would he trouble brewing in the morning.
 They had breakfast before day light They wanted to be on their | way with the remaining prisoner be- | fore the mountainside was after | them. As they stepped out of the ! door at dawn. however the first of i the moonshine tribe rode up, rifle | in hand,
 Hands up" commanded one of the agents. covering him with his | revolver. The move was so quick | that the mouEtaineer was taken ut terly by surprise. He was dissrmed |
 They came from all around, hy | ones and twos. thereafter. The vet eran agent takes no unnecessary | chances, so as the men appeared the | a gents felt called upon to disarm them, The weight of the outlaws 1 weapons became almost too heavy | for agents and prisoner befoSe they