Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-01-21

went to bed, and slept profoundly till past
four in the afternoon.
That evening | went down to the factory
quite early; for | had restlessness upon me,
and | wanted to see George before he left for
the night. This time found the gate holtei,
and | rang for adnittance."
:" How early YOU are Benz" said Steve
Storr, as ne let NE in
"Mr, Barnard's not gone ?" asked quick
y, for l saw at the first glance that the gas
was out III the counting-house.
. He's not gone" said Steve; "because
he's never been"
"Never been:"
"No; and what's stranger still, he's not
been home either, since dinner Yesterday"
But he was here last night:"
ooh, yes, he was here last night, making
up the books. John Parker was with him
till past six and you found him here, didn't
you, at half-past nine ?"
l shook my head.
well, he's gone, anyhow. Good night "
Good night :"
l took the lantern from his hand, bolted
him out mechanically, and made my way to
the baking-houses like one in a stupor-
George gone Gone without word of warn
ing to his employer, or Of farewell to his fell
low workmen, | could not understand it.
could not believe it. l sat down bewildered,
incredulous, stunned. Then came hot tears,
doubts, terrifying suspicious. l remembered
back; the strange calm by which they were
followed; my dream Of the evening before
| had heard of men who had drowned them
selves for love; and the turbid Severn ran
close by-so close, that one might pitch
ct m Of ba l-Sb
dows.
These thoughts were too horrible. dared
not dwell upon them. l turned to work, to
free myself from them, if | could and began
examining the ovens. The temperature of
all was much higher than on the previous
night-the heat having been gradually in
creased during the past twelve hours 1t
was now my business to keep it on the in
crease for twelve more; after which it would
be allowed, as gradually, to subside, until the
pottery was cool enough for removal. To
turn the seggars, and add fuel to the two first
furnaces, was my first work. AS before,
found number Three in advance of the Others
and so left it for half an hour or an hour.
then went round the yard, tried the doors, let
the dog loose, and brought him back with
me to the baking houses for company. After
that set my lantern on shelf beside the
door, took book from my pocket and began
to read.
l remember the title of the book as we'll as
possible. 1t was called Bowkers Art of Ang-
ling, and contained little rude cuts of all
kinds Of artificial flies, hooks, and other
tackle. But [ could not keep my mind to it
for two minutes together; and at last | gave
it up i'll despair, covered my face with my
hands, and fell into a long absorbing, painful
train of thought. A considerable time had
gone by thus, maybe an hour, when I was
reused by low whmpering howl from Cap
tain who was lying at my feet. looked up
with start, just as [ had started the night
before, and with the same vague terror, and
saw, exactly in the same place and in the
same attitude, with the freight full upon
him, George Barnard
At this sight, a fear heavier than the fear
of death fell upon me, and my tongue seem
ed paraylzed in my mouth. Then, Just as last
night, he rose, or seemed to rise, and went
slowly out into the next room. A power
stronger than myself appeared to compel me,
reluctantly, to follow him. l saw him pass
through the second room, cross the threshold
OF the third room, walk straight up to the
oven and there pause. He then turned, for
the first time, with the glare of the fire-light
pouring out upon him from the open door of
the furnace, and looked at nae, face to face.
In the same instant his whole frame and
countenance seemed to glow and become
transparent, as If the fire were all within him
and around him; and in that glow he became
as it were, absorbed into the furnace, and
disappeared!
uttered a wild cry, tried to stagger from
the room, and fell insensible before | reached
the door.
When 1 next opened my eyes the gray
dawn was in the sky; the furnace doors
were all closed as | had left them when last
went round; the dog was quietly sleeping not
far from my side; and the men wore ringing
at the gate, to be let in.
y K
| told my tale from beginning to end and
was laughed at, as a matter of course, by all
who heard it. When it was foundt however,
that my statements never varied, and, above
all, that George Barnard continued absent,
some few began to talk it over seriously,
and, among those few, the master of the
works. He forbade the furnace to be cleared
out, called in the aid of celebrated natural
list and had the ashes submitted to scientific
examination. The result was as follows:
The ashes were found to have been largely
saturated with some kind of fatty animal mat
YER a considerable pOrIlOn OF InOSe aSneS
consisted of charred bone. A semi-circular
piece of iron, which evidently had once been
the heel of a workman's heavy boot, was
found, half fused, at one corner of the fur
mace. Near it lay a tibia bone, which still re-
tanned sufficient of its original form and tex
ture to render Identification possible. This
bone, however, was so much charred that it
fell into powder on being handled.
After this, not many doubted that George
Barnard had been foully murdered, and that
his body had been thrust into the furnace
Suspicion fell upon Louis Laroche. He was
arrested, coroner's inquest was held, and
every circumstance connected with the night
of the murder was as thoroughly sitted and
investigated as possible. All the sitting in
the world, however, failed either to clear or
condemn Louis Laroche. On the very night
Of his release he left the place by the mail
train, and was never seen or heard Of there
again. As for Leah, know not what became
Of her. | went away myself before many
weeks were over, and never have set foot
among the Potteries from that hour to this
A GoD OF TAsTE.-At the opening of the
new Free church at Crathie, in Scotland, Dr.
Guthrie said: Il highly approve of the res
OlutiOn of our friends that led them to build