The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1942-01-02

low rustlers. len Is wounded.
y y S y
to prevent him and Larry from be-
ing killed.
s'What are you arresting US for
doing?" he asked. 1t did not mat
ter what pretext was offered by the
officer, but as q matter OF form
Calhoun made q protest. Were
peaceable citizens going about our
lawful business" a asss#
s'For conspiring to bring about an
armed insurrection in the territory"
the officer answered.
"Hmp! We came here to buy a
registered bull from Mr.. Murdoch
here" Larry said. eve have done
bought it. Now we're ready to leave
and go back to the ranch. Looks to
me like these gents who were work
ing themselves up to bump US of
when you sashayed in are doing the
insurging."
''No use littering up the jail with
them," Lee Hart urged. 81 say hang
them to telegraph pole"
The sheriff drew a revolver. II
know all of you boys" he said quiz
city. "I'd hate to have to kill any
of you, and don't want to be killed
myself. But I'm going to take these
men to Jail. If anybody interferes
there will be trouble"
The cowboy Red threw in the hand
for his group. "All right, Nate. II
you want these fellows, take EN-.
But be sure you don't let 'em go.
Well be hearing from the hills soon
as to whether any of our friends
have been murdered. And if they
have, hell and high water can't
keep US from busting into yore GALA
boose and hanging these birds high
as Hannah"
Red and his allies followed the ar
rested men to the jail, to make sure
the sheriff did not release them.
They posted a guard at both the
rear and front doors. The leaders
adjourned to the Crystal Palace and
the Red Triangle to drum up senti-
ment in favor of a lynching.
Calhoun put the matter bluntly to
the sheriff.
Getting down to cases, Hart,
what is your idea in locking us up?"
he asked. "Are you holding us here
till your friends are ready to lynch
us?"
"I'm holding you here for your
own safety. If I turned you loose
you would never get out of town
alive. You wouldn't get fifty yards
from the jail door," Impatiently he
added, ''Why in hell did you come
to town now?" fes5
"Why shouldn't we Gomez" Terry
wanted to know. 1--WE have nothing
to do with this crazy invasion. Eli
sons men attacked us today and
almost killed us. We rescued your
friend jeff Brand" The Diamond
Reverse B is being cut up into small
ranches, Of which Larry and ! are
buying one. What have you against
US except that we won't stand for
having our stock rustled? The trou-
BILE with this town just now is that
it is seeing red and can't think
straight"
"If I could get Red and some of
the other hotheads to 60 up to the
house where JEFF is and talk with
him they might get some sense
thumped into their heads. But no
chance of that now. They figure
you are one of those who paid that
two thousand dollars to Turley to
ambush their friends. You may
have been, at that. Even if you
have quarreled with Ellison since
then, that doesn't prove thing, and
far as that goes they only have your
own say-so that you're not hook
deep in this invasion" The sheriff
slanted a suspicious look at Terry.
Looks like you are, when you get
off telegram to the President ask
ing him to send troops to support
the big ranches in this business Of
killing settlers"
"That's not what I asked him, to
do" the Diamond Reverse B man
ager said. "Since the operator was
in such hurry to give out private
message he might at least have
done so correctly"
Larry tossed question at Hart.
Lets know where we're at, sher-
if. Is it yore intention to ask us to
give up our guns and wait in cell
for these galoots outside to break in
and send us west? Because we have
other views"
Nate Hart was harassed man.
~ didn't get you in this jam, Lar.
ry," he said. ''You didn't have to
come here and drop match in a
barrel of powder. I'm trying to
save you, but I'll tell you straight
that if any bad news comes to town
the boys will attack the jail. It's
only fiimsy shack. You know that.
I aim to protect you If / can, and
if il comes to showdown I'll give
you back your guns to help me
stand them off. More than that I
can't promise"
He added after a moment, "If I