The Dewar Telegram (Dewar, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 18, 1914 Page: 4 of 8
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THE DEWAR TELEGRAM
THE DEVIL CHAIR
A Chronicle of the Strange Adventures of John Haynes
and His Gyroscope Vehicle
THE ARM OP JUSTICE
In his comfortable bachelor houas
ta the Western town of Nokomls Judge
Cbsrterls was seated In hla arm chair
But he eras not seated as s Judes
should sit well poised and at ease
secure In the consciousness of his ln
tegrtty and the approbation of bis fel-
low men Judge Charterts was hud-
dled up and crouching forward a
drained glass ot whisky and milk at
hts right hand and at his left a hard-
ly Inhaled perfecto burning Itself
slowly away In an ash-tray The
Judge's face was an unhealthy yel-
low touched here and there with
streaks of livid white which gave it a
curiously blotched appearance And
In fact the man was trembling upon
the verge of a nervous breakdown
He had returned that afternoon
from the court In which he had earned
a reputation for the severe sentences
which he meted out to the wretched
criminals who fell Into the clutches
of the law There he exemplified the
law’s outraged majesty but here he
was nothing but a cowardly weak
elderly man with a whole life of evil
and injustice stretching away behind
him and the unknown future ever
drawing more near
The knowledge that hla life was
passing and that it had availed him
nothing bore hardly on him at times
of Introspection But now the cause
of his despair was more Immediate
It lay upon the table a sheet of paper
taken from an envelope that had been
posted In Pittsburg which he had re-
ceived some minutes before On the
enclosure were scrawled four words:
i “Your turn comes next" they said
That was all there was no signa-
ture— but he knew well what that
message portended When five years
previously be bad assisted In the
Nokomls Land Company's nefarious
scheme In return for a thousand shares
In it he had Imagined that he could
place his memories away and grind
his conscience under foot as he had
done so many times John Haynes
the millionaire owner of the estates
which the land gang had coveted
was an Englishman Ignorant of the
law the customs and of the country
He had been torn from his wife and
daughter railroaded Into the peniten-
tiary for fourteen years as Pete Tim-
mons a gang leader — and the gang se-
cured his lands those upon which No-
komis stood Five years went by —
five years of loneliness and despair
for Haynes Then he was placed In
the penitentiary machine shop where
he Invented a gyroscopic attachment
which would propel any vehicle at an
Incredible rate of speed he had es-
caped by means of It and one by one
was bunting down and punishing the
men who had betrayed and plundered
him
None of them knew wbere the next
blow would fall or wlo would be the
victim Now here cow there East
West and South John Haynes went
like the wind In some Infernal con-
trivance propelled by his gyroscope
And each visit was followed by swift
and terrible retribution
Had It been death alone that would
satisfy him John HaDes might have
been met by armed men his victims
would have taken heart and armed
themselves and gone abroad like ar-
senals Judge Charterts looked up The
light was dying out of the West the
desolate prairies stretched almost up to
the threshold of hts home Charterts
shuddered In such a land anything
was possible He would flee he
would go south to warmer climes and
leave no trail behind him The letter
had been posted only two days before
Surely if he acted at once he could
yet contrive to elude that terrible ven-
geance He would leave no sign of his de-
parture He would pack a couple of
suit cases rush East upon a special
car to Des Moines or Omaha and
there vanish His shares had been
sold long since bis money was salted
away in banks in various cities It he
abandoned everything In Nokomls
money house land reputation he
could still reach Florida with more
than a hundred thousand dollars in
gold Panic-stricken he could think
of nothing else to do
He reached his trembling hand out
to the telephone "Give me Girouard
27” he called “Hello! Is that you
Mr Hopkins? This Is Judge Charterls
speaking I've got to go to Omaha at
once on private business Private
mind you nobody must know Can
you get me a special car inside two
hours Tt
He heard the President of the No-
komta and Western answer:
“Sorry but the trains are stalled In
- enow-drl ft Now If you wanted to
go West I could manage it but — ”
' “Then I’ll go West" cried Charterls
' terror-stricken at this conspiracy of
' the elements against him “For God's
fit get mo a special car for any-
where flan Ffmolsoo Portland Los
Angeles—”
Between himself and Hopkins ulst
tsd an iptlmacy of many years’ stand-
ing It bad been bora la Infamy
wbaa both were struggling lawyers tt
had been nursed by Charterts through
idays of growing self-respect sad las-
jgortaao uattl tt blossomsd tat a
(Copyright by W G
close league for mutual aid In the
end he arranged to go to Portland Ore-
gon Charterls knew that Hopkins
would not betray him
In a cluster of trees perched upon
the summit of the lone hill that domi-
nated the town John Haynes was
watching the Judge’s house which
stood on the outskirts of Nokomls
through a powerful field-glass
He knew that the letter would reach
him when he left his court that after-
noon He had seen him enter the
house saw it blaze up with lights
and In Imagination saw bis enemy
receive the blow
He was seated In a strange-looklng
vehicle It might have been described
best as a runabout but It was unlike
any make now on the market for It
was built like a farmer’s cart and as
It snorted and puffed westward
through the sparsely settled country
It had excited great derision among
the inhabitants whose motor cars
were always of the latest pattern But
what the bucolics of Kansas and Ne-
braska and Colorado did not know was
that at night the four wheels were de-
tached and placed within the vehicle
which running upon a single wheel
driven by the gyroscope outpaced the
swiftest trains In Its mad flight toward
Nokomls In a blinding snow storm
John Haynes had brought bis com-
panion to their post on the top of the
hill The wheels were removed the
huge tank stored with gasoline now
they were waiting comfortable enough
In the warm and weather-proof Inter-
ior stocked as It was with food and
even luxuries for road travel
“He’ll bolt” said Haynes with con-
viction "Tomorrow morning he will
take a train eastward I know the
dog he won't dare wait to take hla
medicine”
Suddenly lights flashed through the
gloom below them Immediately' after-
ward borne across the stillness of the
night air came the chugging of a loco-
motive “He’s going to bolt now!” John
Haynes cried in exultation "Theo-
bald your duty will soon be at an
end”
"Thank God!" ejaculated the other
forcibly and stooping down he be-
gan to unroll a little surgeon's case
in which were the Instruments of his
craft
"You've done well Theobald" said
John Haynes seating himself beside
him "And after to-night you can wipe
me out of your memory Reflect man"
be continued placing his strong hands
upon the other’s shoulders "you might
have been In his situation to-night”
"It's a terrible Job" said Theobald
“All Justice Is terrible Doctor” an-
swered the other “But It is less ter-
rible than crime When you assisted
the land gang to railroad me into the
penitentiary when you left me crip-
pled and helpless with a treacherous
bullet In my spine which you were
bribed not to remove — was not that
terrible?"
“I know — I know" Theobald mut-
tered uncorking the bottle ot bi-
chloride of mercury with which he
was to sterilize his instruments
“When I held you at my mercy”
John Haynes pursued 'relentlessly ”1
laid upon you two conditions First
that you should cure me— and that
you did Second that when I sum-
moned you you should obey my call
You have obeyed — and after tonight
you can forget the past it will be
atoned for and you shall never see
me again”
“but this — this Is the dream of a
madman!” muttered the doctor “It
can't succeed”
“It will succeed Theobald” answer-
ed Haynes sternly “and by reason of
its Inherent Justice ' even though It
may be as you say a madman's dream
Perhaps I am mad — but I have suffer-
ed and I will exact Justice to the ut-
termost" He broke off and taking up the
glass peered long and bard through It
An automobile was chugging In the
road before Judge Charterls' house
Down at the station a heavy locomo-
tive was revolving on the turntable
Just visible as the two bright lights
spun their circular course through the
gloom Haynes placed his hand upon
the steering wheel
“East or West It is all one” he
said “Theobald are you ready?”
The doctor folded up his Instrument
case Haynes pressed a Bprlng and the
strange vehicle sped off through the
darkness at a moderate rate ran Into
the prairie and returned toward the
station by a different route Outside
the yards It stopped and Haynes de-
scended Now It could be seen that
he was wearing a dark gray uniform
upon the breast of which was a point-
ed star The station master earns up
to him i
“Taking a special out to-night?”
asked Haynes
“What's that to your the other re-
torted His eyes fell oa the badge
rWho are you?” he demanded
“I'm the sheriff of Bine River” an-
swered John Haynes rThera's been
an attempt at a hold-ep in the Bine
Mountains Logs were placed acroee
the Una and the weet-hoend limited
waa nearly derailed Two ballets were
fired and one went lata the cab It's
By H M EGBERT
believed to be the work of Clancy’s
gang”
“West bound did you ssyT” exclaim-
ed the other “Why — why — ” He broke
off end eyed the other suspiciously
again “I guess there won't be no hold-
ups with thle special” he answered
grimly “There's nothing worth
plundering aooard of her and there’ll
be two armed men In the cab Get
thatr
"You seem to think I'm one of the
thieves” remarked Haynes petutantly
In the broad dialect of the Weat
“Why” aald the other candidly
“maybe you are and maybe you ain't
But there won’t be no hold-ups on this
special Thanks!”
Haynes spun on his heel as though
offended and re-entered the vehicle
which proceeded slowly westward
along the road that ran for a short
distance parallel with the embank-
ment About a mile from the station
It ended In a deep gully beyond
which was nothing but flat prairie for
a hundred miles and a little more un-
til! the steep ascent of the Blue Moun-
tain range began Haynes laughed
grimly as they sped through the dark-
ness "He’s going west then” he said
"It’s lucky we had this old auto cov-
ered Theobald for It must be nearly
zero outside Keep up your courage
man In two hours or three at the
outside all will be over and you'll be
on your way back to your comfortable
house in Nokomls as snug as though
you’d never left your bed to answer
my summons”
They drew up the automobile and
waited patiently some distance from
the road In case the station master
should send searchers for them Three
hundred feet from the embankment
they would have escaped the observa-
tion of the most keen-eyed hunters In
that darkness and In the snow which
fell steadily about them
Meanwhile Judge Charterls suit-
cases In hand was waiting at the rail-
road station He had driven hla own
automobile through the bitter weath-
er and now stamped Impatiently up
and down the platform waiting for the
engine and car to come alongside
When It arrived he noticed the two
guarda beside the driver
“Who are those men?” he asked
sharply
“Assistants” answered the station-
master He would not arouse the
Judge’s fears by detailing the news
of the hold-up which he had received
With sure Instinct he had discerned
the lie that had been told him He had
no doubt that the two men were actu
ally members of Clancey's gang sent
to make observations But being un-
armed he had prudently suffered them
to withdraw He bad privately In-
structed the driver to keep a sharp
look-out for obstacles upon the track
Only at one spot could such be placed
for the prairie stretched away with-
out a sign of a tree clear to the Blue
Mountains — and then on and on again
until the foothills of the Rockies and
the broad alkali plains confronted
them At the Blue Mountains only
where the engine must slow down to
surmount the hills could any attempt
occur And the guards carried loaded
rifles
Judge Charterls knew nothing of
any danger Hla only danger be felt
be had shaken off when he stepped
Into his warm comfortable car Hop-
kins had not forgotten hla love of
comfort Beside -the sleeping berth
was a table piled with magazines a
box of choice cigars and a little case
containing some of those liqueurs
which the Judge dearly loved When
the train drew out ot Nokomls he set-
tled himself down In his chair all
fear forsaking him
- He meant to take ship at Portland
for San Francisco under an alias
thence to double back on his tracks
toward the south possibly to cross
Into Mexico His plans were not ma-
tured Confident that he had out-
witted his former victim he placed his
fears behind him
He had no ties He lived the lux-
urious selfish Ufa of an elderly bach-
elor To break new ground was easy
He had no qualms He had meant to
retire soon anyway He felt that be
had acted wisely In arriving at his
decision to fly
He had heard the name Clancy
mentioned softly as he was about to
step Into the car and the word sent
a sudden -flash of recollection through
his brain He remembered Clancy—
that patient easy-going middle-aged
man who had become Involved In a
law-suit with the Nokomls Land Com-
pany a year or two previously Clancy
had been a power In Nokomla by rea-
son of his large Interests there and
his unswerving honesty It had been
a stiff fight ' before the land gang
trapped him Judge Charterls shiv-
ered as he remembered bow when be
sentenced him to ten years in the
penitentiary Clancy had threatened
him In court and denounced him aa a
tool of the confederate Then had
eoma the spectacular escape from
prison and the respectable portly
gentleman -a little Uka himself— had
become an outlaw aad the terror of
the coca try Tea It was wall that
he had planned this filght
The train rolled on A MlsnM
peace descended over Judge Charterls
He nodded hla head and dozed hla re-
pose deepened soothed by the good
whisky with which his friend Hop-
kins had supplied him When he
awakened he had reflected he would
be speeding through the desert miles
from Nokomls Had he not better un-
dress and go to bed? Before he an-
swered his own question he was snor-
ing in hla chair
Behind the train so close tha it
might almost have formed an Integral
part of It John Haynes and Theobald
were speeding in their one-wheeled
automobile upon a single rail And
underneath the busy gyroscope hum-
med ever to faintly Its tune so-
corded well with the Englishman's
mind It hummed aa merrily as his
own thoughts and yet tt soothed him
with lta monotonous murmuring All
the while the snow fell steadily But
the automobile ran through It anugty
and comfortably there was not the
slightest Jar or vibration When the
train quickened lta speed the vehicle
did the same It could have outpaced
the train In a run of a hundred miles
and met her half way back
“We must be nearing the foothills
of the Blue Mountains Theobald”
said John Haynes half an hour later
"They stretch for forty miles or so
before we enter upon the steepest
grade at the bead of Blue River I
think we'll make our preparations”
Theobald shivered and rose grasp-
lag hla Instrument case At that mo-
ment he felt like a man bewitched
helpless hypnotized by the power of
his terrible master
Haynes slowed down to twenty
miles leaped the machine from me
rail to the roadbed and putting' on
speed again caught up with the van-
ishing train Throwing back the
hood of the runabout he stood upon
the step a moment In the pelting anow
ran alongside of the trail! and fling-
ing a rope noose one end of which
was fixed to his steering wheel made
the runabout fast He leaped aboard
the train and standing on the back
platform be strained at the rope
working It until the runabout shifted
her course caught the rail again and
ran on smoothly behind Then at hla
BEFORE THEM Lfff THE FILTHIEST TRAMP THAT EVES Bi
signal hla companion leaped aboard
Instrument ease in hand '
To force the door of the car was the
work of a few momenta Then the
two men crept cautiously Inside Judge
Charterls was sleeping profoundly In
his chair hla drained glass by his side
hla hands folded across his abdomen
and a smile of perfect happiness upon
his faqe He did not stir as they ap-
proached but snored In drunken slum-
ber Haynes took the cigar box from the
table selected a perfecto lit It and
began to smoke The doctor shook his
head nervously when his companion
offered him one He waa agog to fin
Ish his work and be gone - Haynes
smiled Indulgently and seeing that
Theobald was almost overcome by the
tension opened his case and drew out
the bottle of chloroform He crumpled
up his handkerchief saturated It and
clapped It over the Judge's face
A sigh a stir— and then the
Judge's breathing deepened and be-
came stertorous and slow deathly
pallor began to overspread hla face
When Haynes removed tho handker-
chief at last he lay profoundly still
“How long will It last?" naked John
Haynes coolly
“Fifteen minutes4 said Theobald
wringing his hand -“That
will he time enough?”
“Ample”
“Then get to work”
Be tamed sstde end eoeting him-
self In the chair took hp a magaslne
aad read Inside he sew e plctare of
his gyroseope atteched to ea Invalid
chair “The devU-ohairM the editors
bed oeptloned tt and Haynes pond the
article with a quiet ehoeUe it wee
right la its statements embodying aa
tt did the priadple ot the pumps
eomstiy Bat tt did not msntisn fit
device by which Haynes 'had attached
It to the gaaollne engine which con-
trolled It nor had the author the
least conception of the personality of
this "devil of crime” aa he quaintly
depleted him Haynes was glad of
these things for as long as the na-
ture of his contrivance remained un-
known he felt secure from capture
and with hla own scheme unguessed
at he could be sure of success None
of the land gang would dare to reveal
the story Above the rattle of the
train he heard the fuasy panting
breathing of hla ally aa he moved to
and fro busy about hla work Sup-
pose be should assault him with hla
Instruments or tie a chloroform wrap-
ped doth round hla own face he
thought— and amlled He did not
turn hla head He was a Judge of
men
"It's finished” aald Theobald fifteen
m (nates later and Haynes arose At
the first eight he started back In
sheer amassment then laughed up-
roariously at the grim humor of the
situation For Theobald had done hla
work too well The sight of the face
of hla old enemy had filled Haynes
with scarcely controllable anger- hut
now — It was a different man For
Theobald had almost bloodletsly made
deft little cuts In certain facial mus-
cle which made the cheeks hang
flabby and loose he had touched tiny
muscles about the eyes and eyelids
which had altered the whole aspect
of the Judge’s face he had filled In
the sagging flesh under the eyea with
paraffin even now hardening and not
distinguishable from healthy tissue
he had given an upward turn to the
eyebrows and a scowling droop to
the mouth and lastly he bad snipped
one infinitely smell muscle In the
sclerotic membrane -of the eye which
made Charterls' -eyea when the Uda
were lifted diverge extravagantly
And Clancy had a pronounced
squint of Just that character Theo-
bald bad done hla work too well
"Now come there la no time to
lose” said Haynes with gusty anger
"Walt there and hold him If he at-
tempts to wake” He stepped out on
the platform of the car pulled In the
lagging runabout and bending down
LG5ED FOR ALMS-
drew out a handle of clothes and e
mud-caked painter's brush which he
moistened In the anow outside the car
They stripped Judge Charterls of his
clothes which they threw Into the
runabout and attired him In the bun-
dle of filthy rags which they had
taken with them for Just such a pur-
pose Then they besprinkled his face
and hands with mud from the brush
stepped back and watched him crit-
ically Before them lay the filthiest
tramp that ever begged for alme
Outside a flash of lights lit up the
gloom and disappeared behind them
The train ran through the station
and began to ascend a grade
"That must be the Blue River” said
Haynes pointing out into the dark-
ness "This is the steepest grade of
the line At the top we uncouple her
Wake him Theobald”
The doctor shook the sleeping man
Slowly the Judge's eyea unclosed He
stared at the two with vacancy i pres-
ently a gleam of Intelligence came
Into his face
“Who— who are your he gasped
rising and Btggtsring toward them
John Haynes standing facing him
his back against ths minor which was
fixed In ths wall of the compartment
Immediately opposite the sleeping
berth looked at the ' shaking' man
qulsslcaDy
“Ton don't know me Judge Char
UrttT" be asked '
Charterls stand at him In horror
raised his head to his heed and tot-
tered backward late the anna of Dr
Theobald
“Meretful Oodl" ha
hla fi to hla sides ho g
lytic
“Tea got
tartar
“Tea as£U te
me since yon consigned me to the
hospitality of the State for fourteen
years”
The Judge staggered forward again
He passed his hand across his face!
he still seemed dazed Haynee
moved aside and let him see his re-
flection In the mirror a wretched
tramp mad splashed and ragged
stared back at Charter! The Judge ’
hook hla head like a bull went near
made motions with hla hands and
arms and suddenly with a fearful cry
collapsed insensible at Haynea’ feet
The train waa moving at no more
than eight miles an hour for the ea
fine waa puffing near the summit ot
the bill From his post in ths cab
the engine-driver was watching the1
track for obstacles while the two
armed guarda shivered and clapped
their arms acroee their breasts
Noiselessly Haynes crept to the
front platform leaped to the ground
and reached for the couplings Hie
teak waa one which few men could
have accomplished But In the lonell-
ness of the penitentiary Haynes had
developed the muscles of his right
arm Into those of a giant before he
had Invented hla machine and while
he yet dreamed of physical vengeance
upon his cnemlea As the train poised
Itself upon the top of the hUl almost
Immovable waiting to make the down-
ward plunge Haynes uncoupled the
engine and leaped back Into the car
The engine leaped forward freed of
the ear and raced wildly down the
long slope which dipped toward ths al-
kali country For half a dozen miles
nothing could stsy her flight It
would be half an hour before she could
nortingly puff backward to the sum-
mit again and then the car rushing
backward along that swift descent
would He burled beneath the waters
ot the Blue River that would receive
her when she left the track at the
turn below
But that was not yet to be For
barring the way bussing like a bee
the Uttle gyroscope runabout nobly
bore up against the weight of the de-
scending car Had the latter obtained
more impetus before encumbering her
the runabout would have been crushed
like an eggshell broken though never
moved from her place until her frame
sprang Into fragments But now with
this alow dead weight leaning against
her breast the gyroscope only hum-
med and crooned lta song of victory
and there they clung the car and the
motor car locked In that struggle 1&
which neither could gain a yard The
car stood still
Haynes took the unconscious Judge
by the arms and dragged him off the
car Into the snow The fall had
ceased the cold was terrible upen the
mountains It might have been twenty-five
below zero it might have been 1
more The rage which the Judge wore
might as well have been wrappings of
traw
‘ The fearful cold penetrating to the
bona roused him from hla faint
Haynes pulled him to his feet and
propping him against the platform of
the car stood over him
“Once there waa a corrupt Judge1”
he aald with alow and terrible preci-
sion “Sworn to do Justice and uphold
the law he plundered the poor pil-
laged the etrong and wrought Injus-
tice Once In the loneliness of n
cell to which Tie had consigned him
one of the victims swore to kill that
man whose name waa yharterla And
having so sworn he would not break
hla oath
“But Charterls has outwitted him”
Haynea continued to the cowering
Judge “He died before his victim’s
vengeance fell He died In that car
ten minutes ago In a drunken slum-
ber And so hla victim's vengeance
haa been rendered useless and all hla
schemes of no avail
“But in his place stands one who
Is soon tc learn what Charterls taught
so many other poor souls who stood
before him confident In the honor and
majesty ot the law which be betrayed
It le Dan Clancy who now waits here
In the place of Charterls to receive hla
punishment That punishment will bo
life Imprisonment for It was he who '
killed Judge Charterls and in this
state by lucky chance there Is no
capital punishment Clancy” he con-
tinued with an abrupt change of man-
ner “you can live half an hour and
not much more in this temperature
In half an hour the guarda who are
now on that engine will be back Make
yourself known to them and they will
pare you warm you feed you and
convey you to a place where you will
never be cold again”
He left tbe man In the anow and
stepped Into the runabout With a
turn of the wheel and pressure of tho
spring he backed her ateered her '
from the path of the released car and -guided
her to tbe roadbed Just aa tho
latter freed from lta support rolled
forward It aped on down the grade
gathering momentum till the roadbed
vibrated- rattled onward and down- -ward
the noise of lta progress grow- -lng
fainter and fainter till only tho '
least sound remained Above tho
watchers waited In breathless alienee
There came a crash a roar from far
below then tho splash ot a cascade ot
water
Ths train ear lay fathoms deep la
ths swlft-movlng Icy waters of tho
Blue River
"Coma Theobald” said Joha
Haynes
But even as ths ear leapqd forward
creams echoed from behind and -flgaro
came tanning over the anow
It shrieked with Idiotia langhtor aad
gsstieulntsd aad daaoed
Tm Clancy!” it cried la mirth aad
lapped Ms hoods Tve killed Jndgw
Charter-
Tho rear lights of tho rstanlaff sa-
rsr tbe kUL Guided by
the aooada tbe gooNs earn korryta
trook wksra tha aa
-'-I
' t
Y-C
’ ' ' 4
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Bales, Caleb M. The Dewar Telegram (Dewar, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 7, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 18, 1914, newspaper, June 18, 1914; Dewar, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2336813/m1/4/?rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.