Buckskin Mose: Or, Life From the Lakes to the Pacific, as Actor, Circus-Rider, Detective, Ranger, Gold-Digger, Indian Scout, and Guide.Perrie, George W.
History
Buckskin Mose: Or, Life From the Lakes to the Pacific, as Actor, Circus-Rider, Detective, Ranger, Gold-Digger, Indian Scout, and Guide.
Perrie, George W.
Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) -- Fiction; Latter Day Saints -- Fiction; Western stories
Word was immediately despatched to the sheriff, and, by the following
morning, Jackson was safely lodged in the jail at Waukegan, the county
seat of Lake County. Shortly after this, he was indicted by the Grand
Jury, and a change of _venue_ having been granted, he was removed for
trial to Chicago; where, pleading guilty, he was sentenced to be hanged,
and paid the penalty of his crime upon the gallows.
As for my poor friend Lewis, he had already pleaded guilty to
manslaughter, and been sentenced to imprisonment for eight years. He
died before the term of his imprisonment had expired.
In those days, in the West, justice was far shorter and sharper than it
has recently been in New York. There was more pride in the detection of
crime, and considerably readier justice in its punishment. Red-handed
murder had especially little chance of escaping the prompt retribution
of the Law, and it will, I think, be granted by the inhabitants of the
metropolis that the consequent fear was a tolerably fair degree of
preservation for human life, considering the character of the various
elements from which life in that portion of the States was then
composed.
Having shortly after this returned to my home, I assumed the position
of under-sheriff to my parent, and lived for several months somewhat
quietly, being lionized in no small degree by my friends and neighbors
on account of the capture of Jackson. In a few months, however,
Pinkerton, who had evidently considered me a good "utility" man in the
detective line, wanted my services again. He was engaged in ferreting
out a gang of counterfeiters and horse-thieves, who had been circulating
bad notes, and thinning out the stables above Chicago. Their base of
operations had been made by them at the foot of Little Dalls, now called
Dallton. This was some twenty miles above Portage City.
Excitement was the only thing I lacked while under my father's wing, and
consequently, in spite of his remonstrances, I determined upon accepting
the offer of employment which Pinkerton made me.
Starting at once, after seeing my chief, I joined the party with whom I
was to work, at Madison. Here, after laying our plans, or rather,
arranging for the execution of those Pinkerton had laid out for us, we
separated, with the understanding that wherever we met, we were to
proceed as if we had been strangers. The following day, myself and a
companion found ourselves at Big Bull Falls. It would be unnecessary to
trace out our after-route from place to place. For some time we
discovered nothing which might afford any clue to the object of our
search. At last we arrived at Grandfather Bull Falls, when something
occurred which convinced us we had continued too far in that direction.
We consequently returned, and took a straight line towards Black River
Woods.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account