Beadle's New York Dime Library, No. 306 — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

rai mis i ave u arranged with thavduhinidio: 8 he Roughs of Richmond. ‘caped the notice of the*two men, York and ncaster. A small and boyish figure was leaning against ‘the door-frame when they came out. Supposing it to be some mere lounger, they ‘paid the figure no attention. But when Erastus entered the hack, this fig- ure moved away from bis position near the door, and he carried under his coat the small sachel containing the mass of greenbacks which ‘Erastus bad so conspicuously displayed in the saloon, Erastus had adroitly passed the sachel to the party in the brief moment of that pause on the pavement. Away went the hack, with Lancaster inside with the stranger. ‘“‘How far is the hotel?’ queried Erastus de Binbow, as they rattled along at a brisk pace, And while the cab was thus speeding off, the bummer in the saloon seemed suddenly to revive, and he started staggering toward the oor. *“*Go on, now; there ain’t no more suckers ‘round here for you to bleed out o’ whisky!” shouted the barkeeper after him. No reply came from the bummer. . On the pavement he gave a glance in the di- rection whence came the sound of receding wheels in rapid revolution. 4 Then he started across to a densely-shadowed spot against a lumber-yard on Virginia street, where he disappeared. Within a minute a man appeared coming from the same spot—a man attired in the tight-fitting garments of a jockey. This party moved ata rapid rate toward the trestle of the Allegheny railroad, reaching it at @ point below the canal and on the bank of the roariog James. . Ashe approached, the same figure which had been at the door of the saloon advanced, evident- ly to meet bim. ‘*Ts all prepared?” interrogated the man in the joekey suit. - The voice of the inquirer was that of Jo Call, the detective. ** All ready to a dot,” was the response. “Come, then.” And he asked, as they moved along the side of the canal: **'You got the sachel all right?” ‘Yes. Isentit up to the office by the new clerk.” ‘* The new clerk?” “Why, yes—the one Mr. Tuff sent down to be employed. Said he came from Baltimore and had been used to clerking in detectives’ Offices.” Call was silent. There was something strange about his part- ner having sent a new clerk to be employed without having advised him of the fact previous to the occurrence, These two sleuths were not in the habit of do- ing anything of an ordinary nature that was not fully known to botb. ‘* Have you made the connection with the lad- | der?” be asked. ‘* Yes, made it this afternoon when the track man was passing. I didn’t have any trouble when I explained to him what it was for.” 0)“ You didn’t, eh? And ~~ had to go into par- ‘s, [ suppose, with the trackman?” “Couldn't get a ladder up without I did so.” Jo Call did not appear to be in an altogether satisfied humor over several things that were thus coming under his notice, ** And the police?” he pee again. as they moved forward amid the tangle of the trestle that rear- ed high above the canal, making their course toward the distant docks. » ‘You will see them presently.” Then the young clerk, who was playing a part in the game laid out by the two detectives, ven- ae to et ‘i “ Do you think you will bag the men to-night Mr Cail? 7 ih “What men?” “ Why, the men you are after.” h- De you know who I am.after?’ -J ae No. ? ‘* Where are the police? questioned Jo Call, abruptly. * Not ten feet ahead of you.” ** And the ladder? Ab! I have it,” as be reach- ed out a little to one side against one of the ave timbers supporting the railroad over- end, Depending from the track above, fully a dis- tance of forty feet, was a rope ladder. And while the detective was feeling of its strength, aform came forward from the gloom that was more dense because the moon was being hid by seurrying clouds, indicative of a n, % “Mr. Call!” spoke a voice. * Well?” > se } ” “Igit yout » “Weare here, awaiting instructions.” “How many of you?” ‘*Myself—and five more.” X ‘Yes. No moretrains will come forward from the dock until after midnight.” ‘*Good. That will afford time enough for what we wish to accomplish, I think. Ascend tbe ladder to the trestle. Lie down when you are up, so that a person coming from the direc- tion of the docks cannot see you until they are at least abreast if not past you. T,e quarry will: soon be here, or—there will be one of the best detectives on the force murdered,” Without stopping for an explanation of this ominous speech, the leader of the squad of licemen who were in waiting there summoned orward his men and bimself led the way up the swaying ludder that led from the tow-path of the old canal to the bigh trestle-work of the Allegheny railroad. ‘* Remember,” Call said, to the last officer who started to climb the ladder, ‘‘ you must not give the slightest indication of your presence up there until [ give the signal—a discharge from my revolver. Then you will bag any and every body who may be between you and tbe man the men will pursue—the pursuing men, I mean will be after a single man. You understand?” **Ob, we all understand that, sir.” Jo Call moved away from the trestle, As he went, be muttered: **T don’t like all this thing about a new clerk —the telling of the treckman about the busi- nessin hand, and so forth, Who knows but that the trackman isone of the very roughs we are after. Bah!” The detective began to climb a tree on the tow-path—a tree that had evidently been select- ed in his mind before coming there. A very tall and convenient tree; for when he had ascended into the high boughs, he was almost on a level with the trestled railroad track. / From the perch be could command a view of the track for some distance in beth directions— a view that it required a keen pair of eyes.to profit by on that night of alternate moonlight and cloudiness. And bardly had he gained the point of ob- —— when something thrilling burst upon is gaze. Far down the inclined plane could be dis- tinguished several figures. hey were ascending the steep grade—humans who were running as fast as the precarious foot- hold would permit. Men’s forms darting along the cross-ties at the elevated and dizzy hight, with the chance of falling and being dashed to pieces below at every running step.. An enthusiasm seemed to arouse within the waiting detective. “They are coming! Tuff is still alive!” burst from him. He drew his revolver from its belt and cocked the hammer in readiness for the giving of a signal agreed upon between himself and the policemen ou the trestle ahead,no sign of whom could be seen at the moment. Ahead of the many figures who were ap- proaching thus singularly over the great trestle, was a more prominent one, who was exertin himself, apparently, to outdistance those in his re ar. ‘*Good for Tuff!” he cried, to cimself, again. ‘“*Heisabrave one! We've got them! e’ll bag some at least, of The Rougbs of Richmond. The trick has worked. Come on gents—your trap is ready fer you!” eantime, another thrilling scene bad trans- pired in the immedfate vicinity of the docks, aud at a point where the track that approached at an incline by the trestle was at its level with the tow-path. The back containing Lancaster and the wealthy and drunken Erastus de Binbow, had arrived at a point near an old warehouse by the docks, when it halted abruptly. Erastus was aroused from a seemingly uncon- scious sleep on the cushion and told to get out. ‘““Hey? Why, where the deuce are we now? What’s this? I don’t see any hotel.” “Old man, you’re druuk, an’ you kncw it. You've been hauled over into Manchester by a driver as drunk as yourself. We’ve got to cross the James—” * But I don’t see the foot-bridge,” **'We’re below the rage an’ what’s the use keeping this cabby any longer, when he don’t know what he’s a-doin’ with them there reins. You ought to ’a’ knowed better ’an to bring a gentleman a-roamin’ round this-a- way. when all w’ot be wants is to be took to the Exchange,” Lancaster said to the driver, with an oath, York pretended not to hear. ** We'll take a boat an’ soon be over, an’ my word for it, ’Il soon have you snoozin’.in the hotel, I will.” A boat seemed “to be very conveniently at hand, into which Erastus was pushed by Lan- caster. York climbed down from the seat on the hack and joined them, bis place being filled and the borses driven off by a party who had evidently been crouching low in the foot of the vebicle. In a few moments these two men had Erastus de Binbow on the tow-path. a And then he seemed to suspect ihat all was not right. ** You men are fooling me! me!” be cried, suddenly. As suddenly, too, all sign of his recent intoxi- cation passed away, and he griped each man by the collar with an astonishing force, more astonishing because it was so utterly unex- pected, The movement saved the life of Timothy Tuff —fcr no less a person was it, At the very instant that he turned and changed his position, and at the same time jar- ring the others by his forcible grasp, there was a transient illumination on the spot, like a lim- ited flash of lightning. A streak of fire passed before the detective’s eyes, But the terrible and deadly electric pistol had failed this time of its mark. At a wrench the detective had the weapon in his own hand. At another wrench he had drawn his own revolver and was cocking it, when forth from a fringe of bushes on the lonely path darted no less than a half-dozen figures, and the moon just then coming from behind a cloud showed him the gleam of weapons in the hands of every ‘You mean to rob gure. ‘‘Cuss your bungling hand, Lancaster, you’ve almost given us dead away!” howled an angry voice, , CHAPTER IX. FACING A HORRIBLE DEATH. It had at first been the intention of bold Timotby Tuff to capture the two rogues whom he now knew to belong to The Roughs of Rich- mond, by the fact of one of them having at- tempted his assassination with the mysterious electric pistol. Upon seeing that they had accomplices so close at hand, however, his whole plan changed as quickly as had been that futile flash of the remarkable weapon aimed at his head. ‘*]’ll bag the whole gang!” passed through his brain, with the rapidity of a flash, “For I know that Jo Call is ready and waiting for me to carry out the original programme!” With which resolution, be turned and started on a terrific run up the incline of the railroad track, each wap that he took on the cross ties aang him higher and higher above the groun One of the spectral figures that had darted forward from the ambushing screen of bushes raised his weapon to fire upon the fleeing man. The revolver was knocked from his hand by the leader, who snarled, angrily:, ** You fool! Do you want to have all the watchmen of the warehouses on top of us?” Then he added, to Lancaster: ** Down him with your electric pistol—” ‘‘ The cuss has got it—I ain’t.” What!” . ‘¢ He took it away from me so slick ’at I did- n’t know what he was a-doing.” A terrible oath escaped the lips of this mys- terious leader of a robber band, For that they were a robber band was now no longer a question; the smooth little game that had been played upon Erastus ce Binbow revealed the character of the men calling them- selves York and Lancaster. But the fleeing detective was hardly prepared for the revelation that came in the next speech i man. be ee t is no easy matter to carry on a rapid flight on the ponte of a railroad, especially if there is no ballast between, but instead,a yawning space, down into which the fugitive, at the first false step, may plunge to bis death, Timothy Tuff had not, therefore, gotten far over his perilous route and could hear the loud words of those in his rear quite plainly. ‘An’ did we tumble to the racket of the sleuths an’ all that an’ get that houndinto this hobble to see him clear bimself as easily as he is now doing? After bim! Youcan run over those ties quicker than he can, because you have been in the babit of making your way over them since you were boys. After him, I say! and when you ecatch him, burl him headlon over—over into the rocky bed of the James, i you have strength enough!” : ‘Thank you!” thought Tuff, as he redoubled his efforts. At the command from their chieftain, the spectral figures instantly took up the chase, exhibiting tbat the former bad not overestimat- ed their ability to make rapid progress along the dangerous way. aoe words which be bad heard were a surprise to him. They sbowed that in some way, he must have been known in his true character all along to the men who had intruded themselves upon him at the time of bis supposed arrival on the train from West Point, in the character of York and Lancaster. Instead of the detective playing a game upon the gang be and his partner were trying to trail down, in some manner the gang had as- certained their plot and had played them in- stead. It was all now very plain to Tuff, Ecomicbooks a "y aa. Ol . u