Jack Wright and His Electric Stage | Page 5

Before the train came in which, they intended to depart, another one
arrived from the opposite direction.
Sheriff Timberlake was aboard.
His locomotive had caught up with the express train, and he boarded
her, and learned that a passenger had seen five men spring aground at
the Wrightstown curve.
As Jesse James and his men were not aboard, he at once presumed it
was they who had thus eluded him.
He, therefore, alighted at the next station, and boarded the first train
back for Wrightstown.
By dint of inquiring, he discovered that five men who answered to the
description of his prey, were at the Sea Spider Hotel, and made his way
there.
When he reached the hotel, he learned that the men were there, and had
retired to one of the rooms.
Timberlake was a man who never wasted words.
When he spoke or acted, it was to the point.
He therefore made no remark, but quickly made his way up-stairs, sure
that he had his prey cornered.
By moving quietly, and listening at the different doors, he finally
located the sound of several voices coming from the room occupied by
the James Boys.
He recognized them at once as the voices of the gang whom he had

tracked to New York.
"It's time to get ready, boys," he heard Jesse say.
"We've got ten minutes yet," replied Cummins.
"Just time enough to reach the depot," added Frank.
The sheriff smiled, and produced a brace of revolvers.
Flinging open the door he saw the five men in the bedroom, sitting
around a table upon which stood an empty whisky bottle and a deck of
cards with which they had been amusing themselves.
Leveling his pistols at the outlaws he cried:
"Hands up!"
"Timberlake!" roared Jesse.
"Quick, obey or I'll fire!"
"Caught!" muttered Frank.
"I've got the drop on you!"
They saw that resistance was simply madness, so up went their hands
and the keen glance of the sheriff swept over the party and he counted
four men.
Miller was missing.
For a moment there was deep silence.
The bandits had time to recover from their panic.
"Let up, Timberlake, and I'll give you $5,000," said Jesse.
"Not for ten times that amount," replied the sheriff.

"You can't take all of us."
"Two will do--you and Frank."
"Will nothing bribe you?"
"Absolutely nothing." Jesse uttered a sharp signal whistle.
It echoed piercingly through the hotel, and the sheriff started and
demanded with a frown:
"What did you do that for?"
"To summon assistance," coolly replied Jesse.
"You won't get any here."
"Oh, yes, we will. You'll see."
"I am going---"
He never finished that sentence.
Miller had heard the danger signal, came up in the hall, saw how the
situation stood, and stealing up quietly behind Timberlake, he dealt the
plucky officer a stunning blow with the butt of his pistol.
It knocked the sheriff down.
He was hardly prostrate before the whole gang was upon him, and
while one took the pistols away from him, the rest bound and gagged
him.
He thus was rendered perfectly helpless.
When he recovered from the effect of the blow, he found himself at the
mercy of the gang, unable to move or speak, and tied up to the
old-fashioned bed post.

"Fool," said Jesse, standing before him, and bending a burning glance
upon him of mingled hate and rage. "Are you soft enough to imagine
you can get away with all of us single handed?"
Timberlake did not reply of course.
But the look of intense fury he bestowed upon Jesse, amply evinced all
that was passing in his mind.
"We are going to leave you here," preceded the king of the bandits,
"and we are going back to Clay County. I'd like to blow your head off
before we go, but that would run my bead in the hangman's noose. If
you are unlucky enough to stumble across my path again, though, I
shall be less merciful. I'd wipe you out as I would a viper."
Gagged as he was, Timberlake remained silent.
"Come, boys, let us begone," said Jesse turning to his companions. "We
barely have time to catch the train."
They filed out of the room, and Jesse locked the door, carried the key
away, and they left the hotel.
Making speed, they quickly reached the railroad depot.
A train was just leaving.
They quickly boarded it.
Away they were whirled to Missouri.
And that was the last Wrightstown ever saw of them.
CHAPTER III.
THE ELECTRIC STAGE.
Toward evening a chambermaid in the Sea Spider House went up to the
room which had been occupied by the James Boys and discovered

Sheriff Timberlake bound and gagged.
She was very much frightened at first, and ran screaming from the
room, for she thought