American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1856-01-31
LANCASTER, OHIO, THURSDAY MORNING, JAN 81 1856

l. u .
They proceeded in silence over an hour
: Heinrich's right elbow was then fhrusl
gently into the Captains ribs; at his wbis.
lpered halt they both stopped. Amid the
trees they both saw distinctly 4 faint.
tTlnkling hight, having che appearance Of
4 a taper in a cottage.
I Now Heiprich,5 said the Captain, ii
the devil owns that light he has no power
to harm us; and ifit belongs to mortal man.
we shall see which is the strongest. Keep
Ia bold heart in your breast. and press
steadily ou.' 2
THEY entered the forest; the Captain.
still keeping close behind Heinrich, gov
erned his movements that they seemed as
Que man. ats fV@Ss W
As they proceeded, the light almost i'm /.
peIceptibly retreated. To the eye OF an
unsuspecting person the light would have
had the effect Of misealculatien in n,distance,
but the keen senses of the Captain were
not to he deceived; lie beheld the light re-
ceding slowly but steadily, as they ad :.
vaneed. He strained his eyes to discover
the cause, but in vain. AS they threaded
the mazes Of the wood, it would suddenly
disappear, and alter proceeding few min.
u,es without behoIding il. they would
pause, thinking il had, vanished entirely,
when again its light would glimmer before
them as ifinyiingthem to proceed. One
thing thing the Captain had discovered;
they were pursuing beaten path through
the forest, and hs felt slight shudder
thrilleven to his stout heart as he reflected
that it might have been worn blythe feet of
the unfortunate travellers who had fallen
victims 10 this mystery. -e
A quarter of an hour had passed since
they entered the forest. and yet they were
no nearer the lightthan before. The Cap
tain began to grow impatient. Again the
light disappeared. this lime it seemed to be
gone really; they walked silently on--all
was dark. The Captain was about to re-.
linquish the pursuit, when lol there was
the light quiVeringas as before,
Heinrich stepped briskly forward; there
was cracking sound, as of breaking
twigs. The Captain drew back and grasp /,
ed ansoyerhanging bougl There was
sound of heavy fall. cry Of pan-then
all was still. The Captain was standing
on the brink of the pit into which Helm.
richhad fallen By the aid of the bouoh
he had seized, he drew himself back from
his perilous situation. Scarcely had he
received, 9 firm footing before he saw the
light rapidly approaching the pit. With
a painful effort he repressed his breathing. ]
AS it neared him he perceived It was moth.
ing buta teamwork in which taper was
placed borne in the hands of a man of wild
and terocious aspect. The truth Instantly
flashed upon the Captains mind; he un-
derstood the deyilish artifoe which the
monster had used TO entrap tile unwary.
The robber placed the window by the
side of the pit, and sinking on his knees,
peered cautiously into the depths, long
knife which glittered in his hand told too
plsinly what awaited Heinrich if he had
survived the fall, NT -
Z The Captain drew forth one ofhis pistols
and cautiously cooked it; slight as was the
sound, the robbers ear detected it. and he
sprang to his feet; the Captain fred as he
rose. The aim was true and fatal; with a
loud shrek the rufian fell to the earth;
few convulsive struggles shook his frame;
then he lay perfectly motionless.
The Captain moved cautiously, round
the sides of the pit and gained his side.--
He was quite dead. He examined his per-
son, his garments were of the toughest
kind, and much worn; his feet were pro-
tected by covering made of felt, which |
prevented his footsteps from being heard. j
lie thenturned and examined the window;
It was nothing but common frame that
he had obtained from some small cottage;
the Taper was backed by small strip of
green board, which served to throw the
rays of the light straight forward, while |
1t concealed the person the bearer. "
Feeling anxious for the safety Of Helm
rich, the Captain called loudly upon his
name, but received dnoanswer. Fearing The
worst. he retraced his steps. TO the best of
his ability, in the direction ofthe inn.
By pursuing the path which he had before
noted. he succeeded in regaining the road
without much; difficulty. and arrived at the
inn little before aybreak.
The host though somewhat anxious TO
ascertain the fate ofhis son, advised a little
delay in order to procure the assistance of
the neighboring villagers; the Captain ac-
ceded.
About two hours aftet strong party pro
ceeded to the scene of nocturnal adventure. |
The Captain found all as he had left it, and
his heart considerably relieved by bearing
the voice Of Heinrich calling Justify for help |
He was soon relieved from his unpleasant |
situation, though stunned by the fall, he
had received no other injury than few.
bruises. This pit was the burial place as |
wellas trap: they cast bis body among
those he had slaughtered, and filed it up
with earth.
The place. was soon deserted. Captain
Earnest. after a-hearty good-bye exchanged
with the host and Heinrich, proceeded on
his journey. The circumstances became
known and thergovernment rewarded his
courage with a pension.
Heinrich had the.window placed in the
front side ofthe inn, v here il may be seen
10 this day by the curioustrayeIer. |
ETrFranklin lemon, the prize boy at