The High Point Scout
VOL, 1
_/L
HIGH POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, NOVEMBER, 1919
NO. 8
THE BOOZE TUXXELi
(By Walter Crissman.)
CHAPTER II.
A Serious Affair.
I now turned my attention to
niy hands, which were bound to
gether very tightly and were not
pleasant by any means. I began
twisting my arms about and, not to
my surprise, I discovered the men
had done a good job. How could I
get away from this place?
Reflecting back upon the many
stories I had read about captives
freeing themselves by cutting their
bonds with rocks, I unconsciously
glanced over to a part of the floor
where the cement was cracked and
large, sharp pieces were laying,
point up, invitingly.
The only way for me to get to
it was to roll, so I did. I managed
to get my bound hands over a sharp
piece of cement, and began sawing
back and forth, sometimes cutting
the rope but most often my hands
and arms. But, finally, the rope fell
apart, giving me freedom to loose
my feet.
After I had freed myself I began
to jump around like a one-year-old
colt, which had been let out of his
stable from a day’s confinement. This
affected the unblocked circulation of
my blood once more. I then bound
ed out of the cave by the entrance
thru which I had been forced in.
I was now on the top surface
again, inhaling the fresh air. But
I did not wish to meet my new ac
quaintances again just now. I made
a bee-line for the campfire of the
boys, and reached the camp circle
when the boys were becoming alarm
ed about my long absence. They
were planning a search already as
they had tried the different “scout,”
signals and had received no answer
except the echo of their voice. They
asked where I had been and I told
them I had been exploring a little
and happened to get a good dis
tance away from camp.
“It is 9.30 o’clock, boys, pack
your haversacks, be ready to leave
in five minutes,” came the orders
from the patrol leader.
In three minutes every boy was
waiting for further orders.
“Attention! Forward! March!”
were the orders and we were off.
As we went through the woods
to the main road I managed to get
with Roy Seeker and told him that
I wanted him to wait on me for
a few minutes.
We had gone up the road several
yards, when I told Jack that I would
stop and lace my leggings better, and
that he need not stop the boys and
wait for me. Roy spoke up and
said, “I’ll wait and keep Criss com
pany.” This was all right with
Jack.
Forty-five minutes from that time
we were knocking on the door of the
sheriff’s home. The sheriff came to
the door and I told him what had
happened and he said he would be
ready to start with help in about
fifteen minutes. He was as good as
his word for he was ready with six
men and two cars when the fifteen
minutes were out. The sheriff, one
of the men and we three scouts oc
cupied one car and the deputy and
other men the other. We sped to
ward that spring as fast as those
cars would take us and were soon
close by. The cars were driven into
the woods about one-fourth of a
mile from the cave so that the men
would not suspicion us being after
them.
The sheriff said, “The deputy and
three of the men will watch the hole
this boy has been into and 'the other
two men, the three scouts and I
will go to the other opening.” We
went with the deputy to his post
and then to ours. The sheriff told
us to circle around the opening in
the bushes and all come to him when
he whistled. We did as we were
told.
As I lay there I saw a man coming
out of the opening and he had a
keg on his shoulder. It seemed that
he was coming directly toward me,
and indeed he did come very near
me but passed on by and set the
While lacing my leggings I related
to Roy what happened to me that
night and told him that I had no
ticed still another opening about 900
yards away from the one I had en
tered and I wante dhim to go with
me to this place and see if it was
another opening to the cave.
Roy was a boy with a detective
spirit in him and this was the rea
son I had selected him.
H esaid, in a very serious way,
just the mode in which I wanted
him to say it, “I will go.”
I finished lacing my leggings and
we started out for the opening. Soon
we were near it and Roy circled
around to one side and I to the
other. As I lay there watching the
opening I wondered if Roy was in a
safe place. I did not have much
time to wonder for as I looked I saw
two men come up to the opening
from the opposite side and one of
the mhad Roy by the collar, drag
ging him. They dragged him on into
th eopening and I was left out there
in the bushes to think and hope for
the best.
I thought the best thing for me
to do was to hurry to town and get
help so I struck out. Just a little
beyond the spring, out on the road, I
met Jack and Walt Beeker, who had
come to see what was keeping us.
I told them the story and we all
walked swiftly toward town,
keg down in a very cozy hiding place
and re-entered the cave. It seemed
that the moonshiners had a certain
number of gallons to get out that
night.
I slipped over to the sheriff and
asked him if he saw the man, and
he said he did and he whistled softly.
[Continued next month]
If every boy would do unto every
girl
As he would have the other boy do
unto his own sister.
And if every man who honors moth
erhood.
Would do unto every woman as he
would have
The other man do unto his own
daughter or sister:
A song-burst of happiness would
send its echoes
Around old Mother Earth, and the
coming generations
Would know fewer tears and fewer
heart-aches.
—Ren Mulford, Jr.
High Point Scout ads pay. Look
at the extra large ad on page three.
It proves that. You had better get
a large space next time.