Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-06-10
Waking mp the Wrong Passenger
A Brave Girl and a COwardly
ViIiain-A Novel Weapon of De-
fense-CandIestick and Hatch

q
ZViIiain-A Novel Weapon of De-
fense-CandIesticlx and Hatch
cts Triumphant.
from the Dubuque Heraldl
An incident recently occurred in con-
nection with a young lady residing in Du-
buoue, which made deep impression up
on at least one of the parties concerned.
The lady was visiting in the country at
the time, at arelative's-with whose family
was also connected one of those specimens
of masculine humanity known in rural
districts as the ,' hired man." The heroine
of the adventure was just turned of "sweet
sixteen" and was possessed OF many charms
of person and graces of manner. The
sleeping apartment set apart for her was
up stairs. and in an adjoining room on the
same floor slept the "hired man." The
chamber being unfinished. blanket hung
up between the rooms served in place OF a
door. srfuse --s-- l
After being there perhaps week, one
night the young lady awoke with con-
sciousness that some one was near her.
Living perfectly quiet, in few moments
she plainly felt hand touching her cheek,
and being slowly and cautiously passed
down towards her neck and bosom. Not
supposin Q herself to be a smedium," the idea
never suggested itself to the lady that this
was a spirit hand; and il it had, it would
have been false, lor it was very plain and
palpably flesh and blood. After a mo-
ment's reflection as to what would be the
most judicious course to pursue, she start
ed as from sleep, with voice whose tones
Of Indignation were by no means assumed
exclaimed, s.Who's there? What do you
mean sir?" The owner of the hand re-
treated, without any reply, and for per-
haps an hour the lady lay silent, but fright
ened, nervous and wakeful. Then she
found the intruder again near her bed, this
time at the foot, where he removed por-
tion of the bed clothes and grasped her by
the ankle. Unable at the moment to i'm
agine what legal or moral right any
other person had to her feet, she kicked
with q vehemence that would have
done credit to an army mule, and looking
in that direction discovered the outline OF
a man standing near the foot of the bed in
all attitude of indecision and nudity. Now
it happened that she had lighted herself to
her room with a candle in an iron candle
stick, which she had placed on chair near
the head of her bed. On the impulse of the
moment she sprang up in ertrenis Iatin
for on end ", seized the candlestick, and
sent it at the intruder's dimly outlined head
with force to be measured only by her
Indignation, taking effect in the forehead,
Just above the right eye, making wound
to the skull, and two inches long. In an
instant the idea struck the young man that
he was not wanted there. On receipt of
the unexpected canolesClck-Sucn Cnlng
htving never entered his head before-he
discovered that the old proverb, "a fellow
feeling make one wondrous kind" was not
always true when he was the fellow. His
: ;ull was not so thick but that he vaguely
inferred that he had awakened an entirely
different emotion from what he had in
tended, and incontinently retired.
The next morning the "hired man"
made his appearance, fresh from his morn
ing tramp through the neighboring woods,
with handkerchief bound about his brow.
He declared that in his rambles he had
stumbled and fell, cutting his forehead
against sharp stone. The first opportu-
nifty that offered where he thought he could
not be overheard, he told the young lady
that II she ever breathed word OF what
had transpired the night before he would
Just about kill her, or do some other terri
Bile thing. She was at the time at work in
the pantry, and on shelf near by was a
hatchet. This she seized, as an Indian
would tomahawk, and hurled at him with
more than Indian fury. The villain lodged
and escaped, and the young lady immedi-
ately informed her friends of his conduct.
In ten minutes there was discharged
.shired man. leaving the premises, with
Disappointment and modification ranking
In his heart, and on his brow CORY cash
of Just the size and shape of half the bot
tom of an iron candlestick. We think our
readers will agree with us that the girl
showed the true grit and spirit of a heroine.