7i-i7 L,"5 i EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER-PHILADELPHIA, MONDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1917 , '-'? 'iV ,7s. im?sm f i ' -e.L,fm " THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY o A PENNSYLVANIA U Samuel W. Pennypacker P&h fbnnsylvdnas Host Zealous I lil?srii ... HIT l' tlw I'utilir '.cilffcr 1'oint'iny ) CHAPTER V (Continued) T HAD cost my grandfather for my legal education, extending through two years nnd n half, in the midst of the high prices of tho war, including $200 paid to my preceptor nnd $3C0 paid to the university professors, and including board nnd clothing, exactly $1260. This sum he later forgave nnd probably never expected to reclaim. It ought to be added, however, that while I was a student the discovery of oil in Vcnnngo County led to trcmondoii3 specula tion nnd the organization of oil companies in all directions. Uobort K. Chrisman and other persons whom I happened to know secured some land, a charter for the Providence Oil Compnny, and pro ceeded to bore for oil and to sell their stock. They engaged me, for two hours n day at $12 a week, to keep their books, and I remained with them four months nnd until the bnlnncc in the treasury had fallen to $3.07. I did some other work which helped my resources slightly. At this time I frequently saw nourishing about the town a young man called "Coal Oil Johnnie." He came of a poor and uneducated family, in tho wtstern pait of the State, who for generations had wrunj n scanty subsistence from an infertile soil. Suddenly oil in quantities was found under their feet and he became rich to pro-' fusion. He came to the city to scatter his wealth, gave out tcn-dol'nr bills and disdained to take the change, bought a team of horses and, tiring of them, gave them to his hostler, nnd built an opera house in Cincinnati. Erelong he earned a livelihood by acting as door keeper for this opera house. The First Office The bruit of my successful examination spreading around to some extent, I was offered a position in three different offices those of E. Spencer Miller. Daniel Dougherty and Frederick Hcyer at a salary which varied from SliOl) to $800 a year, but I concluded it was better to depend upon my own exertions and 1 rented the front room at 70f Walnut street from Odorgo L. Crawford. His clients passed through my office and I had tho great pleasuie of seeing them daily go by me in numbers. He was a competent lawyer. Hi had a little bronchial cough, and ho prepared and tiied tho cases which came to Benjamin Harris Urewster. The latter, at that time, was one of tho remarkable characters at tho bai. He had been badly burtied in childhood and the accident left his face not only ugly but repulsive, since the eyeball was exposed, tho lids reddened, the face distorted and the lips thickened into rolls. If this condition of countenance made him sensitive he gave, in manner, no indica tion of the fact. I have heard women say that, when they listened to his words and voice, they forgot all about his features, and he was twice married, the last time to a daughter of Robert J. Walker, once Secretary of tho Treasury. Ho wore a velvet coat, a light vest, a stock, and l utiles at the end of his shirt sleeves. Late in life he be came Attorney General of the United States. He had a gift of oratory and a touch of charlatanry, and once was taken in to arguo before mo as master, and knowing nothing whatever about the circumstances jt the cause ho occupied an hour or two in talking about the solemnity of a seal to a deed. He always maintained a hostile attitude toward his brother, Judge F. Carroll Brewster, who, more, able and less candid, was Attorney General of Pennsylvania. While sitting in my office, one day, I heard an unusual noise in Crawford's room. When I hastened inside I saw a very thin man wildly ejaculating in front of a table and whacking away with his cane at tho head of Crawford, who struggled to arise from a chair on the other side. Approaching from tho rear I caught the in ' truder around the waist, lifted him from his feet, carried him through my room to the street, and there deposited him on the front door step. Ho turned out to be JIajir S. B. Wylie Mitchell, the founder of the Loyal Legion. When 1 entciod the Law Academy a bright, vigorous young man, who had taken an active part in its affairs, named John G. Johnson, a few years older than myself, was about leaving it to meet the broader requirements of life. The son of a blacksmith, without means, he held no college diploma, and he began his career with no advantages of any kind to give him help. Save that he would occasionally go to see a game of baseball and that he developed a taste for and acquiied a knowledge of paintings in oil and made un important collection, ho has devoted himself exclusively to tho practice of tho law, permitting nothing to tempt him aside. He did indeed once write a historical pamphlet on what was then called "Tho Wars of the Grandfathers," being a controversy be tween George Bancroft and tho descendants of several of the generals of the Revolution over the respective merits ofthose offi cers, but ho has ever kept silence upon the subject and the fact is not generally known. It is universally conceded that he is today the leader of the Philadelphia bar and one of the foremost lawyers of tho United Stales. He has acquired a large fortune, having ex pended, according to reports, over a million dollars for his'pictures. From the meetings, dinners and clubs of the profession he is always absent, and ho takes no part in the bar associations or even in those efforts intended for professional advancement and improvement His success at the bar has been duo to physical and mental power rather than to cultivation. There is a little of coarseness, a little of hardness in his fiber, and he is not much given to sentiment in any direction, but he works at the law from early in the morning until late at night, and when he arises to argue or to try a case the court tho jury, the lawyers and the tipstaves all give attention. ' I took my part in the arguments at the Law Academy, was elected secretaty for the year 1800, nnd then) discocred that I had taken the wrong road for advancement. I have found as I hao gone through life that tho "rings," for which we blame the politicians, arise naturally and arc to bo found everywhere. A little clique of cultivated men conducted the affairs of the Law Academy. From time whereof the memory of man runneth not to tho contrary an unbroken custom has decreed that ho who had filled the office of prothonotary for one year should, if ho so desired, be elected the president for tho following year. At this time J. Vnughan Dai ling, in tho office of Richard C. McMurtrie, who later went to Vilkts Barre nnd there won success and died, held the position of prothono tary nnd superintended the serious labor of preparing nil of the cases to be argued during the winter's sessions. Very innocently, with an inborn scmsc of personal supori'oiity, I endeavored to take a part in the management and found myself against a stone wall,. One evening in the course of a speech I used the word "gentleman." Darling, in a supercilious way in icply, said that "Mr. Pennypacker will find that his ideas and ours of what constitutes a gentleman aie quite different." The rcmaik cost him the presidency. The mem bership of tho Academy had felt such things bcfoie, were ready for revolt, and only needed a leader. I organized n lebclhon which procd to be a revolution. William White Wiltbank, n great-grandson of Bishop White, who had been out in tho war and who had writ ten a paper for the Atlantic Monthly, who years later sat on the bemh with me, and who, for-some reason, was a "persona non grata," helped me in the movement. We selected as a candidate for tho presi dency James Lanman Harmar, a ery able man, a grandson of General Josiah Harmar, of the Revolutionary army, and 1 ran with him for the vi-e presid'cy. Samuel S. hollingworth made the m: r" Lxw ptr Wi ll 1 l&m .rS!.,. . ?ii rJf ?! I r . i a i Governor Pennypacker "hung out his shingle" for the first time at 703 Walnut street. His office was in fhc front room of the ground floor. speeches and I led the opposing forces. Hnrmat was elected over Dnrling, but was drowned at Bar Harbor before he had taken his sent, ml I became the president, n rewnrd which ordinni..,, would have gone, and ought to have gone, to Darling. Hollingsworth nnd I became fast friends. Of Quaker ancestry, with dark eyes nnd stocky build, combative in temperament, with the power to think accurately, he never flinched In' n struggle, nnd ho wns one of those few men who never sny anything but tho truth, even though it bo uncomplimentary and said in the presence of tho person concerned. He went into Councils and did good tcrvice in the improvement of affairs, moving nround with tho boys while nt tho same time retaining his association with the gentry. A few years later, as n trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, it was my fortune to aid in selecting him for a professorship in that insti tution. It wns his hope to rench the Supremo Court of the United States, but in tho very prime of life, while rugged ns nn oak, ho died of typhoid fever. Since experience only comes with long exercise of the faculties and since in n dull world time is required to gain nn appuciatlon of merit, the gift of long life is one of the essentials of any real success. Some Interesting Personalities When I came to the bar Horace Binney would occasionally bo seen upon the street, but he had long retired from practice. William M. Meredith could be heard at rare intervals in the courts. Gcorgo M. Wharton, a small, wiry and acute man, had a good clientele. Henry Wharton, round and robust, gave opinions upon real estate titles, there being then no real estate title companies. Eli K. Price, in his canny way, was heaping up a fortune. Dnvid Paul Brown, trim, in n blue coat with brass buttons, rather fluent thnn wise, sel dom appeared. The real leaders of the bar were George W. Diddle, to whom I have before referred, and Richard C. McMurtrie. Mc Murtrie, pure and sincere, perhaps excelled in case learning any other lawyer at the bar. In temperament ho had the simplicity of a ihilil and in his mental conduct he suggested nn overgrown boy. Whateer thought came to his head found its way to his tongue. He really felt that no one else knew much about tho subject and he pave utterance to the thought. Once we had n case together nnd he inquired in which Common Picas Court it had been docketed. When I named the court lie said: "Oh those poor, helpless creatures!" At another time he .-aid to me: "If I raise some shellbark trees for jou will you plant them?" I promised to tnke care of them, and tome time later he bi ought them in a basket to my office. He once told Judge Fell that a certain lawyer was a fool. Some days later he came in u penitent mood to say: "Judge, do you know it is I who was the fool." He was a most unsafe advisor, for tho reason that ho was ever constructing theories to which the affairs of tho world refused to conform, but he was a lovable character and his stead fast adherence to the truth aided him much -in the trinl of causes. At the criminal bar Lcwb C. Cassidy and William B. Mann stood foremost until succeeded by James II. Hcverin and Charles W. Brooke. When tho Republicans were successful William B. Mann piosecuted the causes and Cassidy defended them, and when the Democrats were successful the situation was exactly reversed. Cas sidy, it tall, dark, handsome man, possessed real eloquence. I be lieve ho never had a client convicted of murder in tho first degree, a fact which can probably be explained by his refusal to take a des jicrato case likely to result in that way. When the Independent Re publicans icfused to vote for Gcncrnl James A. Beaver for Governor and caused the election of tho Democrat, Robert K. Tattison, that gentleman made Cassidy his Attorney General. For Maim I had almost a sense of horror. He had a burly frame, a furtive c)e and great political power. My feeling toward him arose in this way: A man named George W. Winncmore, a spiritualistic dreamer, killed, in a barbarous manner, a woman who was a spiritualistic medium. He was a stranger in tho city without r. fiiend anil had only $2 in his pocket. He constituted u good sub ject with which to establish a reputation for energy and activity in tho performance of public duty, and" he was hurried to the gal lows. Being without counsel add penniless, tho court appointed Damon Y. Kilgore, tho only man at the bar who believed in spirit ualism, to .defend him. Kilgore had just been admitted to, tho bar, knew nothing about handling a cause, and besides, although Winnc more hail been an epileptic from childhood, ho had neither time nor means for getting evidence together. The trial came off the follow ing week, ending in prompt conviction and the public comment of "well done." Mann had the reputation of being generous among his friends and good to the poor. Brooke, better known as "Charlie," came to tho bar from the office of a banker. He wore a huge black mustache and drank to excess, hut could make a speech and had enpacity. He later went to Now York, where he established a great reputation as a, criminal lawyer, and finally died, leaving three fam ilies nnd a fortune of a thousand dollars. Theodore Cuylcr, the counsel of the Pennsylvania Railroad, a suave and subtle man, is perhaps best described by tho epigram of Samuel Dickson, who said of him that "Ho had every quality of an advocate; he could persuade injury to render a verdict contrary to the fncts and the Supreme Court to render a decision contrary to the law." An abler man than any of these I have mentioned was Furman Sheppard, robust in frame and in intellect. I have known many men in the various phases of life presidents, professors and preachers and I am inclined to think he was the ablest of them all. Ho never achieved a work or attained a reputation at all commensurate with his power. The utilization of the forces of nature is subject to much vicissitudo nnd tho momentum of tho ocean beats upon the shore in vain. He had some practice and when he had tried a case it had been exhausted. He once filled the office of District Attorney for tho county and he had neither predecessor nor successor. He had read widely, not only in the philosophy of the law, but in literature and theology, and ho comprehended their full significance. Perhaps he was a little inert. Perhaps he did not fully realize his own capacity. Film ViHEiHBl4tflB ,i-n.-'i IP' Csr i":'i-i I : "& jaWMv,K.v,ftmht,.w,jM nn r i it 111 rnirriTirii.il 1 1 i ufati n inniiiiiTlin. JBM j This group shows Governor Pennypacker about the time ho was admitted to the bur. Note the young lawyer, seated at the right, is wearing boots, a bobby which stuck to him through most of his life. At the left is his brother, Henry C. Pennypacker, and standing is Singleton SI. Ashenfclter. After accepting an invitation to make a speech at the dinner given to Benjamin H. Brewster, when appointed Attorney General of tho United States, he failed to appear. Perhaps conscious of strength ho disdained to seek for opportunity and reputation and waited for the world to sec for itself. He was a Democrat in a Republican city, but so was Pattison. Whatever be the cause, certain it is that many lesser men have gone much further. Famous Trials I saw Anton Probst, a little, light-colored, dull-looking; German, as they brought him in the van to the Court House at Sixth and Chestnut streets to be tried. Employed by a farmer named Deering, down near the junction of the two rivers in the region called "The Neck," he killed the father, mother and a family of children, one a mere infant, in order to secure a small sum of money. Driven through the crowd, who jeered and threatened, he seemed like some hunted animal. Ho still retains the distinction of being tho most atrocious murderer in our annals. I attended the trial of George S. Twitchcll. An old lady, tho mother of Twitchcll's wife, lived in the house with them. She lay on the sofa in the sitting room with a roll of money in her bosom, and, while there, some one beat her to death by repeated blows over the head. The blood flew in curved streams over the paper of the wall. The next morning her body was found in tho yard where.it "had been thrown from a window; alongside of it lay the long, bloody, poker with which the detectives concluded she had been stricken. Twitchell was accused of the crime. Henry S. Hagert and Furman Sheppard represented the Commonwealth and William B. Mann and John O'Byrnc, an eloquent Irishman, who had been a hatter) who went to Delaware afterward in an effort to reach the Senate, and who, failing, closed his 'career in New York, represented tho defendant. Tho Commonwealth contended that Twitchell, in financial straits, quarreled with his mother-in-law over money. The defense con tended that n robber found his way into the house from the street, and they had some evidpneo to support the theory. Mann spent mo3t of his time in an effort to convince tho jury that tho poker could not have produced those curves of blood-drops on tho wall, and ho illustrated his argument with all sorts of weapons some long and stiff liko a poker and some made of leather and twine to be limber and swinging. As I listened I did a piece of analytical work and reached the conclusion that Twitchcll had killed tho woman and that ho had not done it with tho poker. Mann would not have spent so much effort upon what, after all, was a mere detail unless he had been su.-o beyond doubt that in this respect the case of the Com monwealth was nt fault and he could only be so sure because of in formation from his client. Twitchell was convicted, and years afterward it was told that Mann and O'Byrne had gone to the house and secured from its hiding place the "billy" with which he did the deed. Mrs. Twitchell mortgaged the house to counsel to pay their fees. A friend of Twitchell stood by him faithfully at the dock through the whole trial, and when the sheriff went to hang him he was found dead in his cell from poison which no ono knew how ha had secured. During tho first year of my practice I received in fees ?800, and the annual returns slowly increased. (CONTINUED TOMORROW) RAINBOW'S END brexjeach A novel of love, hidden treasure and rebellion in beautiful, mys terious Cuba during the exciting days of the revolt against Spain. 'opyriKht. 1017. Harper A. Ilro. CHAPTER XXII (Continued) IN O'ltUU.LY'S iiarty tlieto wcro threo men besides himself llio ever-faltliful Jacket, n. wrinkled old L'ninuEuryan who know tho Ills conwifturo with mimjIi-Ioiis suddenness o'rlcni0' !lH,l' t0 lrlun'1'1' over llls J'I""1 .ttiI 'Pi'83 "f, liarl rldhiB brought tho party to tho tirvlia; they neared It on tho Beccrid. mornhiK after leaving C'ubltaK. uml bridle trails of I,Ih province as fox know. ,ho"ja? 1 la To , rnl, "S "f..1" nuolter. lie returned nteerul no report of ered After nn In. cxaminntlnn D'Holllc n ntrw him the reliipfnnr '.iTTni.ui-. ni . fr: everything; seemed faorabIo for a. rrosnliiir V.Y",", tnw that, night, and that he had iiioni ton ' !.. u- select; a promising point. Ueyond that ina Trupuu rn nu dip tinn unoni mni r, f,.rii,r ," i t.,1 i, , .lmfcSi: 5"PPS..5JVJ". t? re-o the expedition because of his ld-.c- what he liali dlico flUaillllLIIltl .Villi llltl Ut!VUMIlll..fl IllHiriPIK. ulul.,n. Hoth (ruldes, halnB crossed tho trocha moro than once, airecteil to scorn Its ter rorn ana their easy conndence reaxi from "Jacket" Joins the Party Tho American had not dreamed of taking Jacket 'alotiK. but when ho t-amn to an nounce his departure tho boy had flatly refused to be left behind. Jacket, In fact, had taken tho matter entirely Into his own hands unci had appealed directly to (Jencral llonicz. To his General the boy had ex plained tearfully that patilotlsm was a rare and an admirable, quality, hut that hlH love of country was not half so BtrotiK or so sacred as his affection for Johnnie O'ltellly. Hitting attached hlmvlf to the American for better or for worse, no human povier could sene to, detach him. HO lie asserted. Ho threatened, moreover, that If he were compelled to suffer his benefactor to bo alono Into the west lie would lay down his arms and permit Gen eral Gomez to freo Cuba as beht he could. 'Cuba could bo to Hades, so far as Jacket n as concerned he would not lift a linger to save It. Strangely enough, Jacket's threat of defection had not appalled Gen eral Gomez. In fact, with a ilyspcutii. uruffness characteristic of him, Gomez had ordtj'ed tho boy off, under penalty of a bound spanking. But Jacket had a wl.ll of his own. likewise a temper. He greeted this unfeeling refusal with noisy out burst of mingled rage, grief and defiance. Stamping hfs bare feet, sobbing and screaming, the boy finally flung himself upon the ground and' smote It with his fists, while tears streamed from his eyes. rOr COUlu lie uo buciiucu. im uiaiiiiauicu '"? ''l?.niun would say. nothing. Johnnlo utaeq nimseir uneasily If this reticence wai, not really due to npurehensltn rather than to sullennes Whatever the cause. It was not particularly reassuring, and as evening came on Johnnlo found himself growing decidedly nerous. Supper, a simple meal, was quickly dlu posod of. Then fellow ed a long, dispiriting w;alt, for a glbbcu!? moon rode high In the sky and the guides refused to stir so long ns It remained there. It was a still night; In the Jungle no air was stirring, nnd dark ness brought forth a torment of mosquitoes. As day uled, the woods awoke to sounds of bird and insect life ; strange, raucous calls pealed forth, Feme familiar, others strange and unaccustomed. There wero thin whistlings, hoarse grunts and harsh cackllngs, high-pitched elfin laughter. Mov ing bodies disturbed, the leaves overhead: from all sides came the rustle and stir of unseen creatures : sudden disputations were" followed by startled silences. Hitting thtr." In the dark, bedeviled by a pest of Insects, mocked at by these mysterious oices, and lockslng forward to a hazardous enterprise, O'ltellly began to curse his vivid Imaglna tlon and to envy the ImpastlvenesH' of hlr companions. Ken Jacket, he noted, en dured the strain better ; the boy was cheer ful, philosophical, quite unimpressed by his surroundings. When the mosqultos became unbearable ho put on his trousers, with some reluctance and much ceremony. It seemed to O'ltellly that the moon floated motlonUss In tho sky, and more than once ho was upon the point of ordering a were strangers to him, rf their fidelity ho had no guarantee. Now that his mind had becumo engaged with thoughts of treachery, a determined effort was n( eet.t-.iry to keen himself In hand and O'Kellly fell back final ly upon IiIh elemental trust In tho Cuban character scant conflation under tho cir cumstances Midnight brought a moist, warm breeze and a fpw formless clouds which served nt tlmcp to dliulv obFcure the moon Watch ing the clouds. O'Reilly hoped that they in ght prove to be the heralds of a storm. None riiine. Whpn" lin tnonn had flnallv crept down Into tho treetops old Il.larlo ou't ot ,ho b"lacknee, nr,d now approached phi. ,i-i, ujiuu ma nt,. nut .;..- ,v : swirtiv down the railroad craae, silently to s.uldlo up Tho others followed ""oiiiY-Ud a heavy hand upon tho old with alacrity, and fell in behind him na c'amagueynn and Inquired in sharp sua- he led the way Into the forest They no picton. "What does that mean an alarm?' longer lentured to speak nloud : nothing There was a breathless moment during but tho occasional sound of a hoof striking which tho four men followed the erratic upon loot or stone, tho creak ot learner. COursa of tho spark. Then Antonio chuck or tho rustle of branches against pas&lng j,., "Alabaos! A l'ght-bug." said he. him from tho gloom. Rlurred forms took shape phantom figures moved along the em bankment, stumps ttlrred. O'Reilly felt a pair of reins thrust Into his hand and found Illlario examining a largo pair of tinner's shears. "Do jou wish m to go with you?" ho Inquired of the guide. ...... ,,. Tho latter bhook his head. "Antonio will go; ho will keep watch while I clear a path. If jou hear or see nn thing " Jacket interrupted with a sibilant: "Psst! Look ! Vender!" lantern-lino illumination naa iwpn bodies give evlder were en route. o that mounted men The Approach Don't vou know a cucullo when you see one?" Ho cautiously tested the ejector of Jill carbine and tightened the cord that Kerved as his belt. O'Reilly drew a deep breath of relief. Ho had never become wholly accustomed to the giant-oeetics ot tne tropics, aunougn ne naa such a hideous and surprising uproar, an- start, but he reflected that the radiance out 'swerlng Gomez's stern commands to be in the open must be tar greater than it silent with uuen maniacal nowis, mat ine seemeu nere unuer tne oenBe tropical roll old soldier wan Anally glad to yield his ago. After a time he began to wonder if uSm youth tor that perdition with which ho U llUario'i strange reticence was caused LmsTMUVnVQi LUUft , " -v . V f B'uuoiiH'iw, HJ Kj',"lwj''M , j nuiuc rtuutit When they had rot ered a couple cf miles ntlarlo reined In and the others crowded nln.n AhA.xl .Until. Icarnltilu nf-ntnat iha night sky. there appeared to bo a thinning carried one. often on sentry duty to see tjio of tho woods ' face of hia watch, and not Infrequently After listening for a moment or two. had seen Cuban women wearing them In Ullario dismounted and slipped away; tho three rldcra sat their saddles with ears strained. Once moro the myriad .olce of the night became audible tho chirping of crickets, the strident call of tree-toads, tho whin ng undertone of the mosquitoes. Illlario returned with word that all was well, and each man dismounted to muflle the feet of his home with rags and strips of gunny-sack provided for the purj-oe. Then, ono by one, they moved forward to tho edge of the clearing, Tho trocha lay before them. After tho raveronous obscurity of the Jungl? the night seemed suddenly to lighten and ORe.lly found himself looking out over a level waste ot stumps and tree trunks perhaps a quarter of a mile wide, extend ng right and left as far as he could see. Against the luminous western horizon opposite the Inky forest stood like a wall. Midway of the clearing there was a railroad grade with a telephone pole or two limned against the .sky. The clearing was silent and to all ap pearances azseriea; naming sii-rea. no sign of life appeared anywhere. And yet, as the American studied the place, ho had a queer, uncomfortable sensation that it, was thickly their h.-ilr as ornaments. "Jove!" ho muttered. "It gave ino a fright." Illlario returned his instructions: "If anything goes wrong, wait here. Don't ria away until wo have time" "Never fear. I won't desert you," the American reassured him, Tho two vhlte-c!ad figures slipped away, became Indlsttnct, and then disappeared. The night was hot. the mosquitoes hummed dismally and settled in clouds upon the wa'tlng pair, maddening them with their poison. After a time a horse snorted and Jacket cursed nervously, "I'd like to see where we are," the boy muttered. "Do you know these men?" O'Reilly asked him. "No. God deliver me from such unpleas ant fellows." "I hone they're honest." "Humph I I trust nobody." There was a pause. "Nevermind," Jacket assured his companion. "I will make short work of them If they prove to be traitors." A half hour passed., then the two ghostly ngurrs materializes: once more. many strings to this Spanish guitar. What a row when they discover that I have played a Cuban danzon upon It" Tho old man seemed less surly than before, and O'Reilly felt ashamed of his recent suspicions. "Is the way clear?" ho Inquired. "As far ns the railroad, yes. We heard olces there, and camo back. Wo will have to cut our way forward after we cross tho track. Now, then, follow mo without a tound " Attacked Leading his horso by the bit ring. Hllarlo moved out Into tho clearing, followed onco more by his threo companions. Conceal ment was out of tho question now, for their only coterlng'was the darkness. O'Reilly had tho uncomfortable feeling that the cav alcado bulked monstrous big nnd must be visible at a great distance: he experienced much the sensations of a man dossing a sheet of thin ice with nerves painfully Btralned, awaiting tho first menacing crack. In spite (ft all precautions the animals made a tremendous racket, or so it beemed, and. despite Hllarlo's-twlstlngs and turnings. It was Impossible to avoid an occasional loop of barbed wire, therefore flesh und clothing suffered grletously. Hut at length the Earty brought up under tho railroad em ankment and paused. Out of the voids to their right came a faint murmur of voices. As carefully as might be the four men ascended the slope, crossed the rails and descended Into the ditch on the other side. Another moment and they encoun tered a taut strand of barbed wire. The metallic snip of Hllarlo'a shears sounded like a pistol-shot to O'Reilly. Into the maze of strands they penetrated, yard by yard. Slipping and carefully laying back the wire as they went. Progress was slow; they had to feel their way; the sharp barbs brought blood and muttered profanity at etery step. None ot the four ever knew what gave the alarm. Their first Intimation of dis covery came with a startling "Qulen viva?" hurled at them from somewhere at their backs. ' An Instant and the challenge was followed by a Mauser shot. Other reports rang out as the" sentry emptied his ride In their di rection. . "Sol They are shooting-bats," Htlatio grunted- . Antonio ewunr around and cocked his Remlnirton. but the other mok aharalv. :.. - -. . ... . .'- .. - -- u wen K'.p&rt...Tkt' rjalo Un: aUtethervdliterntc Both ofKhe men peooloS , .that;y M'-Wero pwlns;. out. at J,Plo'' grumbled Hllarlo. "Ther- arc "Fool. I " tft taty will U flr. and riddle us A curse on tho spider that spun this web'" It was a test of courage to crouch among the charrod trumps, enmeshed In that cruil tangle of wire, whllo the night was stabbed by daggers of lire and whllo tho trocha awoke to the wild alarm. From tomewhero in the distance came a fchoutcd command and the sound of running feet, suddenly putting an end to further Inaction. Antonio began to hack tlclously with his machete. In an effort to aid Hllarlo's labors. The sound of his sturdy bUvws betrayed tho party's whereabout so clearly that i'.nnlly the older man could restrain himself no longer, "Give It to them, compadres; It Is a gamo that wo can play." O'Reilly had been gripping his rifle tense ly, his heart In his throat, his puUes pound ing As near a panic as he had ecr been, he found, oddly enough, that the mere act of throwing his weapon to his Bhoulder and firing It calmed him. The kick of the gun subdued his excitement and cleared his brain. He surprised himself by directing Jacket In a cool, nuthorltatlvo voice, to shoot low. When ho had emptied tho maga zine he led two of the horses forward. Then, grasping his own machete, ho Joined In clearing a pathway, . It seemed an Interminable time ere they extricated themselves from the trap, but finally they succeeded and gained the wel come shelter of the woods, pausing Inside Its shelter to cut tho muffles from their horses' feet. .... . Dy this time the defenders of the trocha were pouring volley after volley at random Into the night, Hllarlo sucked the cuts In his horny palms and spat forth the blood. "If Gomez hid the ammunition these fools are wasting he would free Cuba In no time." Now that the skirmish was over, Jacket began to boast of his part In It. "Hal 1'erhaps they'll know better than to show themselves the next time I come this way." said he. "Vou saw me, didn't you? Well, I made a few Spanish widows tonight." "Not many, I'm afraid," O'nellly laughed, "Oh. believe me. I'm an old hand at this sort of thing. I shoot Just as well at night as I do In the daytime' This was literally true, and when "ho one disputed his asser tion Jicket Droceeded further In th-aum of himself, only to break oft wttb, a, wordless "What's tho matter?" Johnnie Inquired. "Look ' Heboid me !" walled tho hero. "I have left the half of my beautiful trousers on that barbed wire!" Antonio swung" n leg over his saddle, t-Olmrj "Come along, nmlgos; we bar fifty leagues ahead of us. The war will be over whllo we stand hero gossiping." CHAPTER XXIII . INTO THE CITY OF DEATH O'RKII.I.Y'.S adventures on his swift rids through l.as Villas have no part In this btory. It Is only necessary to say that they wero numerous and varied, that O'ltellly experienced excitement aplenty, and that upon mote than one occasion he was forced to think and to act quickly In order to avoid n clash with some roving guerrilla band. He had found It Imperative at all times to avoid the larger towns, for they, and In fact most of the hamlets, were unsafe; henco the little party was forced to follow back roads and obscure bridle trails. But the two guides were never at a loss they were resourceful, courageous, and at no time did the Americana have reason to doubt their faithfulness. Evidences of the war Increased aa the Journey lengthened. The potreros wsrs lush 5 with grass, but no herds grazed upon them: villages were deserted and guano huts wr ' filling Into decay, charred fields growing up to weeds and the ruins of vast centrales-, "' showing where the Insurrectos had been atv& work. This vas the sugar country, th7 heart of Cuba, whence Spain had lea A drawn her life blood, and from the AntR?,."' had been the policy 'of the rebel leaders to 'r destroy the large estitea. las.irfnv nn4a --' aged the holdings of those little farasM whose loyalty to the cause of freedom "mi unquestioned. """J tood became a problem Immediately i the travelers had crossed th tmh. apprehensive families as still lurksd lal woods were liberal tnough Antonio. & way, knew- all of them but they haalli to give and. In consequence, O'RelllVa s!aj ivniticu v laat vi W)1U (JTUlkaV- ' a small tIir. the mol mirvli scuta country trajt4vx hut i time their mett; when there ' naica . llwr A t- & a Ad -3 3 ti 33 v v.'m ' m m vm t'i a v5 V. ,r, m w Y4 ') S' ISA t-
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