The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1865-12-22

fixed upon something, which dragging
heavily he at length brought to The
waters edge.
At this moment he suddenly drop
ped his boat-hook, and facing arount
toward the shore exclaimed in n voice
Of terror and defiance WHATS tina
yoI say? But / had said nothing
and save the sound of his own voice
and movements, everything around
him was still as death Again hC
stopped, and picking up something
looked at it n moment III the
moonlight, and then hurled il
into the thicket. 1t fell almost
close to me, and / Involuntary
exclaimed aloud-'a human skull
Then again his hollow, unearthly voice
rang out in the solitude-'What's that
you say?' Aud then listening a mo-
ment he added-'The boy seems talk
alive tonight. From, thqt moment l
believed him to be a murderer. He
then gathered something mp from the
river, and wading into deep water
flung it from him, and as be returned
to the shore mutterngly exclaimed
Now with head and body far apart,
talk to me further if You can
The hot blood was rushing through
my veins. | could endure it no long
er, so sprlnging over the intervening
brushwood, in a moment l was at his
side. His glazed eyes shone by the
bright moonlight and glared on me in
mortal terror; while with a voice like
that of doomed man he cried, Man
or demon, have mercy upon me-
Instead of being stalwart and strong,
l found him heart-broken, con-
science stricken, touchdown man. I
assured him | would show mercy, but
insisted that he should at once clear
up the mystery of his movements.
With weak and lettering steps, that
gave too certain evidence that his days
were nearly numbered, he guided me
to his cabin, and throwing himself
upon the pallet and pointing me TO a
seat b. side him, he gave the following
narrative:
My real name is Douglas; / am
English by birth, and from my earliest
recollections l labored with my father
in the Northern collieries. In 1915,
sailed for America, but in 1850 | set
tied IN Texas; there lived for four
years, but at length determined to
strike overland for California.
- IL Company with a Sweda namal
Rawne, | travelled across the high prai-
ries of Texas into New Mexico, as far
as Santa Fe on the Rio Grande
Here we made the acquaintance Of
one Henry Udolf, n Swedc, who with
his wife and child-a little boy six
years Of age-were preparing to start
for California. Udolf had money, and
in addition to his teams and rolling
stock, some fifty head of cattle.
1t was soon arranged that we should
Join them, and we engaged ourselves
for six months.
Crossing the New Mexican Cordille-
ras, we reached the banks of the Rio
Colorado, in the territory of Utah.
Here Udolf was taken i'll and in two
days died We buried him and raised
headboard on which we inscribed
his name We continued our Journey
with the heart-broken widow and her
fatherless boy, who became the darl-
ing and pet of myself and companions
We reached the grassy meadows of
the Carson, and here Mrs. Udolf was
seized with cholera. In few days
she was dead, and we left her body in
a deep grave upon the banks of the
Sweetwater.
Rawne and | now took control of
the party, and dismissing the other
man who had accompanied the train,
with the orphan boy and the property
we continued our route to California.
And now for the first time came
over me the thought that l might en-
rich myself at the expense of the boy,
but had no thought of destroying
him, for little Charlie grew every day
in our affections.
We found nearly two thousand dol
lars in Udolf's wagon; and on reach
ing Sacramento, we sold the wagons,
teams and cattle for three thousand
dollars more-all of course the prop
erty of the orphan boy.
The desire to possess this money
now haunted me day and night We
had been residing in Sacramento City
about three weeks, when one day, as
though by way of joke, / proposed to
Rawne deserving the boy and taking
the property. There is a better way
than that. replied Rawne; for in that