The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1856-12-04

our Two Cnih1rcn, usuiiys ouE euop us yvu
remember. was between Marlborough aud Swat
ham, which werestheh quito separate towns
with struggling houses and long lints OF rail
ing TO connect them Our house was the hr
thest Of the last row, not detached llere th,
sick man raised himself ON his hands. and whis
pcrcd Are you sure therc's nobody at ths
keyhole nobody ut any crack or Granny, nol
at the skylight! 7"
assured him there was OF: and then tho
wrtched creature pulled out from u sort o.
opossum pocket in his vtry skin, and under his
flannel v,st, u thin piece OF paper, folded; keep
ing il carefully beneath the bcd clothes, so rs
to prevent it, being visible from without, he
opened it, and read these printed words
Two HUNDRED POUNDS REwARU.
"1he above will bc given TO any person not
actually concerned in the crimc who shall give
such information as shall lead 10 the discovery
of the murderer or murdcrers Of John Spigat
in the Swa!iham Road, Marlborough, on the
night of December the thir,y-frst, eighteen
hundred and thrty-iye.
Why, you. Charlton, were one OF the jury
men, il remember right, who werc upon the
inquest in that matter said.
II was, doctor; and are you sure there's no.
body under the bed, or in the cupboard, or be-
hind the chimney board and his murderer,
also"
Good hea7ens !" exclaimed "Why, wha,
IA hypocritical ruilian You must have been "
doctor, good doctor. have mercy upon me
don't tell, don't tell and don't think so hardly
Of ,ne until you have heard mt out am not
80 bad as | seem.
1T WAS on q New Years eve; near twenty
years ago. and very late at nightclose upon
twelve when | had put up my last shutter,
and was going TO lock the door Of my shop,
that II stranger called. lie had come from the
SwafIham end of the road, and ! had never
seen him before in all my lic; he could hardly
speak at all, he was 80 awtully drunk. Red in
face, thick in speech, and trembling oil over
like n leaf he said he must have more rum. |
told him that we only had ginger beer and such
like drinks: and, besides that II was too late at
that time ol night TO sell people anything lie
swore horribly ut this, said that my wilc (who
was still behind the counter in the shop) and
were both liars: that We had sold rum often
enough to other folks, he knew very well. lie
managed to staggcr up the stone steps and push
in at the door. lie should get into the back
parlor, and sleep there all night, he said.
took him by the collar, intending to set him
outside the door. but lac was tall and stout
made man, AMI ! could not-hc struggled with
Inc in dull, heavy manner. ! had hard mat
tcr to thrust him from the parlor did do so,
and pushed him violently, and he hll on the
floor at full length, like u log; he never groan-
cl after he had touched the iloor, but lay silent
and lnotionlcss.
"My wife cried, What have yon done Gcorgc9
You've killed the man.
"Nonsense.' | said; bat when We tried 10
raise him, and saw the CLASSY look Of his eyes,
knew il was true. A hundred horrible
thoughts would have crowded into my mind at
once. but that. swilter than they, devices for
getting the corpse away and removing suspicion
from ourselves Ind already filed it; the simple
honest plan OF telling the truth, and calling in
the police. nj once, never 10 much as suggested
itscli. What If ncighbor should step in "a
this poor mur,l rcd man had done. md find him
| lying there! II one Of iLe children even should
be awakened by the noise, and come down into
the shop |, the watchman himself seeing our
door yet open n, that time oi night. should call
There was not moment To lose; ! took the
dead man by the head. and my wife. all in
trcmblc, managed 10 raise his legs. and, shutting
/ the door carefully after us, We bore our dread
ful burden about fifty yards along the Swabham
road; VIZ tried Ia set it against the railings
which ran along both siles OF what is now Ma
cariucy street, but the inanimate thing slipped
down again each time in a mere heap. IL was
surprising how anxious We were 10 prop II up
and, although every instant WIS precious 10 us.
we spent sonn five minutes in dong so--it secm
cd inhnman, some how. TO leave II ON the pave
men, IN sOrt of desperate terror al last,
! twincl the arms about the bars and we iied
back IN silence. Nothing was stirring We
/ heard the trcaal oi the watchman ootse our
clsoed door. AMI his Past twelve o'clock = die
away in the distance, but We had put out the
lights, AMI i,lt certain he Iad 0rserved nothing
unusual nothing oi ours - horror dropped
/ in the road. while we had gone about our tern.
bic task Une OF the children, Clara. began 10
cry out, here have You bosn. mOib,f' She
ha1 beard u, ,lrn. have III" house.
/ II only helped your father 10 put up the
shutters. child. she answcr,.l and tbs girl was
gui~ted by tie ready lie.
I'VE went to bcsi Immediately. but not To
sleep our cars were on the stretch Tor tbc
moment when the cry should arise, and We
should know the body was found 0ne o'clock
two, three, four thu tins crept on with pain
| fnl slowncss, and the hnrs and quarter seem.
cd 10 pyolong their iron voice horribly. And
now the dawn was breaking, and therc VIA
| light enough tor chance traveller Ia ae tbc
corpse We saw II all night long, az We were
10 ..e il for years. and ~ J ~, II now Five,
siA II MA time for u 20 get mp and open the
/ shOp. lest suspicion -hrad arise that way, and
We did so There was a turn 10 tbe -wafham
road beyoDd our hous,. and il was lnriber than
that .nd v.st 1 dnr,d mt look in that ,lrtxs-