The New Era. (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 42, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 5, 1911 Page: 3 of 8
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KEIX
THE
I
22*
or the plains
pamdaixparpish ' ,
uTHosOr'My Lady Or THe Soum Jy
"When Wilderness Was Kimg." £rt,frc -
IwjSTRATIOM^Bl^EARMRr^ic^l^^
!! 4trnr wivTFir
CARRIES DEATH
MO PEOPLE WIPED OUT WITH-
OUT MOMENT'S WARNING
mm m
(Copyright. A. C. McCiurg & Co.. 1910.)
Jnck Keith, a Virginian. now a ©or-
dor plainsman, la riding along the Santa
Ke trail on the lookout for roaming war
parties of savagt s. He notices a camp
■re a I a distance and then sees a team
attached to a wagon and at full gallop
pursued by men on ponies. When Keith
reaches the wagon the raiders have mass-
acred two men ami departed. He searches
the victims finding pipers and a locket
with a woman's portrait. He r'-solves to
hunt down the murderers. Keith is ar-
rested at Carson City, charged with the
nivrder his accuser being a ruffian named
Black Halt. He goes to Jail fully realiz-
ing the peril of swift border Justice. A
coiep. nion in his cell Is a negro, who
tells him he Is Neb and that he know the
Keith family back In Virginia. Nvb savs
one of the murdered men was John
Bililey, the other Gen. Willis Waite. for-
merly an officer in the Confederate army.
The plainsman and Neb escape from the
cell.
CHAPTER VI.—(Continued.)
The men could Bee nothing but this
solid sheet of water rushing down
toward them from out the black void,
and then vanishing below. Once
Keith's horse half fell, plunging nose
under, yet gaining foothold again be-
fore the rider had deserted his saddle.
A dim darkness ahead already re-
vealed the nearness of the southern
bank, when Neb's pony went down
suddenly, swept fairly off Its legB by
some fierce eddy In the stream. Keith
"A hundred and fifty miles as the
crow flies, and sand all the way, ex-
cept for the valley of Salt Fork. Come
on now, and keep close, for It's easy
to get lost In these santf hills."
Keith had ridden thai hundred and
fifty miles of sandy isolation before,
but had never beer, called upon to
make such a Journey as this proved to
bo. He knew there was little to fear
from human enamies, for they were
riding far enough east of the Santa Ke
It was the quiet, confident voice of
Assured command, of one satisfied
with his plana, and the obedient negro,
breathing hard, never dreamed of op-
position; all instinct of slavery held
him to the dominion of this white mas-
ter. Keith leaned forward, staring at
the string of deserted ponies tied to
the rail. Success depended on his
choice, and he could judge very little
in that darkness. Men were strag-
gling in along the street to their right,
on foot and horseback, and the sa-
loon on the eormr was being well pat-
ronized A glow of light streamed
forth from its windows, and there was
the sound of many voices. Hut this
narrow alley *as deserted, and black.
The fugitive stepped boldly forward,
afraid that otherwise he might startle
the ponies and thus create an alarm.
Guided by a horseman's instinct he
Bwiftly ran his hands over the animals
and made quick selection.
"Here, Neb, take this fellow; lead
him quietly down the bank," and he
thrust the loosened rein into the
block's hand.
An instant later he had chosen his
own mount, and was silently moving
In the same direction, although the
night there was so blank that the
obedient negro had already entirely
vanished. The slope of the land not
only helped cover their movements,
hut ulso rendered It easy for them to
tind one another. Fully a hundred yards
westward they met, where a gully led
directly down toward the river. There
was no longer need for remaining on
foot, as they were a sufficient distance
away from the little town to feel no
fear of being discovered, unless by |
some drunken straggler. At Keith's
command the negro climbed Into his
saddle. Both ponies were restive, but
not vicious, and after a plunge or two,
to test their new masters, came easily
under control. Keith led the way,
moving straight down the gully, which
gradually deepened, burying them in
its black heart, until It finally de-
bouched onto the river sands. The
riotous noises of ti"*? drunken town
died slowly away behind, the night
Bilent and dark. The two riders could
scarcely distinguish one another af
they drew rein at the edge of the wa-
ter. To the southward there gleamed
a cluster of lights, marking the posi-
tion of the catnp of regulars. Keith
drove his horse deeper into the stream
and headed northward, the negro fol-
lowing like a shadow.
There was a ford directly opposite
'.be cantonment, and auotlier. more
dangerous, and known to only a few.
three miles farther up stream Keep-
ing well within the water's edge, so
as to thus completely obscure their
trail, yet not daring to venture deep for
fear of striking quicksand, the plains-
man set his pony struggling forward,
until the dim outline of the bank at
his right rendered him confident that
;bey had attained the proper point for
crossing. He had been that way only
once before, and realized the danger of
attempting passage In such darkness,
but urgent need drove him forward
"Follow me just as close as yon cnn.
boy," he said sternly, "and keep both
your feet out of the stirrups. If your
horse goes down hang to his tail, and
let him awlm out."
There was little enough to guide by,
merely a single faint star peering out
from a rift of the clouds, but Keith's
.•membranes was that the ford led
straight out to the center of tho
Biream, and then veered rllghtly to-
ward the right. He knew the sand
ridge was only used by horsemen, not
being wide enough for the safe pass-
«*,. of wagons, but the depth of tho
water on either side was entirely
problematical. He was taking a big
chance, yet dare not wait for daylight.
Puinmonlng all his i.erve and alert-
ness. he urged his horse slowly for
ward, tho intelligent animal seeming
ly comprehending the situation, and
feelluc carefully for footing. The ac-
tions of the animal gave the rider
greater confidence, and he loosened
his grip on the rein, leaving the pony's
Instinct to control. The latter fairly
crept forward, testing the sand before
resting any weight upon the hoof, the
negro's mount following closely. The
water w.ia unusually high, and ao they
advanced it bore down against them
heard the negro's guttural cry, and trail to be cut of the path of raiding
caught a glimpse of him as the two | parties, while this desert country was
were sent whirling down. The coiled shunned by Indian hunters. It con-
rope of the lariat, grasped In his right j stated of sand hill after sand bill, a
hand, was hurled forth like a shot, drear waterless waste, where nothing
but came back empty. Not another j grew, and mid the dread sameness of
sound reached him; his own horse j which a traveler could only find pass-
went steadily on, feeling his way, un [ age by the guidance of stars at night
til he was ncse against the bank, with . or the blazing sun by day.
water meraly rippling about his ankles. They had covered ten miles of it bv
Keith driving feet again into the stir- I daybreak, their ponies traveling heavi
rups headed him down stream, wading ; ly, fetlock deep, but could advance no
close in toward the shore, leaning for- i further. With the first tint of rose tn
ward over the pommel striving to see i the east the brooding storm burst
through the gloom. upon them In wild desert fury, the
He had 110 doubt about Neb's pony fierce wind buffeting them baek, lash
making land, unless struck by some ing their faces with sharp grit until
driftwood, or borne to the center of . they were unable to bear the pain.
the stream by the shifting force of the
current. But if Neh had failed to re-
tain his grip he might have been
sucked under by the surgo of waters.
A hundred yards below he found thcra,
dripping and weak from the struggle,
yet otherwise unhurt. There were no
The flying sand smote tbe*n in clouds,
driven with the speed of bullets. In
vain they lay flat, urging their ponies
forward; the beasts, maddened and
blinded by the merciless lashing of the
sand, refused to face the storm. Keith,
all sense of direction long since lost.
hausted that tbelr riders finally dia
mounted, and staggered forward oo
foot, leading them stumbling blindly
after. Once the negro's horsa
dropped, and had to be lashed to Its
feet again; once Keith'B pony stum-
bled and fell on btm, hurling him face
down Into the sand, and he would
have died there, lacking sufficient
strength to lift the dead weight, but
for Neb's assistance. As it was he
went stfggeriug blindly forward
bruised, and faint from hunger and
fatigue.
About them night finally closed In,
black and starless, yet fortunately
with a gradual dying away of th«
storm. For an hour past they had
been struggling on, doubting their di-
rection, wondering dully If they were
not lost and merely drifting about In
a circle. They had debated this
fiercely once, the portles standing de-
jectedly, tails to the storm, Neb argu
ing that the wind still blew from the
south, and Keith contending It had
shifted Into the westward The white
man won his way, and they staggered
on uncertain the negro grasping the
first pony's tall to keep from being
separated from his companion. Some
Instinct of the plains must have guid-
ed them, for at last they dragged
themselves out from the desert, the
crunching sand under foot changing
into rock, and then to short brittle
grass, at which the r onies nibbled eag
erly. Th-3 slope led gradually down-
ward, the animals scenting water, and
struggling to break away. Swaying
In their saddles, the riders let them
go, and they never stopped until belly
deep In tho stream, their noses buried.
Tho men shivered In thtlr saddles,
until, at last sntisfied, the ponies con-
sented to be forced back up the bank,
where they nibbled at the short tufts
of herbage, but tn a manner expres-
FIRE ADDS TO HORftOR
Pennsylvania Towns In Path of Flood
Caused When Power Dam Breaks
—Residents Drowned Like
Rats In Traps
Ths Catastrophe Epitomized
Dam of the Bayless Pulp and Paper
company burst one mile and a half
north of Austin, Pa.
400,500,000 gallons of water ruBhed
down upon the town.
Fire follows bursting of natural gas
mains.
Scores of persons caught beneath
debris and Blowly cremated.
Over 1,000 buildings were wrecked.
Heavy rains of past two weeks caus-
•d reservoir to fill for first time since
erection two years ago.
Food supply has been swept away.
Physicians, nurses and supplies be
Ing rushed from Burroundlng towns
Dver the mountains to Austin.
Gov. Tener lias ordered state health
and charity officials to the scene to-
gether with Adjutant General Stewart
and a large force of state police.
Practically every building destroy-
ed by water and fire burning at sev-
eral points.
Red Cross relief will start Imme-
fllately.
Munyon's Stomach Treatment
Performing Miracles.
muny0n tells you
how to get well
free of charge
HA few day« ago I received a letter
from r young man, who states he is
fears of age, and has occupied aever&l
mportant positions, but owing to Indi-
gestion ana inability to sleep he haa been
unable to concentrate his mind upon bis
work and has consequently been dis-
charged on the ground of neglect of duty.
He goes on to say that he is a young
man of steady habits, but for years he
has suffered from dyspepsia, which haa
■o affected hia nerves that he ia unable
to aleep, and that it la not neglect upon
hia part, nor lack of intereat in the buai-
ness, but simply physical weakness. He
asks my advice in thia matter.
"For the benefit of a large number of
those similarly nituat d I propose to
tnawer this letter publicly, hoping that
it may be the means of helping many
who may be affected in thia way.
"In the first place, the atomach muat
be made well before the nerves can be
made strong. The nerves must be mada
strong before one can sleep well. No
one is capable of dolnjr his best who is in
tny way troubled with insomnia or any
form of norvousneas. The greatest gen-
erals have been men of iron nerve and
indomitable will. They have had perfect
digestion, being able to eat well, and di-
gest all they ate.
"It is said that Napoleon lost the bat-
tle of Waterloo because of a fit of indi-
gestion. Grant's enormous reserve power
; was due to a well stomach. Abraham
5lincoln said that 'he did not know that
te had a stomach.* drover Cleveland, It
b said, could work 18 hours a day, eat
I a hearty meal at 2 or 8 o'clock in tha
morning, go to bed and sleep soundly un-
til 9 o'clock and get up refreshed, ready
for a new day's work.
'Pres. Taft ia another type of healthy
Loss of Life Not So Great
Estimates of the loss of life fn the manh^t^Who^nk. foV on. .moment
fiuuii that overwhelmed the town of
Austin Saturday diminished Sunday
when an army of volunteer rescuers
worked its way into the masses of
that he would be the President of tha
United Spates today had he been a dy-
ineptie or affected with some nervous
ailment? I claim thnt two-thirds of all
the failures in professional and business
life aro due to weak and deranged stom-
achs.
No business house would care to em-
wreckage. In the opinion of men on
the ground the number of deaths will ploy a dyspeptic representative to sr-11
. i irrk n,uiin Una IT^ods for them on the road. One-hair
not reach 150, while the less hopeiul ^)e m<,n wj10 stand behind counters to-
Dlace the list of fatalities at 300. dav, earning from |12 to fin a week, will
rri _i: p ta {ua onrt thft never get beyond these figures, for tha
The belief is that the town ana the j^fison they are physically weak.
large plants never will be reconstruct- They lack the nerve power and com-
ed as a majority of the business was h that C°me fr°m * * '
ruined. "No one cares to hear a dyspeptlo
_______ preacher. No matter how pious he may
do. h^ Is bound to reflect his bilious snd
Austin, Pa.—Between 850 and 1,000 jaundiced condition. He will unconscioua-
inoculate his hearers with his melan-
s.
ould think of entrusting an
persons were drowned or burned to c^olyOCf"l nngs
death and untold numbers maimed in No one wo\
,lve of weariness. Keith flung him- Aualiu; uearly B00 persons are said to 1,£"1ercaa.en 'n AX^than"'^
self on the ground, every muscle o ^ave met the same fate as Costello, j would care to entrust his own life, or
his body aching, his exposed flesh still mije8 below here; death came to I that of a dear one, in the *|nnds of Phy-
smarting from the hall of sand. between 250 and 500 at Wharton, eight pPptic. Men muBt havo good digestion.
He had not the slightest conception f . m Austin, in like manner Sat- strong nen-ea and vital manhood in or-
as to where tbey were, except he u,dny afternoon when the great dam ^("h^r in "medicine,'"aw^r 'bu"!ne« ." °"
knew this must be the Salt Fork Ut- ltle QayleBB Pulp and Paper com- I "I believe that more than hnlf of th
terly confused by the maze of shifting pany| holding back more than 500,0U0,- ^r't £v rv"flv*r>eptlceto try my stomach
•'•j:ief>, throvfth who*'! Intricacies they gallons of water, went out. I treatment, for It correct* nearly all formi
had aoiiielipA' found passage, tue black- j •]-[,„ i006ened avalanche or water n new? Tt
ncia of the night yielded no clue as to _ through the narrow valley—It marvelous power for <!l<centlnic food and
their point of emergence. The vol- ^"^X a gorge-down upon the
ume of water In the stream alone . j terrific roar, without an Pna the nerve*. bnfM* up the general *y«-
fuggested that In their wanderings ,ngtant.B warning in a wall several ^"a Suree'to PtlvenTn.i do the
they must have drifted to the east- . ... tocpi|llg over and grinding ; thinr« allotted to us."
ward, and come out much lower down ■ to pieces'everything in Its path, swept co^Xn^^m?dlca|aadvl"e0: not ? pen-
than had been originally intended. II th ullsuspecting villages of Cos- Pv to nay. Addre-.s
so, then they might be almost directly Clin and Wharton dealing out death
south of Carson City, and In a section
with which he was totally unacquaint-
ed. One thing was, however, certain
—tbey would b9 compelled to wait for
daylight to ascertain the truth, arid
decide upon their future movements.
Keith arose reluctantly, and remov-
ed the saddles from the animals, hob-
to their Inhabitants and destruction ;
to property, it Is believed.
Hardly an Instant had elapsed before
8wlss Woman Preacher.
.. i Miss Gertrude von Petzold will prob-
the terror-stricken survivors of Austin ^ the flrat woman j)reacher In
could realize tho magnitude of the cal- gwit7crialHj now that the synod of
amity which had swept through the the cantons hag decided that women
valley leaving a trail of dentli and preach. 8he was formerly rain-
wreckage, when dancing tonguen of jgjor 0f t|j0 pree Christian church In
bllng them so they could graze at name8 ^ped, almost simultaneously | IjelceBter England, where she wa
will. Neb was propped up beneath an from ,he debrlB ln distant parts of the ^ gh<j hag a]Bo preached ln this
out-cropping of the b^nk, which partly Btr)cken village. With but few left to co(mtr„
protected him from the wind, a mere combat the fire denton and without
hulk of a shadow. Keith could not eqt,ipment, the blaze spread quickly
tell whether he slept or not, but made i ^ adjolnlng structures and piles of
no effort to disturb him. A moment rubbtHll B„d it wbb not long until what
he stared vacantly about Into the | h(u] reoently been a thriving, prosper-
blaok silence, and then lay down, pll- ()Ug bamjet of 3,200 bouib wbb a mass # ^ J)T8 ]Ike the returnlng eml-
lowing his bead upon a saddle, lie j q(, Bmouiderlng ruins and ashes. grants?
found It Impossible to sleep, the chill j majns burst in Austin, the escap
of the wind causing him to turn and , Rag c&u)?ht flre> adding Its deadly ro DBIVE otIT MAI,AKIA
twist, in vain search after comfort, be odorB of burning human ohovI?ta8hT
while unappease.l hunger gnawed | flcTh and driving baek the would-be th. oid standard obovks tasi
rescuers.
Willing to Help.
Knlcker- -We must reduce expenses
during bard times.
Mrs. Knlcker—Why not go to Ku-
"Do You See That Straight Ahead of You?"
words Bpoken, but the black and white rolled wearily from the saddle, bur-
hands clasped silently, and then Neb
crept back into the saddle, shivering
In his wet clothes as the cool night
wind swept against him. Keeping
close ln toward shore, yet far enough
out so that the water would hide their
trail, the fugitives tolled steadily up
stream, guided only by the black out-
line of the low bank upon their left.
CHAPTER VII.
In the Sand Desert.
Suddenly Keith halted, bringing his
pony's head sharply n'lout. so that the
two faced one another. The wind was
rising, hurling clouds of sand Into
their eyes, and the plainsman held one
hand before his face.
"There's no need of keeping up a
water trail any longer," he said quiet
ly. "By alt the signs we're In for a
Band storm by daylight, and that will
cover our tracks so the devil himself
couldn't follow them. Got a water bag
on your saddle.
"1 reck'n dls am one, Bah."
Keith felt of the object Neb held
forth
"Yes, and a big one, too; fill It and
strap It on tight; we've got a long,
dry ride ahead."
"Whar' yo' propose goln, Massa
Jack?"
"To the 'Bar X' on the Canadian.
I've worked with that outfit. They'll
give ub whatever we need, and ask
no questions; I don't know of anything
In between. It's going to be a hard
In oonwliUrable volume; iben. « tbey j ■■■■
veered to the right, they were com- tide, boy, and mighty little to eat ex
pelled to push directly against Its I oept what I saved from supper."
•eight in struggling toward shore.
"How far am It to dls yere 'Bar XV '
rowed under the partial shelter of a
sand dune, and called upon Neb to
follow him. With thtlr hands and feet
they made a slight wind-break, drag-
ging the struggling ponies Into its
protection, and burrowed themselves
there, the clouds of sand skurrying
over them bo thick as to obscure the
sky, and rapid'y burying them alto-
gether as though In a grave. Within
an hour they were compelled to dig
themselves out, yet It proved pariial
escape from the pitiless lashing The
wind howled like unloosed dtmoua,
and the air grew cold, adding to the
sting of the grit, when somo sudden
eddy hurled It Into their hiding place.
To endeavor further iravel would
mean certain denth, for no one could
have guided a course for a hundred
feet through the tempest.
It was three o'clock before It died
sufficiently down for them to venture
out. Even then the air remained full
of sand, while constantly shifting
ridges made travel difficult. Only
grim necessity—the suffering of the
ponies for water, and their own need
for soon reaching the habitation of
man and- acquiring food—drove thera
to the early venture. They must at-
tain the valley of the Salt Fork that
night, or else perish ln the desert—
there remalrn d no other choice. Ty-
ing neckerchii fa over their horses'
eyes, and lying flat themsslves, they
succeeded ln pressing slowly forward,
winding In and out among the shift-
ing dunes, with only the wind to guide
them. It was an awful trail, the hoofs
sinking deep In drifting snnd, the
struggling ponies becoming so «x-
cecsantly. His eyes ran 'ed Hbout over
the dull gloom of the skies until they
fell atistln to the earth level, and then
he suddenly sat up, half believing him
self In a dream—down the stream, how
far away he could not Judge, there
gleamed a steady, yellowish light. It
was no flicker of a camp fire, yet re-
mained stationary. Surely no star
could be so low and large; nor did he
recall any with that peculiarity of
color. If such a miracle was possible
in the heart of that sandy desert he
v.oti'd have sworn It was a lamp shin-
ing through a window. But he had
never heard of any settler en the Salt
Pork, and almost laughed at the
thought, believing for the instant his
brain played him some , elfish trick
Yet that light was no IllOfion; he rub
system
Take the Old Standard OBOVK'S TAHTBLHSfl
H11~I, TONIC. You know * h*t you are taking.
rh« formula U plainly printed on ererr bottle,
ihowing it Is Hlroplj Quinine anil Iron la ft ta«t*l«*i
form, and tli« tuoit effectual form. For grown
people and children. fiU cwntv
MEXICANS ELECT MADERO
TO BE THEIR PRESIDENT
Election Passed Off Quietly With Very
Little Disorder—Vice Presi-
dency In Doubt
No matter how hard the rules may
be, they're as fair for us as for the
rest of the gang!
The world doesn't ask how you got
there after you arrive.
Mexico City,—Baslnt-' his belief up-
on Information received from various
parts of the republic, Francisco 1. Ma-
dero, whom the people of Mexico Sat-
urday officially elected president, de-
clared that there was no doubt thnt
his choBen candidates for the vice
presidency, Josephine Haurez of Yu< a-
bud 111. < j es. only to *••• « mere elesr ton al.0
«•- • - > : tsssa. °< • <£>
At the headquarters
party Gabrie Fernandez
Catholic
Bomeera,
chairman of the central committee,
naitl he believed Francisco De I-a
Barra had been elected vice president.
■i |,e only thing that appeared rea-
sonably certain Sunday nlglit was that
Dr Francisco Vaequez (iomez, inde-
pendent candidate for the vice presi-
dency. was snowed under ln the fed-
il district.
"Naturally I am gratified that the
people should have selected me for
pr,
am more than pleased that the peo-
dI,, bnve proved my assertion that
anted to know wbb if you saw what i .i. Hnn«
strode hastily across, and shook Neb
into Eeml-conselouEness, dragging him
bodily up the bank and pointing down
the stream.
"Do you see that?" he Inquired anx
luusly. "There, straight ahead of
you?"
The negro stared, shaking with cold,
and scarcely able to stand alone.
"Mavhe It am de moon, Massa .lack.' .,.,ri„t
he muttered, thickly, "or a gub'.ln's eraI dislncl'
lantern l.awd. I don't Jest like de
looks ob dat tln(r " the' t)Te8ldency,'V said Madero, "but 1
"Well, I do," and Keith laughed un- tne p ' . ....... —-
aslly at the negro's fears. "All 1 |
. they "were able to hold open elections.
1 saw. That's a lamp shining through lDe
a window. Nob. What In heaven 9
name it can he doing here I am un
able to guess, but I'm going to find out
It means shelter and food, boy, even if
we have to fight for it. Come on, the
horses are safe, and we'll dlscovw
what Is behind that Ught yonder."
(TO HR CONTINUE!' !
OverpoliteDcss is the surest Indict
tlon one ia not to the manner bora.
Personally I expected no Berlous trou-
ble The passing of General Bernardo ,
Heves removed the last chance for dls
orders."
Fowler Gives Up
Emigrant Gap. Cal.—Robert Fowler
has Announced his withdrawal from
the trnTis flight for tho f - O,-
000 Heura* prize.
Good For You
When the Stomach, Liver and
Bowels have "gone back" on
you there Is nothing will do
you so much good ss a short
course of
Hosfetter's
Stomach Bitters
For !8 YEARS It has been
helping sickly folks back to
health. Try It today.
It Does the Work
R E MEM BE R
couchs L Colds
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The New Era. (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 42, Ed. 1 Thursday, October 5, 1911, newspaper, October 5, 1911; Davenport, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc109814/m1/3/: accessed April 25, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.