CONCLUSION.
Working with the realization of the necessity of haste, the mechanics
who had been summoned to liberate young Rozier from his steel tomb in
the bank at Ste. Genevieve drilled two holes in the doors and filled
them with nitro-glycerine, using soap to keep the liquid from running
out.
When the fuse was ready, the people were ordered from the building.
There was a moment of breathless suspense, then an explosion of the
detonating cap was heard, followed by a deafening roar as the terrible
agent of destruction went off.
The sides of the bank were blown into the street and pieces of the
massive doors of the vault were hurled in all directions.
Rushing into the ruins, the searchers were able to get into the safe
and found the banker's son unconscious on the floor, where the force of
the explosion had thrown him.
His youth stood him in good stead and before night he was up and about,
little the worse for his soul-trying ordeal.
When the robbery, the threat to repeat it every year, and the attempt
to send to awful death his son and heir were telegraphed to Banker
Rozier, at Monegaw Springs, he promptly wired back his resignation and
with all possible haste took his family to Europe.
And with his departure from the country, Jesse's desperate game to take
vengeance for the insult to him was ended.
Lying hidden by day and proceeding cautiously at night, the great
outlaw and Cole found a snug retreat in the "Blue Grass" State where
they remained for a couple of weeks.
Saddened by the report of John's death, they decided to return to
Missouri, where they paid a hurried visit to Mrs. Samuels.
Finding that, for once, the man-hunters had not troubled her and that
Susie was still in Deepwater, Jesse told her about the Shaws and at her
suggestion took them to the home of Dr. Samuels' niece at Fayetteville,
in Johnson county, where Mrs. Shaw regained her health and Daisy
forgot her desertion by her husband in her new life.
And, happy in the happiness of his friends and family, the world-famous
desperado stole away to the Ozark mountains to see his sweetheart.
[THE END.]
End of Project Gutenberg's Jesse James' Desperate Game, by William Ward