Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 1003 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

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The game went on for nearly an bour, Dunning steadily losing, Then, with an oath, he arose and started that the sachel was not with him, The man hastened toward the business portion of Junita with the detective close upon his heels, | He was evidently very suspicious, for he {re- | og looked about him, and it was with much ifficulty that Joe evaded discovery. ** He’s probably left the sachel somewhere for | ready the next morning to take his place in the | small line of prisoners who were preparing to safety,” the latter thought, ‘‘and went to the faro-table with some of the gold. I’m glad the two thousand dollars doesn’t belong to Darkin, for it would cause considerable trouble to return it. That sachel has changed hands very fre- quently within the last month. . Hello!” The exclamation was caused by seeing the man he was following suddenly stagger and fall heavily tothe ground. The detective started to see what was the matter, but before he could | reach the fallen man a crowd had gathered, and some of the bystanders hurried after a con- veyance, ly iil, and I hardly believe that. or ths door, Joe noting instantly | could see Kid Keen fur just a moment, | tell him something that would settle the whole . business. But I can’t, and I suppose I’d better German Joe, the Hayseed Sport. | feasible it looked, and he determined to try it as soon as possible, . Once free, he thought he could soon clear himself and at the same time fasten the crime where it belonged. ‘* Tt seems now asif everything and every one was against me. ‘That terrible affair last night is just the beginning, I suppose, of a series of misfortunes which in the end may result in Dunning’s escape, There is nothing now to pre- vent bis getting out of town, unless he is serious- I do wish I I could go to sleep, so as to feel all right in the morn- ing. Phe bed was hard and uncomfortable, and the covering very scanty, but Joe managed to pass at least half of the night in slumber, and was march before the tribunal of justice, represented in this instance by a short, ‘st-ut, red-faced /man with sandy complexion and a Teutonic ' accent, When the detective’s case was called, he was confronted by such overwhelming evidence that the justice speedily decided to hold him in heavy bail to appear before the grand jury, which met in the afternoon. Three passengers on the train testified to the commitment of the robbery, and all positively Joe was about to press into the crowd, when | identified Joe as the thief. This being, to the some one seized him firmly by the neck and | mind of the judge, sufficient. testimony, he re- yelled: _“* Help! Police!’ The crowd turned from tbe man on the side- walk to the person uttering the cries, and saw a fused a further hearing, and said, as impressive- ly as his unimpressive physiognomy would ad- mit: ‘‘T shall holdt dis young man in fife thousant slim young fellow, bearing in his hand a drum- | tollars pail to appear before the grandt chury mer’s sample-case, struggling in the grip of a | dis afternoon, and tesire to vbarn him now dodt rough, powerful-looking man, who was holding him with both bands and shouting for the police force at the top of his voice, his name vill pe Tennis uf t’ese same vituesses testify es t’ey hev here, shust now,” These el.quent remarks closed the examina- Joe, surprised and alarmed at the sudden on- | tion, and the detective was Jed back to bis cell, slaught, turned his head and saw that he was in He had not the five thousand dollars to fur- the grasp of no less a personage than Jack Dar- | nish as guaranty for his appearance in the after- kin, of Silverside, Before be could utter a protest against the rough usage, a uniformed officer took him in charge, and, followed by Darkin, led him to a station-house, while an ambulance took Dun- ning in an opposite direction to the nearest hos- pital. noon, and bad he possessed that sum it is doubtful if he would bave trusted it in the hands of his jailers, In the afternoon he was conducted before the grand jury of the county, and his trial held ac- cording to due process of Colorado law. He pleaded guilty to the charge, but offered ex- The detective was naturally very angry at be- | tenuating circumstances, which he would be ing thus forced to abandon the chase just as he | pleased to offer to the jury or the judge in pri- had caught sight} of his game, but ,bis protes- tations were of no avail, and he was conducted | , vate, This was indignantly refused, and Joe received his sentence, conferred after along before a police sergeant, where Darkin entereda | lecture on the depravity of young men from the plea of highway robbery against him, and he was sent to a prison cell to spend the night. CHAPTER XII, *FOUR YEARS AT HARD LABOR,” Jod was not only exceedingly angry over his arrest, but not a little frightened as well, He knew at once the meaning of Darkin’s assault, and marveled greatly at the man’s audacity in trying to convict him of the theft of lg ic which he himself had atolen only a few hours before. He tried to reason with the police sergeant, but that officer was not to be ‘‘ monkeyed with,” as he expressed it, and the detective was placed | _ from his cell and transferred to a small omnibus | waitin the “Black Maria” in New York City, and is _used for conveying prisoners from temporary | to permanent imprisonment, exactly with that of the thief as furnished | in a cell until the next morning, when an ex- amination of his case would be held, He was informed, however, that Darkin had offered a reward for his arrest and conviction, or the re- riggs of thestolen bonds, and that his description talli by Darkin himseif and several passengers on the train who had witnessed the theft. ‘I’m ina pretty bad fix,” thought Joe, rue- fully, when he was left alone in his narrow cell, ** The tables have been turned on me with a ven- geance, I wonder what was the matter with Dunning when he fell down, and if Darkin knows he isin the city? If he does, he probably won't care, as he thinks I’ve got the bonds and money, and will be forced to give them back or ail, I cannot safely tell the whole story, for if heels, and be will have time to escape, way, I might not be believed, for the evidence is all against me, and I have absolutely no friends in the city. Was ever a man placed in a worse ‘oredicament?” | station and were there placed in a bagg _ abled to make the attempt. 0 to. East. Inasmuch as he refused to tell what he had done with the money, and was several times severely reprimanded for contempt of court in not answering the jury’s questions, the judge said he considered that be was redeeming the honor of outraged justice by sentencing the prisoner to four years at hard labor in the State Prison, Joe received the verdict with equanimity, still hoping to escape from his persecutors be- fore he was finally ‘‘ jugged.” But during the remainder of the day and the succeeding night | no opportunity of escape presented itself, and he became well-nigh frantic over his forced in- activity. Quite early the next morning he was taken at the door, This vebicle is known as oe was bustled inside with a half-dozen other unfortunates, and the door behind. him securely locked and bolted, They drove to the railway age-car that had been side-tracked, evidently for that Pit be de . The detective was soiplonon yf hoping that some opportunity for escape would present itself be- fore the train started, and’this time he was en- The four guards who were to accompany them to their destina- _ tion were provided with handcuffs, to be used do, it will leak out that [am close on ry oo : ny- | _ might erise, | in | tioned near the side door, in case of necessity, but evidently relied more on their pistols to sub All this Joe noted carefully, and finally got conversation with one of the guards sta- The car was ar- Joe paced up and Gown his cell in true crim- | ranged like all baggage-cars, a door in each of inal style until nearly midnight, but could think of no way of getting out of the scra by taking advantage of a means always at nents and attempt forcible escape from the prison. And the more he thought of this, the more : | the four sides, except | on slides, and on the two ends on hinges. On the right and left they — he side doors were arranged for the accommoda- tion of baggage at the stopping-places on the road, and were:not reached by steps from the ground as were the others. due any insurrection that mee" ls The detective chatted with the guard for some time, finding out thereby that the train might leave at almost. any minute. It was waiting for an Accommodation Express which passed at any hourin the forenoon, The other prisoners were either asleep or lying down, and the guards were talking among themselves near by. This was Joe’s ot meres and he was quick to take advantage of it. He swung the sliding door open with one shove of his powerful right band, and the next instant had disappeared through the opening. The other prisoners, aroused by their com- nion’s flight, leaped to their feet and made a reak for the opening. All four of the guards sprung upon them, hurling them backward with one hand and drawing their revolvers with the other, **Stand back!” yelled one of them, shovin his pistol in the face of the small but determin mob, ‘‘1’ll shoot the first one who comes any nearer!” But the crowd, maddened by Joe’s escape, dashed toward him. The other three officers sprung on the backs of the prisoners and tried to force them further into the car, but seeing they were outnumbered, used their revol- vers, Crack! Crack! Crack! ** Stand back, or I’ll shoot again, Stand—” Crack! Crack! Two of the convicts fell to the floor of the car, and their companions weakened at once, cowering back to their former positions. To the attempt of the other prisoners at following his example, Joe undoubtedly owed his. escape. It gave him time to put a goodly distance between himself and the baggage-car before the guards could give the alarm, W hen they did so, their former prisoner was safely ensconced in his room at the Kirby House, busily engaged in changing his attire. The only remaining disguise which he was able to assume wasthat of a Unived States soldier, and having the complete uniform with him, he was soon able to again appear in safety on the streets of Junita, This guise was perhaps the best he could have assumed under the circumstances, for in the hundreds of similar characters in and about Junita he was sure not to attract attention, He congratulated himself a great deal on his lucky escape, and at once set out on another search for Dunning and the sachel, He purchased a copy of a daily paper, and found, in the local news column, the following paragraph: yf a ** Samuel T. Warren, the gentleman who was stricken with paralysis of the heart while walk- ing along Knox street last evening, died this morning in Carthage Hospital. . . Some little suspicion attaches to his peculiar actions while in the hospital. He gaye his name as Warren and said he came from Tucson, Ari- zona, buta telegram sent by me to that place yesterday elicited a reply that no one by that name was known there, Several letters on his person were directed to ‘ Mr, John A, Dunning’ at Denver, and it is thought possible that he may have given the hospital authorities an as- sumed name. Noone has as yet claimed the ‘body, which was taken at once to the morgue,” The detective read the notice and then start- ed at once for Carthage Hospital. He cared but little for the disposition of the body, but knew that, unless he took prompt action in the matter, the sacbel might escape him forever, He feared that Darkin might also see the death of Dunning announced in the paper, and out of curiosity find out where the man boarded, and whether or not he had any property that might be worth confiscating, At the hospital, the physician who had at- tended Dunning in bis illness appeared strange- ly ill at ease under the detective’s questions, e said his patient had left no property of any kind at the hospital, and that there was not Aa of money in his pockets when brought there, This Joe readily believed, thinking of the incident at the faro-table, but beyond this the physician would say nothing, and wag evidently much relieved when Joe took his de- parture, He inquired the way to the morgue, but, be- fore reaching there, circumstances made his visit unnecessary. In coratng.! a Stineaiee came upon a crowd of persons surrounding two yer jak excited men in the middle of the aie walk. One of them. the detective instantiy recognized as Jack Darkin, and as he moved forward to see who the other was, he received a Co ( a aig : ) = | een ge tee Se . y : _ ie S ‘ fe} Fe | us . ~ a @ HEE ys j al Ol IP ge :