Year: 1876

sturdy, steady young fellow Of SOM
five or six and twenty.


So prudent was Sarah Bowman tina
not one of her admirers felt himself
to be the favored one. But it mus
not be imagined from this that sh'
had not a preference. There was on'
whose football was very welcome
whose presence shortened the hours
and whose voice was music, and this
was Frank Cotton. He did not know
his good fortune, for be never, being
a bashful fellow, told his love.


The people often discussed the
chancess of the rivals, and the shrewC
ones "reckoned it lay between WiIc
Horse Smith, Henry and Frank Col
ton," with the chances Of winning ir
favor of the first, as it WASH t thought
to be safe to run against Smith tol
anything, and more than one wa:
afraid the rivalry would end il
trouble.


Whether Sarah Bowman was the
cause or not, there was man muir
dered at Red Fox Run.


The body was found about two
miles from the settlement, up the
stream, and when it was brought in
living across a horse, every body that
saw the body, and hat was every body
in the settlement, recognized it at
once as the remains Of young Henry


lie had not been killed by the In
dians--the most unpractlced eye could
see this at a glance, for apart from
/ the bullet hole in his head and two in
his breast, the body had not been mu-
ulated. The long hair and the cloth
ing WAS as intact as when, on the day
before, he had been seen to ride away
with Frank Cotton.


The news of the murle, and the
fact that Sarah Bowman was danger
ouslv sick with a fever, that rendered
! her unconscious, cam. to the people
together; and, Of course, tie girl 5
sickness was attributed to the shock
Henzy $ death gave her, and from this
the people reasoned that the Murdered
uan Was the tavoritc.


Before Henry was buried on the
! hill above Red Fox Run, making the
number nineteen, twelve Of the en-
lightened citizens held an inquest,
and Wild Horse Smith was made fore
man. To be sure it Was hardly a le
gal body, as there Was not a coroner
within one hundred miles, but the
settlers We're bound to 60 through
the legal forms as they had when they
tried their foreman, and so they ex-
mined all the wounds, made all the
inquiry as to who had been with Hen
", and although no information was
given them that they were not aware
of, the twelve men with all legal So
lemnity, locked themselves up in the
faro room of the Coyote Saloon, and
with some spiritual refreshments on
the table, sat down to solve the mys-
terry Of Henzys murder.


Frank Cotton had great many
! friends in the settlement, for he was
honest, temperate and industrious
but as the foreman Of that jury put
the case, the warmest friend Of that
young man was forced to think things
looked Dad agin Frank, and his stay
in away is powerful strong point.


The people We're not therefore sur
prised when the jury asserted as tbel
verdict-tirst, that Henzy was mur.
dered with some fire arm, and second
that all the evidence pointed to Frank
Cotton as the man who fired the fatal
shots.


Ore, two weeks passed, and still
Frank Cotton, as if dreading to come
near the sceLe of his crime remained
away, though his crops needed bis
attention.


All they wanted now to perfect the
trial was the culprit, whom they were
prepared to hang the moment he put
in an appearance.


There was considerable hutter in
Red Fox Run, when on the fifteenth
morning, smoke was seen rushing from
Frank Colton's house, and an exami.
nation Of the premises developed the
fact that the owner of the house was