1
00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:08,000
Justice in the Foothills by Clement White. Starr and Collins were apathetic throughout their

2
00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:13,599
brief, dramatic trial. Following the
jury's verdict of first degree murder, their

3
00:00:13,679 --> 00:00:19,160
sullen demeanor became an integral part of
their being. They did not show a

4
00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:23,519
motion when the sheriff and deputies prepared
them for the trip to the state's prison

5
00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:30,839
to await execution. Heavily manacled Star's
left wrist chained to Colin's right, they

6
00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:35,920
huddled in the automobile ready for the
journey to Mills Junction, where the officers

7
00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:41,679
planned to take a through train to
the penitentiary. The weather matched the prisoner's

8
00:00:41,679 --> 00:00:47,920
mood. A drizzle dampened the car
and its occupants, while great fog banks

9
00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:53,079
shrouded the hills. As the car
nosed its way along the trail, the

10
00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:59,759
mists gradually turned to rain. The
sheriff was nervous, the roads getting slippery.

11
00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,599
We'd best put on chains, he
told the deputy. I'd hate to

12
00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:10,560
skid over one of these cliffs.
It'd be a finish I reckon inspection of

13
00:01:10,599 --> 00:01:14,599
the tool box showed the chains we're
missing. We must have left them in

14
00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:19,719
the garage, apologized the driver.
The trail ahead isn't any worse than the

15
00:01:19,719 --> 00:01:23,200
part we have come over. It's
as safe to go forward as to return.

16
00:01:25,680 --> 00:01:30,519
Go slow, then replied the sheriff, I don't fancy this trip.

17
00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:37,040
I'd forgotten how ornery this road is. The cars were from side to side

18
00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:41,319
in spite of the driver's efforts.
He was slowing up for a steep descent.

19
00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:46,959
When the heavy machine left the trail, it spun suddenly like a thing

20
00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:52,120
bewitched, hurling its occupants over the
side of the chasm while it rolled over

21
00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:57,480
and over on its way to the
destruction in the bowlder studded bottom. The

22
00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:01,799
sheriff and deputies followed the car to
the canyon bottom, where Star and Collins

23
00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:07,080
would have joined them. Only as
they dropped over the canyon wall, they

24
00:02:07,159 --> 00:02:13,360
passed on opposite sides of a stunted
cedar. The chain which bound them together

25
00:02:13,439 --> 00:02:19,240
held securely, and they were suspended
in the air, kicking desperately, almost

26
00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:23,840
tearing the tree from its precarious roothold
Star hooked a toe over a jutting rock.

27
00:02:24,479 --> 00:02:29,639
Inch by inch, they worked their
way up to the canyon's rim and

28
00:02:29,719 --> 00:02:35,319
were back on the trail when darkness
fell Star was panting, but was not

29
00:02:35,479 --> 00:02:39,520
nearly so winded as Collins. He
set the pace through the gloom, heading

30
00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:45,759
for the foothills to the north.
They reasoned that hours would pass before their

31
00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:52,280
escape was discovered. Moreover, pursuing
posses would be at a disadvantage among the

32
00:02:52,319 --> 00:02:58,199
trackless foothills. The following night,
they crowded a small stream at a gravel

33
00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:04,240
bar and spied a dead lying on
the bank. Throwing themselves flat on their

34
00:03:04,319 --> 00:03:08,000
stomachs, they devoured it in great
bites, for with the exception of a

35
00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:14,080
rabbit which a surprised bobcat had dropped, this was their first meal since their

36
00:03:14,199 --> 00:03:19,240
escape. Because of the chain that
linked them together, they formed a close

37
00:03:19,319 --> 00:03:24,120
partnership. Neither could lie down,
sit down, or arise without the consent

38
00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:30,039
of the other. Bitterly they cursed
the lynks of steel, which turned their

39
00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:36,879
waking hours into a series of mishaps. So far, posses had not appeared

40
00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:42,280
on their trail. This was not
strange, considering the wide expanse of sparsely

41
00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:49,120
settled country which must be searched.
The fugitives were in little dread of men,

42
00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,120
but waking or sleeping, they could
not rid their minds of the thought

43
00:03:53,159 --> 00:04:00,199
of avenging dogs. The anticipation of
bloodhounds caused a cold sweat to dampen Starr's

44
00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:08,560
clothes, while Collins gritted his teeth
and lunged forward with desperate steps. Both

45
00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:14,360
men knew of the dogs, half
bloodhound half mastiff, that were owned by

46
00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:18,759
a wrencher near Mills Junction. It
was the boast of the county that these

47
00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:26,600
terrible dogs seldom lost a trail,
and when loosed unmuzzled, had been known

48
00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:32,839
to rend fugitives limb from limb.
Starr and Collins had one hope. Some

49
00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:38,959
years ago, Starr had spent several
weeks with a renegade hermit who had a

50
00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:43,800
shack in the woods beyond the foothills. If they could reach his shack,

51
00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:47,519
he would remove their manacles. He
might be dead, or he might have

52
00:04:47,639 --> 00:04:53,360
moved, but the fugitives hoped against
hope that he would be ready to aid

53
00:04:53,399 --> 00:04:58,399
and hide them. The knights were
cool in the foothills, but the days

54
00:04:58,439 --> 00:05:03,600
were hot. Berries were abundant,
hanging dead ripe on countless bushes, providing

55
00:05:03,639 --> 00:05:09,319
food. When they stopped to rest, they worked persistently at their manacles.

56
00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:14,839
If they could sever the chain which
bound them risks to wrist. Their progress

57
00:05:14,879 --> 00:05:19,639
would be easier and safer. This
much accomplished, they might devise a way

58
00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:26,439
to remove the handcuffs. They dragged
the chain back and forth over flint rocks.

59
00:05:27,439 --> 00:05:31,680
They worked and strained and pulled,
but the stout lynx refused to yield.

60
00:05:32,759 --> 00:05:38,360
After each trial, Star and Collins
arose, cursing, and continued their

61
00:05:38,439 --> 00:05:44,759
flight toward the north. Early one
morning, both men paused, simultaneously,

62
00:05:45,079 --> 00:05:49,040
holding their breath while they listened.
From the south floated a faint echo,

63
00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:55,920
which froze the blood in their veins. Again, the sound echoed. It

64
00:05:56,040 --> 00:06:00,480
was the baying of a hound.
The baying increased in loudness as the pursuit

65
00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:06,319
grew easier. Star and Collins crashed
through the brush to a small rock pile,

66
00:06:06,959 --> 00:06:12,240
Gasping and moaning. They dragged their
weary bodies to the top of the

67
00:06:12,319 --> 00:06:17,319
rocks and saw the hounds lope through
the brush into an open space. The

68
00:06:17,439 --> 00:06:24,800
great dogs were unmuzzled as the fugitives
cringed before the attack. The triumphant baying

69
00:06:24,879 --> 00:06:30,240
of the hounds gave place to a
plaintive whimper. The great dogs paused in

70
00:06:30,279 --> 00:06:34,240
their tracks, the hair bristling on
their backs while their tails sank between their

71
00:06:34,319 --> 00:06:42,120
legs. Their brute instinct had warned
them of apparel which tearing fangs would not

72
00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:46,040
guard against. A wolf had emerged
from the brush to the north of Star

73
00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:51,240
and Collins, and its bared fangs
and feted slaver streaming from its jaw.

74
00:06:51,800 --> 00:07:00,399
The eye staring balefully and the dull
upstanding hair showed that the wolf was mad.

75
00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:04,240
The dogs fled from its approach,
but the men were in the path

76
00:07:04,319 --> 00:07:09,959
of the frenzied animal. They tried
to leap away from the dripping jaws,

77
00:07:10,240 --> 00:07:15,360
which slashed them, but were bitten
in several places before a kick disabled the

78
00:07:15,399 --> 00:07:19,759
animal. Hope fled from the hearts
of the fugitives. As they examined their

79
00:07:19,759 --> 00:07:28,120
wounds, they were haunted with the
specter of approaching madness. They cursed and

80
00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:32,920
fought and strained on the chain until
their wrists were torn and bleeding. They

81
00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:39,360
rolled on the ground and wept,
then arose and continued their efforts with the

82
00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:46,720
chain. The presence of each became
decidedly objectionable to the other. Who would

83
00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:51,319
be the first victim of rabies?
This question drove them to frenzied, pulling

84
00:07:51,639 --> 00:07:58,839
and straining. The thought upmost in
the mind of each was a consuming desire

85
00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:03,560
to become separate from his companion.
They fought the chain at intervals through the

86
00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:09,959
night, then continued their desperate journey. The morning sun stole over the brooding

87
00:08:11,040 --> 00:08:18,040
hills. Wild animals feasted, gamboled, and basted in the golden sunshine.

88
00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:22,120
A fissure emerged from a pool with
a fish in its mouth, saw the

89
00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:30,199
fugitives, then fled. Grouse went
about their affairs undisturbed, and a great

90
00:08:30,279 --> 00:08:35,519
eagle sailed in a wide circle through
the azure air. Peace rested over wild

91
00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:41,279
things, but in the hearts of
the two men raged an inferno. They

92
00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:46,080
knew they were to die, and
in a measure they comprehended the manner of

93
00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:50,720
their death. As they paused to
eat berries, they eyed each other sharply,

94
00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:56,720
kneeling by the bush, scratching their
faces with brambles as they devoured the

95
00:08:56,759 --> 00:09:05,399
watery food. Berries sustained life,
but did not strengthen them. Their bodies

96
00:09:05,600 --> 00:09:11,840
gradually weakened, but this weakness did
not lessen the feverish vigor of their minds.

97
00:09:11,879 --> 00:09:16,960
Each knew what the other was thinking. The one who showed the first

98
00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:24,320
symptoms of rabies would be killed,
if possible by his companion. One afternoon,

99
00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:30,600
they trudged through a thicket and approached
a bubbling brook. Ours had elapsed

100
00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:35,960
since our last drink, and Star
sank to the ground, eagerly gulping the

101
00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:41,720
water. His thirst quenched. He
glanced at Collins, then his body stiffened.

102
00:09:43,759 --> 00:09:48,759
Collins was not drinking. His eyes
had become dull and fixed. A

103
00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:54,120
shiver shook his form. As they
regained their feet, the shaking spells recurred,

104
00:09:54,600 --> 00:10:01,519
his spasms became more intense. Suddenly
he gave gave an unearthly shriek and

105
00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:07,360
bared his teeth at Star, who
leaped aside in fright, swinging Collins around

106
00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:13,240
and around. His fright aided strength
to his muscles. Panting and exhausted,

107
00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:20,080
they crouched on the ground, glaring
and whimpering. Another spasm shook Collins as

108
00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:24,879
they crossed the ridge. He tried
to bite and tear Star's arm, Remembering

109
00:10:24,879 --> 00:10:30,080
a fighting trick he had learned in
the lumber camps, Star lunged with his

110
00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:35,879
left knee extended, striking Collins in
the stomach. They fell to the ground,

111
00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:41,039
Collins, made temporarily helpless from the
blow, Star again drove his knees

112
00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:46,879
into the madman's abdomen. Collins raised
his head and Starr dashed his own head

113
00:10:46,919 --> 00:10:52,639
against it, the impact driving Colin's
head against a sharp stone and rendering him

114
00:10:52,720 --> 00:11:00,320
unconscious. A new difficulty arose,
for Star could not free himself from the

115
00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:05,240
helpless body. Its weight hindered his
progress as he moved from bush to bush,

116
00:11:05,639 --> 00:11:11,840
greedily devouring berries. When he lay
down to rest, the madman was

117
00:11:11,879 --> 00:11:16,360
beside him. He dare not fall
asleep, while expecting his companion's return to

118
00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:24,120
consciousness the next day, The increasing
horror of his predicament caused him to grow

119
00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:28,840
hysterical. He called for help and
listened in terror to the lonesome echoes.

120
00:11:31,279 --> 00:11:37,000
Toward evening, he saw that Collins
was dying. The approaching darkness caused him

121
00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:41,720
to stumble and fight through a bush, dragging the burden alongside him. He

122
00:11:41,799 --> 00:11:46,440
came to a rusted spur of track, abandoned since the lumber mills at Rafter

123
00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:52,440
had closed. The sight of the
rusty rails and the warmth of the rising

124
00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:58,039
sun served to clear his mind.
He remembered that the hermit Shack was north

125
00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:05,000
of this track. As he stumbled
along, making slow headway, he felt

126
00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:09,879
a change creeping over him. He
was near a brook and passed a pool

127
00:12:09,879 --> 00:12:16,200
of water and recoiled in fright from
its limpid coolness. Spasms shook him,

128
00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:22,840
and he looked for something to rend
and tear. During lucid intervals between spasms,

129
00:12:22,159 --> 00:12:28,039
he struggled grimly through the bush.
Each attack was leaving him weaker.

130
00:12:28,399 --> 00:12:33,360
When evening came, he looked upon
imaginary sights, which added to his desperation.

131
00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:39,799
His mad brain showed foul vampires flapping
through the air about him, throwing

132
00:12:39,879 --> 00:12:46,480
water from their wings and from each
side. Hideous imps called his name,

133
00:12:46,919 --> 00:12:52,639
extending vessels of water and inviting him
to drink. He sought to slay them,

134
00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:58,279
but they recoiled with demonic grins,
only to renew their torments. He

135
00:12:58,399 --> 00:13:03,480
thought. Colin arose, gazed at
him with cadaverous eyes, and asked him

136
00:13:03,519 --> 00:13:09,480
to hurry to a pool where they
could drink and splash and swim with bared

137
00:13:09,519 --> 00:13:16,120
teeth. Star showed his displeasure at
such an invitation. He was panting now,

138
00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:22,279
and darkness had fallen. His tormentors
still offered him water, but between

139
00:13:22,399 --> 00:13:30,279
spasms he made slow progress until a
light appeared in the darkness. Gradually,

140
00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:37,120
the vague outlines of a cabin showed
close at hand, Star was more normal.

141
00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:41,320
He cried with joy at the thought
of his relief when the hermit had

142
00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:48,000
severed the chains which bound him.
Once free, he would smite his tormentors.

143
00:13:48,039 --> 00:13:52,320
He reached the window through which the
light streamed, thrust his head through

144
00:13:52,360 --> 00:13:56,720
the opening, and groaned. The
hermit was cleaning a pistol, which he

145
00:13:56,840 --> 00:14:01,879
dropped in fright. As Stars groan
reached his ears, he saw the face

146
00:14:01,919 --> 00:14:07,480
in the window, the lips spread
in an awful grimace, showing blood stained

147
00:14:07,519 --> 00:14:15,759
teeth, and the sunken, discolored
cheeks and staring, glazing eyes a specter.

148
00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,799
The hermit screamed. His hand reached
behind him and grasped a rifle,

149
00:14:22,320 --> 00:14:28,240
which flew to his shoulder. As
the apparition strove to speak, The rifle

150
00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:33,759
rang, and Star lay down to
rest, as though soothed by the echoes

151
00:14:33,159 --> 00:14:41,279
reverberating among the hills. The End
of Justice in the Foothills by Clement White