The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1861-04-30

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uncertain steps. But great was his re-
lief, when, instead of an attempt at mur-
der, the intruder quietly shuflled off his
clothes, and throwing himself into the
bed he had just vacated, and was soon
buried in deep slumber. The man was
evidently drunk, as his loud, stentorious
breathing plainly indicated.
strange affair, the drover determined to
dress himself, call up the landlord, and
have this singular intrusion explained.
He had reached his clothes, and slipped
on his trowsers, and was moving toward
the door, when steps were heard eau
tiously crossing the outer room. Once
more he sought the shelter of the dress
es, which completely screened his per-
son, and awaited the entrance of the per-
sons, whoever they might be. Present
ly the door of the room was silently
opened, and two men made their appear
ance. 1t was not so dark but that the
drover could readily distinguish them to
be the innkeeper and the man he had
seen at the supper table.
Step lightly, tell you," whispered
the landlord, " or you'll wake him up,
and then we'll have a pretty mess on
our hands,
"Wake -" replied tho other,
with an oath. "a man that snores like
that, | reckon, aint easily awakened.
Yer scared, old man -
"Scared - repeated the first speaker.
No man ever told John Garner before
he was scared! Here-give me the
knife III show you who is scared
You secure the money-it's under the
pillow saw him put il there, and I'll
do the rest !"
The old man was in advance, and as
he stood between the window and the
drover, the latter could see his form bent
over the bed, while his hand seemed to
be searching beneath the pillow.
Here, Bill-take it. Here's the wal
let, and here's the belt My God, how
heavy it is and he passed the money
to his companion, before the other had
yet reached the bedside.
The old man then put his hand to his
bosom, and the trembling drover saw
him draw forth the long blade the other
had given him. For an instant the mur-
derous weapon was poised over his head,
and then descended with a Kissing sound
upon the person OF the poor wretch in
the bed. Another and another stroke
followed in rapid succession. a half
sthed groan, few gasping sobs esca-
ped the dying man, a convulsive tremor
of the bedclothes, aud all was quiet.
The murderer paused in his bloody
work for an instant, as if to satisfy him
self that life was extinct. and then, with
tiendish delberati0n, drew down the
coverlet, and, to make all sure, passed
the knife from ear to ear across the throat
of his victim Then wiping the instru-
ment upon the sheets, the villain moved
quickly from the room.
AS soon as the sound of his footsteps
had died in the distance, the horror
stricken drover escaped through the win
dow, and ran with all his speed to the
neighboring village, where arousing the
people of the hotel, he told his fearful
story. 4 small crowd was soon collect
ed about him, and when enough of the
facts had been gathered, they accompau-
led him 10 the scene of the foul MUIR
der.
All about the house was still, but on
approaching the stable light was dis
covered within and moving noiselessly
to the door, and peering through the
cracks, the two murderers were discov-
cred in the act of digging grave be-
meath the flooring \ rush was made
upon them, and they were arrested.
At the sight of the droyer, who was
the first to confront the guilty wretches,
the landlord uttered a shrek of terror,
and fell on the ground, while his accom-
pllce, pale as corpse, gazed upon him
with alright, not doubling il was the
ghost of the murdered man who stood
before him.
The party now proceeded to the house,
dragging the two murderers along with
them The family was by this time
alarmed, and the wife and daughter OF
the landlord, together with the servants
of the house, ignorant of the terrible
crime that had just been enacted SO near
them, inquired into the cause of the dis
turbance.
Lights were procured. and, still keep
ing the prisoners with them, the people
entered the room where lay the body of
the man 50 strangely murdered instead
of the householder. The wife and daugh-
Ter followed.
When the bloody covering was remov-
ed from the face OF the corpse, aud the
full light of the candles iared upon it, a
wild cry burst from the lips OF the land
lords wife.
Ny SON my maraerea SON. Who
has done this f''
And with a hystericsl scream, she fell
insensible to the floor
No no il can't be SO. mother I"
exclaimed the daughter. as she struggled
to reach the bed. But the terrible truth
burst upon her, as her eyes fell upon the
mangled form of her brother, and she
also swooned upon the body.
The cries Of the broken hearted fe-
males seemed to arouse the old man for
moment, and gazing wildly at the sight
before him. be also realized the terrible
truth-he bad murdered his own son
On investigating the facts before the