In Mizzoura

In the town of Bowling Green, Missouri, there lives Jo Vernon, a village blacksmith, his wife and daughters. Kate and Elizabeth. Jim Radburn, a native and resident of the same town, is sheriff of Pike County. Since childhood he has planned that some day he and Kate Vernon are to be married, and unbeknown to her, although with the sanction of her father, he pays for her tuition through college. Sam Fowler an express messenger on the Missouri Pacific R.R., is in love with Jim Radburn's sister, Emily, and with the beginning of the story he becomes engaged to her. Robert Travers, alias "Jim Cummings," a holdup man, forges the signature of the railroad division superintendent to an order permitting the bearer to ride in the express car with the express messenger, Fowler. As the train speeds on its way, Travers attacks and overpowers Fowler and robs the car. Travers makes his escape and Sam, accused by the express company of having been an accomplice, is thrown in jail. The hold-up happens in Pike County, and Radburn, the sheriff, sets out to run down the criminal. Through newspaper accounts of the robbery, Travers learns that Fowler has been unjustly imprisoned, and in accordance with his usual practice, writes to the editor advising him of Fowler's innocence, enclosing one of the express envelopes which were stolen as proof. Shortly after Travers drifts to the town of Bowling Green and by chance becomes acquainted with the Vernon family. He becomes enamored of Kate, who in turn gives him her love, discarding Jim Radburn for the thought of the bigger, gayer and brighter life which Travers has pictured. A letter sent to Kate by Travers planning their elopement comes to Kate's mother's attention, and she demands to see it. She shows it to Jim, who immediately recognizes a similarity in the handwriting of this note and the forged order which was delivered to the express messenger, Fowler, at the time of the robbery. Jim immediately begins to run down the clue to get his man. Through the efforts of Jim, Sam is exonerated and reinstated by the railroad company, and during one of his trips to Bowling Green he accidentally meets up with and recognizes Travers in the village drug store. Travers makes his getaway in a wild fight, and jumping through the window, turns toward Kate's home for a hiding-place. Her father and family joining the mob in search of Travers, have left her alone. Jim, close on the trail of his man, traces him to the Vernon home, and there corners h