Presently he saw a movement in the crowd, and the thought flashed across
him that they might capture him suddenly while he stood there alone and
unarmed. He stepped quickly to the gate, where Doty Buxton waited, and
standing in the opening, asked the crowd to stand back, and to send Mr.
Mitchell to tell him what the decision was. There was a moment's pause;
then Mitchell rode forward.
"Mr. Morris says that Judge More cannot help matters. The negro must die,
and at once. We don't want to hurt you, and we don't want to destroy public
property, but we are going to have that wretch if we have to burn the jail
down. Will you stop all this by delivering the prisoner to us?"
The sheriff shook his head. "I can't do that, sir. But one thing I do ask,
that you'll give me warning before you set fire to the jail."
"If that'll make you give up, we'll set fire now."
"I didn't say it'd make me surrender, but only that I'd like to throw a few
things out--like Doty Buxton, for instance," smiling a little.
"All right; when we stop trying to break in, we'll be making ready to smoke
you out. The jail's empty but for this negro, I hear.
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