Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-02-15
TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY, Pa FEBRUARY 49, 1866


s kennel, and looked round.
S Surely [ could reach the house withou
e being seen, | thought, and if could bu
: reach the big, ruinous drawing-room, whic
commanded view of the fields the farme
i would cross, | might be able to warn hin
back from the fate which awaited him.
must warn him if / could, it was too horri
BILE that another murder should be commit
/ ted
was out of the kennel and in the kitch
en- before | recollected that / should hav,
to pass close to the murdered women be
fore could gain the door leading into the
nall, which l must cross to gain the draw
lng-room. | shuddered as | passed the ia
bic and drew near to the horrible scene
but, to my utter surprise and no little ter
ror, Mrs. Johnson had vanished the dark
cleaning pool of blood and the dead dog
were still there, but the hudded up bundle
of clothes was gone.
What had they done with it? In spite
of the urgent necessity there was for i'm
mediate action, | stood motionless for q
minute, hesitating to cross the dimly-light-
ed hall. Suppose it should be there.
had never seen death before, and the
thought of again seeing the dead woman
looking so ghastly and horrible with that
great gaping wound across her throat, was
at that moment more terrible to me than
the thought of her murderer's return.
While stood hesitating, shadow pass
ed across the first window, and, looking up
quickly to my horror | saw the three men
III another moment pass the second win
dow
had no time for thought In another
minute they would be in the kitchen. I
turned and fled down the passage and
across the hall, rushing into the first open
door, which happened to be the drawing
room door, and instinctively half closed it
behind me as | had found it, Then |
glanced wildly round the bare empty room
in search of shelter.
There was not particle Of furniture in
the room, and it was quite empty except
for some apples on the floor, and a few
empty hampers and sacks at the further
end. How could | hide
| heard the footsteps crossing the hall,
and then, as they came nearer, with the
feeling of desperation | sped noiselessly
across the room, laid down fiat behind the
hampers, and, as the door opened, threw an
empty sack over me. felt | must be dis
covered, for my head was totally uncovered;
and watched them fascinated, breathless
from intense terror They walked to the
window, saying, 1--WE shall see better
here" and looked out, presently all ex
claiming together, He's coming now
that black spot over there :" and, without
glancing in my direction, they left the room
again. was safe, but what could do to
save the farmer? Surely Charlie must be
coming with he p now, but would he be in
time? | must try and save him, was the
conviction that impressed itself upon me in
lightning thought, and as it crossed my
brain | sprang to the window. All thought
of self vanished then with the urgency of
what | had to do, was only eager-ner-
vously, frantically eager--to save the far
mer's life.
They say that mad people can do things
which seem impossible to sane ones, and |
must have been quite mad with terror and |
fright for the next few minutes.
Seven feet below me, stretching down |
the slope of the hill, was the garden, now
lying in long plowed ridges, with the frozen
snow on the top of each of them, and at
the bottom Of the garden was "a stone-wall |
four feet high. Beyond this, as far as the
eye could reach, extended the snow-cover-
ed fields, and coming along the cart-road |
to the left was Mr. Johnson in his gig.
| threw open the window, making noise |
enough to alarm the men if they heard it. |
and sprang on to the window-ledge, and |
then, tearing off my jacket, threw it on
the ground, and shutting my eyes, jumped |
down. The high jnmp hurt my wrists and !
uncovered feet dreadfuly, but dare not |
stop a moment. | rushed down the garden, |
tumbling two or three times in my progress, |
and, when | came to the wall, scrambled |
over it headforemost The farmer was
just opening the gate of the field | was III,
and | made straight toward him, trying to |
call out. But could not utter a word so |
| few across the snow, dashed through the |
brook, careless that the bridge was a few
feet further down, and when rushed up to |
Mr.. Johnson's side, | could only throw up
to Mr.. Johnson's side, | could only throw |
up my arms and shrek out Murder !" Just |
as a loud report rang out through the frosty |
air, and | fell forward on my face
"And were you hurt 2" l asked, as she
paused
Yes, little. Look, here is the scar :"
and she raised the flowing fold of tarletane
from her soft white arm, and pointed to
white oval-shapcd scar.
"And Mrs Johnson 2" | asked
The girls face became very grave.
"She was quite dead. The men had put
her under the dresser, which explains why
did not see her as passed through the
kitchen, and the poor husband went away
directly alterward The whole house is
uninhabited now Nobody will leave there,
and of course it is said to be haunted |
have never been there since that day, and
| think | shall never dare to go there again"
The girl stopped for the gentleman had
just, come in from the dning-room, and one,
tall and black bearded, who had been pon-
ted out to me by my hostess as the Squire
of Stapleford, and Cicely Miles betrothed,
now came up to her, and laying his hand
on her white shoulder with an air of pos
session, said tenderly, "What makes you
look so flushed, Cissy? Have you been
again"
"Yes, Robert. Mrs. Saunders asked me,
to tell Mr.. Dacre," she answered
'And yon will be i'll for a week in conse-
quence l shall ask Mr. Dacre to write the
story, to save another repetition of it. You
know we wish you to forget all about it,
dearest