his deputies dismounted a block away.
Then all three of them ran toward the
house. The outlaws were about to hang Judge Potter when Uncle Mark got within
revolver range. He shouted for the outlaws to surrender. Austin ran for his
horse. Uncle Mark shot and killed him.
Using the Judge as a shield, Cal Roberts
fired three shots. One bullet hit Deputy Johnson, who fell to the ground. Uncle
Mark and Deputy Stevens were afraid to shoot back for fear of hitting the
Judge. Then Roberts threw the Judge to the ground and fired a shot at him
before running for the corner of the house. Uncle Mark and Deputy Stevens
opened fire. Uncle Mark said later he believed one of their bullets had hit the
outlaw.
My uncle had told me one time that any
outlaw who belonged to a gang of bandits was a coward at heart. He said the
only outlaws with real courage were the ones who worked alone. Cal Roberts
proved my uncle to be right that night. He must have become panic-stricken
after Austin was killed. If he'd had real courage and used his head, he would
have put his pistol to Judge Potter's head and threatened to kill him if Uncle
Mark didn't let him escape. My uncle admitted he would have done just that to
save the Judge's life. But Cal Roberts, facing danger all by himself, ran
instead.
Uncle Mark and Deputy Stevens ran around
the house after Roberts. They searched the backyard and alley without finding
the outlaw. Cal Roberts had escaped on foot. Uncle Mark ordered Deputy Stevens
to get the wounded Judge and deputy into the house and send for Dr. LeRoy . Then he mounted his horse. Once again he was faced
with a terrible decision. Cal Roberts alone might be a coward but he still
might be vain enough to try to kill the District Attorney or my father. Uncle
Mark rode to the home of the District Attorney because he knew that was where
his sworn duty as a lawman belonged first.
When the shooting first started, it woke
Frankie and me. I knew what it was all about right away. We put on our robes
and ran downstairs. The noise of gunfire had awakened Papa, Mamma, and Aunt
Bertha, who were in the parlor with robes thrown over their nightgowns.
"It sounds as if they are making a
fight of it on the east side of town," Papa said. "As a journalist I
should be there."
Papa went into his bedroom and I'll bet he
never got dressed so quickly in his life.
"I'll check
with Ken and Don before I leave," he said.
When Papa went to the front porch and then
the back porch and discovered both deputies missing, he went to the gun rack
and got a double-barreled twelve-gauge shotgun. He put shells in it and handed
it to Mamma.
"Ken and Don must have heard the
shooting on the east side and gone there," Papa said. "But we can't
afford to take any chances. You take the front porch, Tena ,
and shoot any man coming into the front yard who doesn't identify himself. I'll
get the rifle and take the back porch. Bertha, you take the boys and go down
into the cellar. And keep quiet no matter what you hear up here. Let us move
quickly now."
I started to protest that I was big enough
to use a rifle but didn't get a chance. Aunt Bertha grabbed Frankie and me by
the hands and ran with us into the dark, cold cellar.
I could hear the sound of pistol shots,
rifle shots, and shotguns but none near enough to be Papa or Mamma shooting. It
seemed like we were in the cellar a long time before I heard Brownie barking.
It was an alarm bark.
"There is somebody out in back,"
I told Aunt Bertha. "I must warn Papa."
I knew she'd try to stop me so I ducked
around her and ran up to the kitchen. I opened the back door.
"There is somebody out there,
Papa," I called to him. "Brownie wouldn't bark that way if there
wasn't."
"You get back in the cellar and stay
there," he ordered me. "It is just the noise of the shooting that is
making your dog bark."
Papa could be right. On the Fourth
Then all three of them ran toward the
house. The outlaws were about to hang Judge Potter when Uncle Mark got within
revolver range. He shouted for the outlaws to surrender. Austin ran for his
horse. Uncle Mark shot and killed him.
Using the Judge as a shield, Cal Roberts
fired three shots. One bullet hit Deputy Johnson, who fell to the ground. Uncle
Mark and Deputy Stevens were afraid to shoot back for fear of hitting the
Judge. Then Roberts threw the Judge to the ground and fired a shot at him
before running for the corner of the house. Uncle Mark and Deputy Stevens
opened fire. Uncle Mark said later he believed one of their bullets had hit the
outlaw.
My uncle had told me one time that any
outlaw who belonged to a gang of bandits was a coward at heart. He said the
only outlaws with real courage were the ones who worked alone. Cal Roberts
proved my uncle to be right that night. He must have become panic-stricken
after Austin was killed. If he'd had real courage and used his head, he would
have put his pistol to Judge Potter's head and threatened to kill him if Uncle
Mark didn't let him escape. My uncle admitted he would have done just that to
save the Judge's life. But Cal Roberts, facing danger all by himself, ran
instead.
Uncle Mark and Deputy Stevens ran around
the house after Roberts. They searched the backyard and alley without finding
the outlaw. Cal Roberts had escaped on foot. Uncle Mark ordered Deputy Stevens
to get the wounded Judge and deputy into the house and send for Dr. LeRoy . Then he mounted his horse. Once again he was faced
with a terrible decision. Cal Roberts alone might be a coward but he still
might be vain enough to try to kill the District Attorney or my father. Uncle
Mark rode to the home of the District Attorney because he knew that was where
his sworn duty as a lawman belonged first.
When the shooting first started, it woke
Frankie and me. I knew what it was all about right away. We put on our robes
and ran downstairs. The noise of gunfire had awakened Papa, Mamma, and Aunt
Bertha, who were in the parlor with robes thrown over their nightgowns.
"It sounds as if they are making a
fight of it on the east side of town," Papa said. "As a journalist I
should be there."
Papa went into his bedroom and I'll bet he
never got dressed so quickly in his life.
"I'll check
with Ken and Don before I leave," he said.
When Papa went to the front porch and then
the back porch and discovered both deputies missing, he went to the gun rack
and got a double-barreled twelve-gauge shotgun. He put shells in it and handed
it to Mamma.
"Ken and Don must have heard the
shooting on the east side and gone there," Papa said. "But we can't
afford to take any chances. You take the front porch, Tena ,
and shoot any man coming into the front yard who doesn't identify himself. I'll
get the rifle and take the back porch. Bertha, you take the boys and go down
into the cellar. And keep quiet no matter what you hear up here. Let us move
quickly now."
I started to protest that I was big enough
to use a rifle but didn't get a chance. Aunt Bertha grabbed Frankie and me by
the hands and ran with us into the dark, cold cellar.
I could hear the sound of pistol shots,
rifle shots, and shotguns but none near enough to be Papa or Mamma shooting. It
seemed like we were in the cellar a long time before I heard Brownie barking.
It was an alarm bark.
"There is somebody out in back,"
I told Aunt Bertha. "I must warn Papa."
I knew she'd try to stop me so I ducked
around her and ran up to the kitchen. I opened the back door.
"There is somebody out there,
Papa," I called to him. "Brownie wouldn't bark that way if there
wasn't."
"You get back in the cellar and stay
there," he ordered me. "It is just the noise of the shooting that is
making your dog bark."
Papa could be right. On the Fourth
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