Grass Valley telegraph., 1854-08-17

sloe' al something like the muffled tread of
men lqh deep drift. Gaehler, as soon as he
was sa SIZED that the robbers were fleeing.
dlrecteohis domestic to despatch after them
aroundt 4 gunshots. They then waited quiet
y aWhilsionger, until fully assured Of the
nignt OF but the pinioned man, and then
unbarred lbe massive door, and swung it
slowly bac. to seize their prisoner.
i A sight = chill the blood of even those
stern men gaeted their vision. Instead of
living man, truggling to be free, they saw
nothing but naked. blood-stained corpse
and what mot appalled, them. was the fact
] that it wasa. e0diesS one. The warm red
alQps of &itaii' We're still oozing from the
ssEeral veins, gurgling over the scarcely.
! chilled shepldefaAPa down the yet Rgstiffai-s
Injured as the Cd banker was to the scenes
of terror--for helad passed his early years
| in the camp and the -field4-he, could
not look calmly ma sight like that; he could.
i. not ask his ser0nts to loosen the slp-knot,
that had been s. fatal, and handle the mutt
lated corpse. hey closed the door upon it.
/ and finging alold robe over the white arm
and hand with hung in the deadly moose,
! they hastenedto an upper and distant room.
and waited uth impatient hearts for the
break Of daWL Slowly. tediously wore the
hours away Ybut not until the sun was quite
high in theleaFens, could the four men break
the spell ylich the last nights horror had
flung over neir nerves and hearts. and pro-
ceed to thef duties. Itwas determined after
some consultation to despatch young GusE&Se
with one the old retainers tothe neighBor-
ing town, not only to callupon it for safSta-
BILE escorgto carry thither the treasure which
had comehigh being fatal to them instead of
the headess prisoner. but to summon with
them detachment of police to hold the
corpse. md see if it would give clue by
which tle living villains could be detected.
Leaving by the back entrance, and not trust
ing to look back lest the horr;;dl sight should
again appal them, the two FASTENED on, and
depte the drifts which everywhere impeded
tfsm. despatched their errand.
Soon after the clock had struck the chimes
G noon they returned with not oaly those
,r whom they had been sent. but number
CO. of the first citizens of the place. They
entered. as they had left, in the rear of the
building. and. proceeding to the grand hail.
were informed by Gaehler of the successful
stratagem he had adopted and the naEtle
being Withdrawn, were shown the right arm
and hand, with the ropeyet fastened on8lfe
wrist. Then the door was opened each had
strung his nerves to look aanblanchngly up
on the sight. But the blood which had cur
died in their veins as they looked upon the
fettered limb. now rushed like a lava torrent;
and their hearts, which they bad steeled to
human feeling, were in an instant vital with
ina sespv bossom eobbedia bf ana every eye ~eif
There upon the cold stone sill. half buried
in snow drift. clasped the feet of the muir
tered man, sat young and lovely woman
Tier tresses, dark as the shadows of night.
we're unbound, and fell like the mantle of
deathover her fair bosom. Frozen tear-drops
clung to the silken lashes of her haIfclosed
eyes. and her parted lips were stained with
blood, as though she had pressed frantic kiss
ns upon the CORY hand that hung just above
her brow. She was cold in death. They bu-
ried them in one grave--sad though it seem
ed that the beautiful and the pure should
rest beside the SHINING and the vile.
Two years after. the formidable band were
'Tprlsed in their stronghold, captured. and
ilde to suffer the vengeance of the laws they
nd sc long outraged. The mystery that yet
lug over the affair Of the midnight attempt
on be castle of Gaehler was then elucidated
hcaptain, perceiving one of his men thus
lmpsoned, feared that if he left him. he
migl reveal that which would destroy them
all. lie consulted few moments with the
rest,iid hesitated an instant, whether he
shoulecut off the arm and strive to bear the
woundd man away, or cut off the head and
leaVe Nm. Fear decided them. and he was
oecapifaed, his body despoiled of its clothing
and left.
But whked as the young robber was. there
was a rorGnce about his life. He had one
uay securetJ from unmanly outrage young
auu oeautlail girl. whom one OF their band
nau capturee He had obtained permission
VI HIS cn,eI y retain her as his own. and in
oi'e oi tnose caverns of which legend tells
Ts many story; ne had given hera secure home.
1heFe tnenceiorWard he carried his treasures;
there he wooed and won her.
She had been three months his bride, when
ne lett her on uat stormy evening to join his
nand on the attek upon the castle. In vain
nad she urged hin to refrain from going to
stay with her. might not be he was the
oravest OF them al. and could not be spared
at such time. Unknown to him. she track
ed his steps. and after watching thcIr1 file off
in their narrow psth, crept close to the en-
bers that yet glowed on the broad rock which.
in the depths of the forest, had served them
for hearthstone waiting anxiously and i'm
patient till ther return. Their hardened
hearts beat wildly for time, as they marked
her agony when she found not amongst them
her beloved Rough, vile men. as they were,
there was not rae that could tell her he hung
a headless CORPSE beside the castle door. They
told her onlv ie hung there prisoner, and
would mavbapfree himself ere dawn. With
the step Of chased deer. she bounded from
them. and .gy3ay through snow and storm.
They dared 0ot follow her. and only guessed
as did those who found her on the morrow,
that she had died of horror.
The ROBBERS grave. which. if tenanted but
by himsef twonld have been summed as a
weird spot, because of the beautiful bride |
that slept on his bosom, constant in death as
in life. vas green and sunny place. And
should the traveller. even at this distant day !
be tempted by the beauty of summer twi-
light to ramble amid the crumbling monu- |
nents of the graveyard of Kiel. and inquire
what lonely, fower-gemmed bank that was
IN that distant corner he would listen to the
story of the bankers prisoner and his frozen
bride.
" see through it now." as the maid ser
7ant said, when she knocked the bottom out |
IF the noiI