Year: 1871

ing IL 60 one OF MS comrades who wal


flourishing a small pistol, said


g Here, take my revolver! DOM


shoot him with that little one; il


won't kill him."


The man would have been q capital


officer of the Paris Commune.
The speaker then thrust his weapon


inside the door and fired. The muz-


Gle of the revolver pressed against


Cheeks side, but at the moment ii


was discharged he dashed it aside, and


the bullet glanced across his knuckles,


inficting a slight wound. The man


who had fired, then put his head


inside the cell to see if the shot had


killed the prisoner, but as he did so,


the bludgeon with which Cheek had


armed himself, crushed down upon his


unprotected head, and he dropped to
the floor like felled OK. His revol-


yer fell from his hand, and was at


once seized by the prisoner.
As, they saw the senseless form of


their cOmrade, and heard the crashing


blow, one of their number cried :
My God he has killed Snyder, and


has got his revolver"


Then those seventy-fve courageous
men held an impromptu convention to
decide as to the next step to be taken.
Noadeubt, as they stood there in the
CHASTITY light of the dark lantern, with
one of their number lying senseless
and apparently dead at their feet,
they experienced the peculiar sensa-
tions so graphically described in the
narrative of Bob Acres.


After a few moments of irresOlute
suspense, eyeing the gloomy cell from
which came such a deadly check upon
their operations, one of the gang
standing securely behind the half
opened door, pointed his revolver
around the corner, but before he could
fire, the weapon was stricken from his
hand by Cheek, and he subsidized.


Another consultation was held.
Somebody said, "Let us get out of
here" and they got" Picking up
the PROSTATE form of their fallen COM
Cade, they marched out, each one
repeating, as he stepped out of the
battered entrance way, zone, two,
three, out goes he very thankful
that, notwithstanding the failure of
the enterprise, they had come off with
such slight loss in this well matched
encounter between one and seventy
five.


Cheek with his bed post in one
hand, and the captured revolver in
the other, hNrassed the rear of the
retreating column out into the jail
yard, where he met the Sheriff and a
party of citizens, who had been
aroused by an alaEm from the taller.


When the Sheriff saw them coming
out of the building carrying the body
of the victim, he hallooed them, think
ing they We're bearing off his prisoner.
The only reply he received was
g Fire! fire! Shoot the Up


When the regulators reached the
street, and eaw the commotion caused
by their attempt, they ran In every
direction Several of them lost their
way in the timber and corn fields, and
were seen by farmers residing i'm the
at daylight, with scared faces
and soiled garments, not in the least
the reckless and daredevil
sort of fellows they imagined them
selves few hours before.


Cheek surrendered himself to the
Sheriff with the remark: "John, they
amt got me yet" gave up his trusty
bed post and revolver, and went back
TO his cell.


On the way back he said to the
Sheriff: "John, get me horse and
posse, and l viii follow them and
show where every of them lives
before morning. 1 don't want you to
go inte danger, I'll CO."


When asked afterward, why he did |
not attempt to escape, he replied: ~
I'm not going away from here until / |
90 free, or on my way to the scaffold.
This is three times they have tried to
mob me and failed.n


After daylight the Sheriff went to
% the place where the horses of the
1arty had been left, found two OF three
straps, a halter and bottle
If whiskey. The articles, with the
.aptured revolver, dark lantern,
and a crowbar, are in
he Sheriff's hands, and are said to
lave been identified.


While the would-be lynehers were
n the Jail, several of them removed
heir masks, and were identified by
Iheek as residents of Aurora and