Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1866-02-21


Of in low whispers at the hack of the kenn,
and said No there's no one eominr
ID And my heart sank ns thought how 10,
it would be before succOr could arrive
r, The fellows late, one Of the othe
At said, after minute or two " but we ha
G better he on the watch now. Mind. bo,
Il OF You, that he's down from his gig befoi
G he sees US
> They walked away along the line of III
house towards the other entrance be whjc
e Mr. johnson would come and l. thinkin
g thev had gone L take up their hidin
S places, put nv head cautiously out of tn
. mouth Of the kennel, and looked arounr
e Surely | could reach the house withou
-. beIng seen, thought and if could bu
! rcacn the big ruinous drawing room
r which commanded a view Of the fields tn
) farmer would cross. ! might he able I
warn him back fri IN the fate which await
Ell him. | must warn him if | could; !
, was too horrible that another murde
should be done.
was out of the kennel and in the kit
chen before recollected that should have
to pass close to the murdered woman he
fore ! could gain the door leading into thu
hall, which r,rnst cross to gain the draw
In@ room. | shuddered as passed the
table 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
we're still there, but the huddled up bundle
OF clothes was gone"
hat had they done with it? In spite
ot the urgent necessity there was for i'm
medlnte action, | stool motonless for n
minute, hpsitating TO cross the dimIv 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
ut that moment more terrible TO me than
the thought Of her murderer's return.
| W hist | stood hesitatinr shadow pass
I ed across the first window, and, LOOKING
/ up quickly, to my horror saw the three
men IN another moment pass tn. second
window
| had no time for thought. Ir another
minute they would be in the kitchen. |
! turned and fled from 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 rs | had found it. Then |
glanced wildly round tie bare empty room
in search Of shelter
There WAS not particle f furniture in
the room, and 1T was quite empty except
Tor some apples on the floor, ana a few
empty hampers and sacks at the farther
end. How could hide?
heard the footsteps crossing the hall
ana then, rs they came nearer, with the
ieeilng OF desperation | sped noiselesslv
unTn TFt-ft. .gr.lr,-a] j1Giy.y5yyg t.sv,.-t-iaI
an empty sack over me. | felt must be
discovered, Tor nv head was totally un-
covered; and ] watched them fascinated.
hrcathless from intense terror. They
walked 70 the window. saving, " We shall
see better here" and looked ont, presents
" all exclaimin@ together, He's coming
now; that black spot over there; and,
without clnncinE in my direction, they
lett the room gain | was safe but what
could do to save the farmer Surely
/ Charlie must be coming with help now
but would he be in timc2 I must try and
save him. was the conviction that Impress
: I'd itself upon me in lightning thought
and is it crossed my brain sprang to the
window Al thought Of self vanished
hen with urgency Of what had to do
( | was only ea@pr-ner ousIv, lrantically
earer-to save the farmers 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 stop Of the hill was the garden, now
lvinu in ldsg plonghel ridges, with the
frozen snow on the top of each Of them
md at the bottom of the garden WIS =
stone wal four feet high. Beyond this
rs far as the eve could reach, extended
the snow covered fields and coming alon-
thc cart road to the left was Mr.. Johnson
in his gig
threw omen thc window. making noise
enough to alarm the men It they heard It
and sprarc on to the window ledge, an1
hen. tearing of my jacket, threw 1t or
the ground, and. shutting my eyes. lumpe'
down The high iumn hurt my wrists an'
nncovered feet dreadfullv, but | dare no
stop n moment | rushed down the gar
den tumhlinr two or three times IN m,
progress and, when | came to the wall
scrambled over it head-toremost n
farmer was Just opening tho gate OF tn
field ! was in. and made strai@httoWaT
: him trying to call out. But | could no
t utter a word 50 few across the snow
! dashed through the brook. careless tha
the bridge was few feet farther down
and when | rushed up 10 Mr. John
son side. I could only throw MP my arm
j. and shrek ont, Murder just as n lou
J report rang out through the frosty air, an
, / fell forward on my face.
f And were you hurt?' I asked, as sh
: paused
Yes. a little Look, here IS the scar
and she r i~ea the flowing fold of tarlf
: tame from her soft white arm, and pojntc
I 20 a white ovaI-shaped scar. was
for several weeks afterwards, but DR.
: said it was from fright, not from the sho
: They told me euuentlv, that Just a
: must haze reached the farmer, the me
! Charlie had fetched entered the farm
ward nj the other side, and took the muT
4 derers unawares; but one Of them WI
F., was behind tree near the gate, had in
!. caught sight Of me. and had fred in r
~ vcnre aud thev said that if | had n
thrown my arms forward, | should Pc
. haps have been killed
= And Mrs johnson p I asked
The girls face became very grave.
= she was quite dead The men h;
! nut under the dresser, which explai
. why did not see her as passed throu.
IL the kitchen. and the poer husband we
n away directly afterwards. The who
a. house j. u-inhahited now, Nobody y
- live there. and Of course II Is said to
4 haunted. I have never been there sin
n that 5av. and think | shall never dare
nv 20 there again.
.v r. r..--I c. The rnn.larrar n