TIIE OMAHA DAILY BEE : FRIDAY , MAY 12 , 1800. 0
GORDON CITY.
?
HyiH.VKY S. TIIILI , , c |
( Copyright , 1S , by Marie S. Thill. )
Gordon Cltr had sprung up almost In a
night. If a traveler had ridden along at
the foot of the mountain on the first day of
September , 183 , howould have been only
o dreary stretch of yellow sand on ono hand
and on the other the barren rocks of the
mountain sldo , with hero and there a scrub
oak or stunted plno struggling up between
them. The broad waste was unrelieved by
any sign of llfo except perhaps the scurryIng -
Ing form of a coyote or jackal. If that same
traveler had returned on the 23th of the
aamo month It must have seemed to him
that Aladdin with his wonderful lamp had
visited the spot. True , In Gordon City there
were no lofty or beautiful palaces , but there
was life the rccklcrs , feverish , almost mad
llfo of the gold country.
Three weeks .before . , by the merest acci
dent , old Bill Gordon , In working hlo way
up the gulch , had discovered and reportrd
signs of gold. On the third day of Us ex
istence the camp at the foot of the moun
tain -was dlgnincd by the name of Gordon
City. Strange buildings rose In Irregular
toloeks , whllo on the three sldca of the cen
tral camp clustered groups of whlto tents
nnd cnnvasn.topped wagons. E > ery third
building was labeled "Saloon nnd Dance
Hall ; " roulette wheels and faro banks made
their appearance with astonishing rapidity.
Thtxso wcro great days In Gordon City.
Every mining camp In Colorado furnlahod
Us quota of roughshod prospectors and trim-
clad gamblers to the makeup of the new
" boom town. " Money nnd men wcro plenty ;
food nnd all the luxuries of llfo wcro ecarco
nnd dear. The " " "
"Lost Chord" and the "Mol-
llo Kirk" were pouring a goldun stream Into
the town , 'out It took n good-sized fortune
toi cure the uao of a bed over night. There
M , 'o not blankets enough to go nround any-
p
tfy f , BO a. good part of the population turned
Anight Into day. There wa.i no lack of diver-
elon for these. All night long the dance
lialls and gambling houses blood with open
doora All night long coulll be heard the
squeaking muslo of cracked violins , the
cllckoty-cllck of the wheel , turning the
sweat-bought treasure of the miners Into
the pockets of the sleek Individuals behind
the green cloth. One would never suspect
nowadays that "the metropolis of Marshall
county , " as the Gordon City Gazette proudly
ntyles It , was over a center of this rough-
and-tumblo life , 'but ' towns , llko Individuals ,
sometimes have to ROW their wild oats be
fore they steady down , and Gordon City was
lively enough In Its youth.
f Along with this flowing tide of humanity
that set so steadily toward the now town
nnd spread Its confines further and further
nlong the mountain side , thcro drifted Into
Gordon City ono day , or night , a man who
could not have been far past 40 , though his
hair nnd beard were those of C5. His form
was erect'1 and his face was pleasant If a.
trifle weak ; It would have been handsome
except for Its puffy whiteness , , the mark of
long continued dissipation. Among all the
motley crowd that thronged the camp It was
difficult to plnco him. Ho was not a miner
for his hands were soft nnd white , plainly
unused to rough toil , nor was ho a profes
sional gambler , though ho often sat In the
faro game nt Bill Price's "studio , " where
the highest stakes In the camp wcro played.
Ho almost Invariably got up from the tables
a winner In spite of the fact that ho played
with no system , and with apparent reck
lessness. In a moro settled community ho
would have been the objort of a deal of
curious interest thcro was something so In
congruous In his presence In the town ; ho
seemed to belong among other associations
but ns It was , nobody know nor cared. People -
plo were not too Inquisitive about ono an
other's antecedents In Gordon City. Andieo
the stranger pursued his way , Idly and un
molested , until one day when Faro Bill
casually asked :
"What mout ycr trade be , pardner ? "
The whlto bearded man gave his questioner
a half startled look and then replied ab
sently :
"O , yes , I used to bo a lawyer ; It was so
long ago I had almost forgotten It. "
At this Gordon City suddenly awolto to
the fact that It had gene thus far upon
Its civic career without a representative
of the legal profession. 'As ' the .fact that U
had not occurred to It before proved , the
lack had not 'been seriously felt , for law
bad been made nnd Interpreted according
to common scnso and the frontier code. But
It was generally admitted that the omission
would bo seized upon by the Almlra Sun
beam and pointed out ns Indicating a lack
of urbanity. Almlra was located' ' on the
other sldo of the mountain. It was older
than Gordon City nnd the Sunbeam had a
way of casting envious and unpleasant as
persions on the youthful limitations of the
' rival town. So It 'was ' decided that nn inN -
N formal meeting of "tho boys , " held In Buck-
Bkln Joo's saloon , to establish the "Judge , "
as ho was nt once Btyled , In business.
Buckskin Joe gave up a room over his sa
loon for an office , and that when room was
the scarcest article In Gordon City. A
prospector who hnd once boon a sign painter
provided a shingle , which soon owung before
the door , bearing the legend : "Samuel Woodrow -
row , Attorney and Counselor-at-Law. " The
furnishings of the ofllco consisted of a
rough board table , a chair made out of un-
planed plank and a rusty stovo. The only
books were a small tattered Bible , the prop
erty of the judge himself , and a thumb-
worn Homer contributed by Greasy Jim , who
had been a classical otudont In an eastern
university before he turned to the vocation
of cowpunchcr and prospector. Hut nt that
it was the most pretentious ofllco In Gordon
City.
City.Thus It came about that the judge , by no
effort of his own , was set up lu business.
He accepted It nil without protest or en
couragement , morel/ thanking "tho boya"
for tholr kindness in his soft-mannered , wo
manish way. It was not dlflleult to play
the role of lawyer In Gordon City. There
was not likely to bo much hair-splitting
over fine-drawn legal distinctions , nnd no
very high regard was entertained for
weighty precedent. The seedy stranger
found his task an easy one , and ho carried
it out with the passive Indifference with
which ho hnd received Ills habllltatlon ns a
light of the legal profession. Ho had strange
clients and strange fees. Sometimes n
bronzed and booted miner threw down n
handful of gold dust as payment for draw
ing n deed of contract , Again ho was paid
with half a dozen chances at kcuo or faro ,
which ho always took and usually won.
Once or twlco he received shares in mines ,
which were expected to yield unlimited
quantities of pay dirt , but which thus far
had not panned out.
At first the judge endeavored to refuse
money offered In payment for his services ,
but after n tlmo ho gave this up , and
eocmed actually to acquire an Interest In his
work. Ho never Insisted upon a charge , but
ho no longer refused to accept payment
when It was offered. Ho Invested In n law
book sent out from Denver , and spent a good
part of the tlmo in his offlco reading It ,
though ho still sat occasionally In Dill
Price's faro bank. Success seemed to be
making a now man of thojudge , and " -tho
boys" wondered mildly at the cbango thnt
had been wrought In him ,
Fifteen miles away to the southward ,
where the foothills of the mountains sink
in long undulating waves Into ( ho broad ex
panse of prairie , a. sluggish stream made Its
way bet ween banks , dotted with a bcrawny
cottonwoods. Hero stood a lonely prairie
cabin , ii typical western ranch liouisc , long ,
low and unsightly. No other building waa
in eight ; In fact , thcro was no human habi
tation between It and Gordon City. But the
tram9 house had stood there when Gordon
City was undreamed of , and when the near
est town was to the south Instead of to
the north , and twenty miles away.
In front of the ranch house on un early
October day stood a woman talking to a
boy who had just harnessed n mule team to
tha wagon. The woman was under 40 , nnd
her face was only beginning to assume the
yellowish tint so frequently seen In the
women of the plains. It was the boy's face ,
older nnd firmer perhaps , but bearing a
look of Ineffable sadness , as of a sorrow
long repressed. The boy himself formed o
picturesque figure a * ho stood beside the
team , In ana hand the goad , In the other a
huge bandanna handkerchief with which ho
occasionally mopped his faco. On Tils head
ho wore a big Mexican hitt and his flannel
fihlrt , carelessly left open at the collar , dis
played the spreading muscles of his chest.
In a moment moro ho had mounted to the
wagon scat , had cracked the long goad over
the backs of tliq mules , and was disappear
ing In a cloud of yellow dust along the trail.
The woman gazed after hint with a look half
of pride and half of sadness , as though
fihu would have liked to call him back. A
long tlmo she stood there until the little
cloud that marked the progress of the mule
team hod disappeared In the widening ex
panse of prairie ; then with a sigh she
turned and went Indoors , Inside a young
girl was rattling the morning dishes and
singing a hymn In n high clear voice. In
looks the girl favored neither her mother
nor her brother. Hather her roguish , laughIng -
Ing eyes and finely chiseled features resem
bled a portrait hidden away In the mother's
bureau draWcr and seldom looked at. Yet
sometimes when she was alone the woman
would draw out the portatt and gaze long
and earnestly nt It ; and when she put It
back she always knelt and breathed a silent
nravnr in lie.avnn.
As she moved about , engaged In various
household tasks , she often stopped to look
anxiously up the track that the 'boy ' had
taken , though she knew that It would' be
hours 1)oforo his return. It was'Just as the
sun was sinking behind the distant yellow
bluffs , a hugo red ball of fire , that bright
ened oven tho-drcary sand stretches with Its
golden glow , that she heard the welcome
clatter of the mule wagon , and uurrled to
prepare supper , for she knew the appetite of
a boy. But tonight Park Raymond scarcely
tasted his food. His eyes wcro strangely
bright and restless , and he could speak of
nothing but the sights of Gordon City. It
.was plain that ho had caught the fever , that
subtle , dangerous disease of gold that bos
played the will-o'-tho-wlsp to many o man ,
until it led him Into a namelcas desert
grave on the alkali plains.
It was some time before ho summoned up
courage to tell his mother that ho wanted
to try his luck nt the diggings , and then
her sudden outburst of tears , and the un-
caslncBS of his own conscience , persuaded
him 'to postpone the plan for a tlmo at least.
Dut ho went moro and moro frequently to
Gordon City. Often , when the necessary
work upon the ranch was done , he saddled
his pony and went away , tobe gene almost
till the next morning. , The cheap display ,
the noise , the stir and bustle of the place
fascinated him. There ho mot rough men
and brazen women , unlike any bo had over
seen before. His eyes wcro opened to many
things that no gallop across the plains would
over have- revealed to him. It was his flrst
gllmpso of life. And yet , unlike most but
terflies who flrst see the lighted wick , ho
was not singed by Its flame. Ho liked to
lounge about the dance Halls and gambling
houses , but he was content to remain merely
a spectator. If ho had but known It , he
could not have gene very far without pro
test or Interference , for every movement was
watched with constant , almost painful Inter
est by the gray-haired man 'whom everybody
knew as the Judge.
Park Raymond had never known any girl
except his own sister before ho visited Gor
don City , and he was disappointed in moat
of those ho saw there , but there was ono
whoso beauty fairly hcJd him speechless the
first tlmo ho saw her. She was the
daughter of Dill Price , the faro king , nnd
as the latter had the reputation of being
Just as ready to shoot a man as to shake
hands with him , his daughter was treated
with unusual respect , oven by the rowdies ,
of whom there were not a few In Gordon
City. She was the ono person In the world
whom the faro king loved. Her mother
had died years before , and she had always
boon accustomed to the wild llfo of the new
western towns. Yet In splto of such rough
associations , she had grown up llko a single
fair flower in a garden given over to weeds.
Gordon City had not reached the point
where rigid conventionalities are Insisted
upon , so .It was noU long before Park Ilay-
mand and his divinity were excellent friends.
They were attracted toward each other by
an Innate natural refinement , which both
craved , but which was lacking In most of
their acquaintances. It must not "bo sup
posed , however , that these two young people
w'oro In love. Park Raymond was , perhaps ,
very near It , though he himself had never
dreamed of such a thing. The girl's beauty
and natural grace were wholly charming to
his nature , which , though ho did not know
It , had been cast In an artistic mold. Her
flguro flllcd his eye very pleasantly , nnd for
the tlmo ho was content to think of her as a
being from another world , to bo looked up
to and admired. As for the girl , she had
found an agreeable companion , and that was
enough. Love , as she had seen It In the
mining , camps , ' did not appeal to her. If the
young plainsman was disposed 'to worship
her , she did not object , although she did
not understand it.
Ono morning Park Raymond , having
driven to town for a load of supplies , was
sauntering along the main otrcet of the
town , when ho saw ahead of him the faro
king's daughter. It was the tlmo of day
when Gordon City seemed almost deserted ;
the working population wa $ away at the
diggings and the moths who fluttered eo
boldly at night wore all asleep. Desldes
these two there waa but ono person In sight
In the whole length of the Irregular street.
That was Long Pete , who was lounging in
the door of the Trlanglo saloon. Pete had
struck It rich two weeks before and since
that tlmo ho had been In a continuous state
of most 'bllMful Intoxication. Ho was now
In the first stages of the sobcrlug-up pro
cess , when a man becomes most dangerous
to himself and to his friends. As Raymond
qluckened his pace to join the faro dealer's
daughter she ntopped a moment to gaze Into
the window of the shop next to the Trlanglo ,
and Long 'Pete ' addrewed her with tipsy
familiarity. The girl turned toward him ;
she raised one hand which held a parasol.
Down came the parasol swiftly toward the
man's head and his hat rolled to the ground.
Then with a ringing laugh the girl hurried
along toward home , Raymond , who bad
witnessed the encounter from a llttlo dis
tance down the mrcet , halted opposite Pete
to laugh nt hU discomfiture , 'but his laugh
died out and his face paled as the big fel
low recovered himself nnd hU hand went
toward his hip pocket , Pete's greatest ac
complishment , ono which he boasted , unduly
perhaps , was that ho was a dead oaot , drunker
or sober , In fact , If thcro was any choice
In the matter of marksmanship , Pete in
clined to the opinion that ho excelled when
he had his regular three-quarters aboard.
Mauy tellings , aided < by not a few ocular
demonstrations , had convinced Gordon City
of the validity of Pete's unique claim to
distinction. At either extreme , that of so
briety or Inebriety , Polo was a good-naturoj ,
companionable fellow , It woa In the transi
tion stages that ho always got Into trouble ,
and frequently got other people Into trouble
from which they never recovered.
At another tlmo Pete would never have
thought of firing upon a woman or of re-
fontlng the manner In which his cftrontry
had been rebuked. Just now he wau Ih.
capable of reasoning. The only Impression
that forced itself clearly upon his maudlin
brain was that he had 'been Inaulled and
must avenge the Insult.
Park Raymond saw Pete's menacing ges
ture toward the girl , and he realized that
ho must act moro quickly than the man
across the street , If ho would save her life.
There was no time to shout to her to get
out of the way ; she was walking calmly
down the street with her parasol over her
fchouldcr , and probably would not even turn
her head If ho called out to her. Thcro was
but ono course nnd the boy fallowed It al
most instinctively. His right hand grasped
his own revolver , leveled , flrcd , straight at
the breast of Long Pete , who dropped to
the ground , his weapon being discharged
Into the nlr as ho fell.
As the echo of the shot died away Park's
head swam , his senses seemed to bo leaving
him , the revolver dropped from his nerve
less grasp , nnd ho sank down on a box close
beside the spot where ho had been stand-
Ing. Ho had had no clear Intention nf killIng -
Ing the man , yet doubt that ho was dead
never entered the boy's mind. Ho did not
even reflect that he had saved the girl which
had been his ono thought a moment before.
Ills mind was all a contusion of sensations ,
with one fact bearing down upon him with
overwhelming force ho had taken a life. i
Events had conspired against Park Raymond
mend on this day , as they sometimes do
against all of us. That very morning the
district attorney of the county had arrived
in Gordon City , coming to Investigate what
the Almlra Sunbeam was pleased to call a
"carnival of crime , " nnd to see what was
the condition of the new town's legal ap
paratus. Ho was a smooth-faced , calculat
ing young fellow , with a turn for politics ,
and ho knew how to Impress a mining camp ,
In order to bring It to his own way of think.
Ing. And Gordon- City was no less anxious
to Impress the district attorney. Here , then ,
was tholr opportunity , a most flagrant case
that called for Immediate attention. A group
of sleepy and disheveled citizens gathered
leisurely about Park Raymond nnd 'tho ' body
of Long Pcto at the news of a killing. A
man with an air of great Injportanco' pushed
his way through the crowd. Ho was the
newly elected marshal of the town , and the
young plainsman was promptly placed under
arrest for murder. Murder was a new word
to the Inhabitants of Gordon City , and the
flavor of It gave them the pleasing experi
ence of a now sensation.
In towns like Gordon City justice moves
not with the halting step that characterizes
her progress In the east , tout swiftly , PO
that the full effect of the example Is felt.
If she Is less certain , that is the quality
that can best be spared In a new commu
nity. In this case everything had happened
most opportunely. The district attorney was
on hand. Ho would wait over ono day to
try the case. The machinery of Justice , all
brand new , would have Its flrst trial under
the most auspicious circumstances.
Promptly at 9 o'clock the next morning a
crowd gathered at the extemporized court
house ; the long shed used by the proprietor
of the mule train that .brought supplies to
Gordon City had been given over temporarily
rily for this purpose. The justice of the
peace who tried the case sat upon a bale
of hay , the clerk was similarly supplied and
a board laid across two barrels served as a
deok. The Jury was ranged upon a double
tier of dry 'goods boxes whllo the spectators
stood up or lounged on 'boxes ' and casks.
On the question of lawyers there could bo
no difficulty. The district attorney would ,
of course , prosecute , and , as the only law
yer in town , "Judge" Woodrow appeared
for the defense.
There was no division of sentiment about
the case. As for the killing Itself , It mat
tered llttlo. Pete had never been n prime
favorite ; ho was too prone to quarrels when
In his cups. If he had not died at this
time his end would probably have come In
some similar fashion 'before very long. Sym
pathy for the 'prisoner , or Inquiry as to hH
motive , was apparently unthought of. The
ono well-defined feeling was that Gordon
City could not take a place lu rank with
the moro prctcnilous towns of western Col
orado until Us claims to the height of civil
ization had been vindicated by n legal exe
cution. As old Jceh Summers expressed It :
"I dunne but I'd 'a done the en mo thing In
that young feller's place , but thoy's a gen
eral feelln' In town that It's ' .bout time we
had a hangln' . " It would glvo the Almlra
Sunbeam opportunity for a fresh attack If
this man were lot go. It would be almost
an net of discourtesy to the district attor
ney to allow his flrst visit to prove a fruit
less one.
The district attorney had enough of the
cunning of his craft to appreciate tliia state
of mind on the part of Gordon City. While
ho briefly mentioned the points of law in
volved , he appealed chiefly to this general
feeling , and put It Into words. Ho told his
audiences that their beautiful and beloved
town had a bad reputation ( the adjective
scrvod as a sugar coating to the unpleasant
statement and showed that the district at
torney knew his business ) . Ho showed them
that as long as indiscriminate shooting , or
shooting of any kind , was permitted , they
could not expect to attract eastern capital ,
which was all th'at was needed to make Gor
don City ithe metropolis of western Colorado.
Ho dwelt at length on all the glorious pos
sibilities which hung upon till ? ono decision.
As ho ceased speaking a subdued murmur of
approval ran through the crowd , the hopeless -
loss look upon the prisoner's face deepened ,
and the jurymeo set their lips in firmer lines ,
while some of them felt Instinctively toward
their pistol pockets.
Young Raymond had not expected much
from "advice of counsel , " Thus far ho
had had no advlco at all , for the judge had
not asked htm about the shooting , and dur
ing the trial bo had oven avoided looking
Into the prisoner's face. "He's sorry for me ,
and knows bo can't do anything , " thought
Raymond. Between the prisoner and his at
torney , It seemed unlikely that the citizens
of Gordon City would bo disappointed in
their desire for n hanging. Some feeling
of chivalry , or perhaps a boyish reluctance
to acknowledging the attraction which Faro
Dill's daughter had for him , had kept the
young plainsman from telling the true story
of Long Pete's death. In response to < ho
usual question of "Guilty or not guilty ? "
he had responded with convicting readiness
"Guilty. "
These who glanced at the judge during
the progress of the trial casually remarked ;
to their neighbors , "Reckon the old msn '
didn't sleep well last night. " The judjro i
had not slept well. All night long ho had
sat In the llttlo ofllco above Duckskln Joe's
saloon , most of the tlmo with his bend bowed
on his arms , and the last thing ho did be
fore leaving for the trial was to take an
old-fashioned photograph from .in Inncc
pocket and to say as ho looked at it , "I'll
do It ; I must do it. " Now , as he stood up
to addtvss the jury , he was ashen pale and
his hands nervously plucked bits of hay
from the bale that Blood beside him. Ho
began In a yolco that was hardly audible ,
addressing himself to the spectators rather
than to the Jury. "I'm going to tell you n
llttlo story to show why you ought not to
take the Mfe of this prisoner , and I'll try to
make It short enough no as not to tire you
out. To begin with , I might say that I was
born In a llttlo Connecticut town , that my
father was a" lawyer nnd generally looked
upon as the leading man of the village. "
The listeners looked nt ono another In sur
prise , and ono or two of thorn whispered :
"What's this got to do with the case ? Must
bo the old man has slipped a cog. " They
paid careful attention , however , as the Judge
went on In a firmer voice : "I had every ad
vantage , nnd after going through college I
succeeded to my father's business. 1 mar
ried the parson's daughter , the bcllo of the
town. She had nil the county to choose from
nnd she took mo. " The judge's voice became
a trlllo husky , but ho cleared Tils throat nnd
went on. "For two years wo were as
happy as though wo had 'been In paradise ;
then I took to gambling. It was the old
story , of course. Trust funds went after
my own good money. I was found out nnd
sentenced to fourteen years In prison. Only
you who were brought up In the east know
what that meant to everybody connected
with me. It 'was Impossible for mo to llvo
down the disgrace , and my wife , after stick
ing to mo all through the trial , left for the
west to build up a homo for herself and her
children , where 1 could Join them after my
term was over. I think that I could have
"FIRED STRAIGHT AT THE DREAST OF LONG PETE. "
done so and have lived on uprrght life after
ward If It had not been for my wife's
father. Ho was a hard man and he didn't
bollevo there was any good In mo. Ho
came to mo toward the end of my term and
told mo that I was tojbp pardoned , but that
I" had better not try'to 'go to my wife , that
she was happy with her children and didn't
wish eveF to see mo again.
"I know now that ho was lying to me and
that I was a fool ever to glvo him my prom-
tee , but a man feels as though ho'd lost his
bearings when ho flrst gets out of prison ,
and even though he's an honest man ho
wan'ls ' to hide from honest folks while the
Jail marks are on him. Of course I couldn't
stay In 'my native town , so I drifted west ,
making my living , or something better , at
the gaming table , where I had already lost
moro than I could ever win back. I didn't
Intend to see my wlfo 'again , but 'after a
couple of years I went to the town where
she had lived , thinking to flnd how she was
getting along and to do something for her
If I could without letting her know where
the help came from. Dut they had moved
away , been gone about two years , the folks
said , and nobody know where.
"Well , I drifted on , not caring much what
became of me , until I'Struck Gordon City.
I hadn't been hero long before I saw my
son on 'the etreet ono day. I know him at
once , for ho has his mother's looks. I found
out where ho lived nod whenever ho was
around I watched him. You can Imagine I
would. I found out that whllo lie might
bo a llttlo wild 'ho ' had the right sort of
stuff In him and wasn't like his father. I
didn't dare show myfcfclf to my wife , for
fear she would know me , but I hung around
etlll , because I wanted to scrape together
n 'fittlo ' moro money before I did the dis
appearance act for good and all. "
The judge paused and cleared his throat
again. "Gentlemen , " ho sold , for the first
tlmo turning toward Uio jury , "I was watchIng -
Ing my son when I saw this shooting. I
saw Long Pete speak > .o Faro Bill's daugh
ter she will tell you that this Is the truth.
I saw her knock Pelo's 'hat off and I saw
Pete pull his gum Ho was drunk , of course ,
but that wouldn't have raved the girl.
Nothing would have caved her life , If this
prisoner hadn't been quicker than Pete. Ho
might have winged him , I'll admit but
young men don't n7wnys stop to think of
such 'things. ' Ho has his own reasons , I
suppose , for not telling of this , as I ex
pected ho would , ' but these are the facts ,
gentlemen' . And I want ito say that I nm
proud of him , " added the Judge , forgetting
In his excitement that ho had omitted to
Identify > tUo prisoner with his eon.
A buzz of astonished comment went around
the room , but the judge hod not yet fin
ished. "Of course , " said he , for the flrst
tlmo assuming something of a legal man
ner , "I nm nwnro that ns the counsel for
the opposition ea > 8 an example must bo pet.
But since you are trying to produce an ef
fect , and not to punish a crime ( for no crime
has been committed ) , I suggest that you
allow mo to.take the place of the prisoner
and by executing the law on me Instead
cf the prisoner you will end a man's mltery
and save , a woman from heartbreak. "
Dead silence reigned for a moment after
the Judge sat down ; everybody was too
much surprised for spqcch. The marshal
was the first to break the spell , His hand
dropped from the prisoner's shoulder ; ho
turned to the crowd and said : "This here
man Is free. " It was somewhat Irregular ,
but highly satisfactory , and n ringing cheer
went up from the usually unemotional resi
dents of Gordon City.
The judge seemed hardly to understand
what was going on around him. He sank
back on his scat after the tnon had shaken
bis hand and filed out , leaving father and
osn nlono together. As for Park Raymind
ho had long been oblivious of everything
but hU father's presence , Emotions of
Blnme , humiliation , sorrow and love had
awept over him as ho stood thcro , pale and
quiet with his Jips firmly compressed. As
the last of the crowd disappeared ho roused
himself and went over to the old man , say
ing simply : "Come father. " The Judge al
lowed himself to .bo led from the roomi
the mule team was quickly harnessed and
soon Park Raymond and hU father seated
sldo by sldo upon the high wagon , were
driven across the hills away from Gordor
City to where a woman was waiting nnc
watching fcr her eon.
In the dusty breeze that blew down UK
gorge n dingy signboard creaked. On It was
painted : " "Samuel Woodrow , Attorney au-i
Counselor , ' but "Judge Woodrow" was nc
more.
ST01U13S AIIOfT DICIC OUl.r.SllY.
Ilia Trip < < > rntlforiilii nml llln Ojilii.
lull nil MnsoV lloil Sen .Mnrcli.
"Dick Oglcsby was the beat man I cvoi
know , " said Judge Lee ml 3 of Carllnvllle ,
111. , to n Chicago Inter Ocean reporter. " 1
first met him nt Louisville , Ky. , In the fall
of 1S4S. Ho came down to attend law lec
tures nnd I was there for the same purpose ,
Wo were classmates nnd graduated In the
next March. Whllo In college wo concluded
to go to California In quest of gold , the
fever having spread nil over the country.
I lived In Chesterfield , Macoupln county ,
nnd 'Dick's' homo was In Dccntur. Ho ar
ranged to get up n small party of eight 01
ten good fellows. I obtained my mother's
iconsont nnd In March of that year went
ovcrlnnd to Dccntur to eco him nnd make
the flnal arrangements. Thcro wcro nine ol
us In the party , viz. , George Mattlcr , Wil
liam Ray , Henry Prather ( Dick's brother-
in-law ) , Mlllamy Pctlcord , Jacob Hommcll ,
Hchry Sedorls , Richard Plait ( Plait county
was named after his father ) , Dick Oglcsby
and myself.
"Wo agreed to meet at St. Joseph , Mo.
Oglesby and Platt went by way of the Mis
souri river and the rest of us rode mules
across country , arriving there the last week
In April , 1S4 ! > . On May 4 we > rowed on an
old flatboat across the river Into the Indian
territory nnd towed the boat to a high
bnnk. It took three trips to get the wagons
nnd mules across. Upon our arrival In the
territory wo wcro compelled to guard
ngnlnst Indians. . The flrst white men wo
saw some Immigrants wcro at Fort
Henry , where two companies of soldiers
wcro stationed. Many nights we saw thou
sands of buffaloes , largo droves of wolves
and herds of antelope. Wo did not stay
thcro lone. Fresh meat was plenty , for
wo shot It ns wo needed it. I remember
what enjoyable nights wo had. Oglesby
was quite a skillful fiddler and had his violin
lin with him. Frequently nt night Oglcsby
and I ( the other boys were afraid ) would
go to the camp of the Indians nnd Dick
would entertain them with selections on his
Instrument , As a consequence ho was a
great favorite with them. f
"At ono place on the Plattc a band of
Sioux Indians surrounded us. They were
on the warpath against the Pawnees. They
wore topge'd up In war paint , armed with
knives nnd tomahawks nnd ns they sur
rounded us Dick was the most prarcd man
I have seen before or slnco and I was In
the same predicament. Wo concluded It
was all up with us and that wo would bo
put to torture. Two grizzled old chiefs approached
preached us and grunted out 'Tobnc. ' Wo
let them have all the tobacco they wanted
nnd were mighty glad wo had snmo with us.
Then the old chiefs , rising up ontheir
ponies , gave nn awful yell , nnd away the
whole gang loped like the wind. Our boys
looked awfully white , but they all had their
hands on their arms and were ready to fight
to the last.
"Onco wo concluded to walk to n bluff ,
which appeared to ho about two miles dis
tant. As usual , Dick and I were the only
two foolish enough to do such a thing. We
tramped fifteen miles nnd did not reach the
bluff till midnight. A fog came up and wo
could not see fifty yards ahead. Wo had no
blankets , nothing to cat nnd , for fear ol
being lost , wo did not move until the next
morning , nnd when wo nwoke wo wcro like
Irlclcs. 'Dick , ' snld I , 'what do you want
most ? ' 'Some peed old whisky , Thnd , ' said
ho , 'would go fine. ' It was 3 o'clock In the
afternoon before wo reached the wagons
and all that tlmo we were without a bite to
eat. Wo went around Salt Lake City , foi
that was too near the Mormons , as BrlRharr
Young's followers were having all kinds ol
trouble about that time. Wo passed c
trading post of the Hudson Day companj
and saw the Indians give up furs wortli
hundreds of dollars for n few rifles and bul
lets. Fort Hall was reached on the Fourtl :
of July. It was so c-ld that Ice formed or
the top of the wntrr bucket. Next we
struck the HumholcU Hvrr. floating dowr
300 miles to where It sink In the desert.
"Crossing the desert , wltblrj the last tor
miles our teams gave out. Wo wcro nearlj
perishing for water. Sighting timber , wo gel
on the strongest mules nnd rode llko mad
until wo came tn a high bank , where -we
plunged ton feet Into the cool , elear water ,
mules and all. We floated around for pevcral
hours relieving ourselves of the Intolerable
thirst , for our tongues wcro swollen double
their normal size and wo could not speak.
Then wo returned to the wagons.
"Late one evening we reached the top ol
the Sierra Nevadas , tired "out , cold , when
Dick said : "This Is about the nearest to
heaven wo will ever get , nnd we had better
finish our bottje of French brandy. ' About
thirty or forty miles out from St. Joseph ,
Mo. , I lost my hat and was compelled to go
bareheaded all the way across the conti
nent , till wo reached Sacramento , as It was
impossible to purchase one. Sacramento
then was a settlement of about 1,000 people.
The people were greatly excited , as they
had hanged a big follow for stealing a ham
the day before our arrival. As a man could
get $10 a day for working the Inhabitants
thought that a man who would steal ought
to 1io buns. Dick and his brother-in-law
rained In what was called Denver creek. I
struck a claim In the Uba river. Wo met
occasionally by agreement. After a couple
of years Dick returned homo with his 'pile , '
about $1,000. In 1850 the cholera scourge
spread all over the diggings. One day Dick
and I went to 'Sacramento to net a lot of
mining tools , and when within several miles
of the city we mot people fleeing from the
cholera. Oslosby besan to feel pretty bad
by this tlmo so I told him to stay thcro and
I would go Into the city , get the tools nnd
return Immediately. While I was buying
our tools a young fellow fell over dead
from the disease , and I lost no tlmo In
leaving. When I reached Dick ho was nearly
scared to death , as a prospector had died
In the road near where ho was seated , Wo
dosed ourselves freely from the bottle , na
whisky was the only cholera medicine in
those days. Wo hastened to the mountains ,
for at an elevation of 2,000 feet one was
removed from the danger of the disease.
"Dick's flddle , which was the consolation
of the company , was nearly lost once In
crossing a stream , but Itwas saved nfter
a great olfort. The last tlmo wo wcro to
gether In California I slept under a buffalo
robe with him. Shortly afterward ho re
turned to Illinois , 'while I went to Southern
California. When Oglesby reached homo ho
expected to marry , but his sweetheart had
been united to some ono else durlnz his
absence , and , through disappointment , ho
made a trip to Asia and the holy land.
"All through llfo wo preserved our friend
ship , and wo frequently wont on fishing
trips together. I think I nm tlm last of the
nine men of the party which made the trip
In 1849.
"Last fall a year ago there was a reunion
at the homo of General John I. Rlnaker In
this city. The general took Oglesby nnd
myself into the cast room of bis house ,
where wo talked over old times. The pcoplo
Per Iiifauts and Children.
Kind You Have Always Bought
Bears * hu
Signature of
wore gathered nt the court house , whore |
Oglcsby was to make nn address , They kept i
sending for him repeatedly , till finally Dick
blurted , 'Let them wait. I would sooner talk
old ' 49 days than politics. '
"When Dick was elected governor ho de
clared that whenever I wanted a favor ho
would gnuit It. The first and only thins
1 asked of him was whsn n republican
Irishman whom Rlnnkcr and defended tor
killing another Irishman wns sentenced to
ono year In the penitentiary. I went up to
Springfield and asked for his release. After
the governor had heard the circumstances
from mo he shouted , 'Is that all the punish
ment you fellows down there In Macoupln
glvo n man when ho kills n fellow being ? '
and , being Informed In the affirmative , he
said , 'I don't know n thing about the case ,
and do not care , but If you want the fellow
released , out ho goes. ' So ho turned the
fellow loose.
"At our lust meeting In Cnrllnvlllo two
years ago Dick nnd 1 made nn ngrcomont ,
nt his request , that whichever ono of us
died flrst the other should attend the tu
noral. This wns the last talk 1 over hnd with
my old friend , whom I loved ni dearly ns
nny brother could love another. "
Oglcsby wna Interested lu sacred history ,
and In early manhocd he resolved to go to
the Holy land , whore ho could see for him
self some of the things of which ho had
read.
"I wns always Interested In the character
of Mcseo. " he said. "I knew from what 1
read that ho was eminent ns a lawgiver , nnd
I reckon ho wns n good man lu the defini
tion of that term cf that day. Dut when
preachers undertook to make mo bcllovt-
that Mcrics wns a military man we dis
agreed. When I was In the Holy Uind I
went down to the Red sea nnd cxnmlucd It
nt thnt point where ho U said to have
crofsed over with the children of Israel. I
hnd undisputed authority for the exact place
where the cresslng'occurred. ' I made a cal
culation of distances on land nnd wntcr. I
made n study of the topography of the shore
lines and the country nbout the Red sea.
I proved to my own satisfaction , ns well ns
to others competent to judge , that Mcscs
could have mndo tlmo by marching nround
the sea from the point where ho went Into
It , and o.ivcd himself a great deal of an
noyance. When 1 told a D. U. of my con
clusion ho snld It was necessary for Moses
to cross where he did lu order that the
miracle connected with the mnrch might bo
performed. Rut I never could understand
why a miracle , If ono had to bo performed ,
could not have taken place on dry land
n well ns on the bottom of the Red sea.
My opinion Is that Moses wns hnrd pressed
nnd ho plunged lute the stream because ho
realized ho was outgeneraled. With the as
sistance cf the Almighty ho succeeded. A
military man would -bo excused for fording a
creek or river , but nobody but a fool would
lead an army Into the sea. As a military
loader Moses would not have hnd the rank
of corporal In this day. "
CAT , HOY AXH ctj.yr.viin.
One Touch thnt 1'iixct tinCulm anil
I'ciicc oT it Wliolo lloiiNliolil. .
In room No. 5 of the general Postofllco
building , relates the Now York Sun , there
is one of the oldest and m&st esteemed postal
employes In this city. Ho Is noted for his
genial temperament , and BD , when ho en
tered the ofllce yesterday looking glum and
replied gruffly to salutations , everybody
wondered what wns the mntter.
"What's up , old man ? " Inquired a clerk.
"You look as If you had lost your mother-
in-law. "
"Mother-in-law bo durncd ! " replied the
erstwhile genial one , "It's n cat. Say , do
you want to hear a hard luck story ? AVcll ,
you'vo seen a nice , sleek , fat cat asleep ,
haven't you ? Pleasing feature of domestic
ity , isn't it ? Did you over see a well-
browned custard pudding set to cool In a
nicely scoured pan ? Appetizing , ain't It ?
Llko children , do you' Bright , rosy , healthy
4-yenr-old boy , for Instance ? All of thesa
thlnsi are nleo In their way , ain't tht'yf
Have a sugRWtlvenees of homo and nil that
sort of thing. You never BJ\\V n cat , a boy
nnd n custard pudding brought Into , Into
well , let's call It unfellcitlous contiguity , did
you ? Well , Just listen to mo.
"Yesterday afternoon my wife made a
cuetard pudding and put It on the ktteh.cn
table to cool. We've got n cat , and U took It
Into Its head to go to sleep on the floor
Just In front of the table where the pudding
wns. In the meanwhile * my wlfo went Into
ono of the mlddlo roonui of the flat and
began fitting a drew on my daughter. The
two of 'em were singing away together , the
mother thinking how pretty the girl would
look In the drcjs and the girl thinking of
the pleasures of the party for which the
dress was being made , when something
happened.
"You re , that boy of mine wandered Into
the kitchen and , looking nround , ho began
considering the comparative nuiount of en
tertainment to bo derived from pulling the
cat's tall and digging lit the coal scuttle
with n silver fork ho hnd picked up , whru
his cyo fell upon the custard. Now , the pan
containing It wns near the edge of the tnble ,
and the boy could just reach the top of the
part , but ho larked cjmo luclim to cunblo
him to look Into It. What easier than to
tip up the pan ? Ho did BO , his foot slipped ,
nnd In Ic&i time than It taken to tell It
the cat had about a quart of hot custard
Bonking through Its fur. The cut hnd been
lying just 'beneath ' where the custard stood ,
you sec , but when the boy uet | the pud
ding the cat ( ltd not remain. On the con
trary , it rose up with a prolonged nnd awful
yowj. Then It turned several complicated
somersaults , apparently slood for n second
on the end of Its tall , nnd then dashed Into
the next room , -brushing ngnlnst the girl nnd
leaving several picturesque splashes of yel
low custard upon the dainty lilac dress being
lilted upon her. Two feminine shrieks arose
and then there wns general activity. The
daughter sought to capture the cat , the
mother evinced a yearning dcalro to lay
hands on the boy. Tim chase proceeded
through the llt , nml finally the boy took
refuge under n bed.
" 'Oh , won't I spank you ! ' the mother snld
through her set teeth ns she grasped for the
youngstcr'n legs. Hut something hnd hnp-
pencd to the boy , for n wall cnmo smothor-
Ingly to the mother's cars. She bent down
to sec , nnd then
" 'Oh , what shnll wo do ? ' she cried. 'Wil
lie's cnught bin head In the springs ! '
"And while mother nnd daughter crawled
under the bed to extricate the hey from lila
plight , the cut proceeded to the kitchen ,
Inppcd Its fill of the now cool custard , and
bled Itself to a sunny window sill to resume
Its Interrupted slumbers.
"That's the story ; that's what's the matter -
tor with me , " concluded the erstwhllo genial
one. "Did you ever henr of a household
so upset ? "
I'li-clrlc I2.\ircNM Carn.
Express cnrs are now running on the
street car tracks of Plttsburg. "They are
built on the snmo principle ns the United
Stntcs mnll cnrs , " snya the Dispatch. "There
nro two doors , ono In front nnd ono In
the rear. The Interior Is made of the finest
wood and has sovernl shelves for pnckagcs.
All al'ong the route ycsterdny people looked
with curiosity on the now cnr. Few had
nny 'Idea of what use It wns to bo put. In
McKecsport flocks of children ran nftcr the
car. Imagining It wns ono of the show va
riety. "
llllilc Sooli-ly MouUnK.
NEW YORK , May 11. The annual meetIng -
Ing of the American Dlble society wns hold
today at the Dlblo house. The eighty-third
annual report of the bonrd of malingers
shows : Total receipts , $370,084 ; disburse
ments , $366,520 ; invested funds , $416,652.
the total issues for the year amount to
1,380,892 copies ; moro than half of which ,
719,622 , were distributed hi other lands.
Woman's Home Duties
do not tend to make her strong and vigorous with "nerves
of steel , " but the contrary , for there frequently come
shattered nerves and broken down health. She is then ndvised
to take some kind of tonic to brace her up. There Is no tonic
( Malt Extract or other kind ) that can compare with
a non-Intoxicant. Received First
Honors at Trans-fllssisslppi and
international Exposition , 1898.
Remember the full name , BLATZ HALT-VtVlNE. All
Druggists.
Prepared by VAL BLATZ BREWING CO. , Milwaukee , U. S. A.
Omaha Branch : 1412 Douglas St. Tel. 1081.
OF OMAHA.
DRUGS.
, E. Bruce 6 Co
Druggists and Stationers ,
"Qu ea Etc" BpecUltlM.
Clrar * Wlnai and Uranaie * ,
Oornt ? 10th ind IUrncr HtrtMa
CREAMERY SUPPLIES
Creamery Machinery
and Supplies.
pollers , Enslneo , Feed Cookers , Wood Pul
leys , Shutting , Belting , Butter Puck-
; ea of all kinds.
H7-909 Jones St. -
ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES.
Electrical Supplies.
Eleotrio Wiring Dolls and ( JUH Lltjhilna
_ 0 , jnr.JOIlNSTON. Mcr. n > _ Ucw fdBt. _ _
CONTKACTOK l'O
ELECTRIC LlGHl
and PO WER PLANTS
421 South 15lh St.
HARDWARE.
Wholesale Hardware.
Bicycles and Sporting Goods , H18-21-23 Har-
ney Street.
SAFEAHD IRONWORKS.
'Eie ' Omaha Safe
a&ie3 & Iron WorEcs ,
G. ANDREIiN , Prop.
Makes a specialty of-
13 TTr * ESOAI'F.8.
- * -t VJw BUUTTEH8.
and BurRlur I'roof Hafoi am Vault Doors etc
010 S , 1-Itli S . . Omul.n , Neb.
HARNESS-SADDLERY
HARNESS , aADDLI.lt AND CO1.KAIIB
Jobber * of Leather , Aajilo'jJIardiaart / , ElOt
We solicit your order ? . 313-315-317 S. 13th.
BOILER AND SHEET IRON WORKS
. . _
Uorn IVllnoii . < t Drake.
Manufacturers boilers , smoUo wtnclsn nnd
fcroechltiBS , vressuro , rendering , Bheep dip ,
lapl nnd ' .rater lanlts , bolloi- tubes con-
ctuutly on hand , second liund boilers
bought nmJ Hold. Burclal nnil prnmnt to
repairs In city or country. 19th nnd Pierce.
BOOTS-SHOES-RUBBERS ,
Sewed SEioe
Wfrs I Jobbers of Foot Wear
wesiciiN AniNTBron
The Joseph Banifran Rubber Co.
Rubbers and Mackintoshes.
Cor. Kluvnulli .t Furiiitm SU. , Omuliu.
CHICORY
Grower * nn4 manufacturer ! of all forms ot
Chicory Omgha-Fretnon-O'fJ | ll.
DRY GOODS.
< , Smith & Go.
e
laiptarttrKMd Johtoriof
Dry Goods , Furnishing Goods
AND NOTIONS.
