Detective Bob Bridger — page 84: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

DETECTIVE BOB BRIDGER. 7 story of the house and entered an unoccupied apartment, the door of which the officers locked after me.” CHAPTER XVII. THE HANGING MATOH, ‘‘Alone in the dark room,” continued the Scotch detec- tive, ‘‘I stood for a moment framing my plan of procedure. ‘I had no notion of being strung up by the excited throng of country people below, and decided at once that the surest way to- prevent that experience would be to give them. the slip. ‘‘I could hear the voice of Constable Westbrook expostu- lating with the mob, who had made a battering-ram of a fence rail, and were endeavoring to hammer down the hall-way door. ‘Stepping to a window, I peered upon the scene without. ‘‘T had not dreamed that there were so many people in the neighborhood. ‘‘It seemed as if every man, child, woman, and baby, for miles around, had gathered to the scene. ‘The men forming the attacking party were huddled to- gether, shouting themselves hoarse, and the larger portion of them were intoxicated circus-goers. “The front of the hotel, where the battering-ram was in operation, was hid from my view, but I perceived that sev- eral enterprising citizens were busily engaged preparing a temporary scaffold for my accommodation directly opposite my window. “They had rigged a block and tackle on a stout limb on an oak tree, from which dangled invitingly a noose and rope strong enough to have hung an elephant, and were now shoving a light road wagon to a position directly be- neath. ‘‘A huge bonfire near by cast its light upon the excited features of the varied throng. ‘‘Between the fire and the railway a knot of women and children had congregated about a lady, who was excitedly haranguing them. ‘As the bonfire blazed higher I perceived that this lady was none other than the wrathful widow, Mrs. Bibby. ‘‘Near by stood her lawyer, and at his elbow was a slouchy-looking fellow, who I supposed was a constable armed with a warrant for my arrest. (E(oy nail exeye) S} (ere)