Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1923-03-02

wrapped themselves around our feet
We had not heard the motor for
several moments when a car loomed
so suddenly out of the shadowy dark
ness ahead of us that we almost fell
over it. 1t was great truck, loaded
with small cases. Upon its top, a
little darker than the night, we made
out the figures of two men, while a
third disentangled itself from the
gloom in front of the car with
muff1ed oath, and climbed to the
drivers seat. The car started for
ward with a lunge along the road, If
1t could be called such, that had been
made by telling trees and leaving
their stumps still standing. The
driver must have been familiar with
it, for no one who was not could have
driven that truck over it without
lights.
II want to get the number" Bart
ley whispered, as it lurched ahead.
He crept softly up behind the slow
ly moving car. For the faintest part
of a second 1 saw the flash of his
light The next he was back at our
side.
There Is no license plate on the
car. There's something wrong there.
Come alongp
As the truck, lurching from side to
side, was not going faster than three
miles an hour, we had no difficulty in
keeping up with it. We had followed
1t for perhaps five minutes when it
came out suddenly onto the road that
Currie said led to Sykes house. Here
1t paused, the motor running softly.
We crept closer and heard a voice
say, "Well, Jim, here's to luck. We
will make a run of It,"
Just at this moment Currie tripped
over root. He tried to save himself,
grabbed at my arm, missed, and went
to the ground with loud crash. AS
he fell, BARLEY jerked me to one side
and threw me on my face. The sound
Of Currie's fall was like a young
earthquake, and did not escape those
OH the truck AS I went down | saw
one Of the men turn and fire. The
next second gaining speed with every
foot, the truck shot down the road
With the truck gone we no longer
needed to hide; we rose and rushed
to Currie to see If he were shot AS
Bartley's light flashed over him, we
discovered that he was sitting up, and
swearing to himself. His face was
covered with dirt and one eye was
beginning to turn black, but he was
otherwise unhurt.
John" he demanded, "what the
devil made that tire explodeY
'"That was not a tire, Bob. Some
one on the truck heard you as you fell
and took shot at you"
"Took a shot at meT' cried Currie,
in utter disbelief. "My G., why?"
BARLEY helped him to his feet and
brushed the dirt from his clothes be-
fore he answered: "'It's a darned
good thing they missed you. Those
men on top Of the boxes were there
to protect them. I wonder what was
In them"
BARLEY was anxious to learn what
that truck was doing In the woods,
and why the men on 1t were so deter
mined that no one should know what
they were carrying, that they were
willing to fire upon anyone who in
terfered AS we followed the tracks
with the aid Of Bartley's pocket torch.
we saw that the wheels had sunk
foot into the sod in places and that
more than one heavily loaded truck
had passed this way.
We followed the road for about half
a mile before it ended in clearing,
q quarter of an acre square.
BARLEY examined the four sides of
the clearing carefully before he came
back to US and said, in a voice that
sounded strange in the darkness,
1.-THE road ends here. 1 have an idea
that this is where they got their load"
Currie had been peering through
the darkness as the flashes of Bart
ley's light shot between the trees. Il
have q fool idea, John," he said slow
ly, "that know where we are"
"You do?" came the eager response.
eyes. If l am not mistaken, we are
within a hundred yards Of the old
cemetery that Is on Sykes ground.
It must be over a hundred years old,
and was founded by the early settlers.
Several years ago Slyke showed me
the place We had the devil of time
reaching it, for there was no path
to it. All there is left Of 1t is an old
vault and half a dozen stumbling
tombstones."
I was unable to see Bartley's face,
but his voice was eager.
"a vault What kindY he asked
why" replied Currie, "just
vault. One Of those things dug into
the side Of hill where dead bodies
are placed If l am right, there is
small hill only few yards from
here"
BARLEY turned and, flashing his
light on the ground, moved it slowly
back and forth as he advanced. He
paused and bent to examine the
ground.
II guess I have It," he called to us.
0uoro ora