The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-04-29
NUMBER II.
a CHILD somNAmBULIsF..


F'Some three months ago farmer nam
ed Knuteson, living few miles from
Stockholm, went away from his house,
leaving at home daughter about thirteen
years of age, and the only occupant ofthe
house Upon the return of Knuteson he
found the little girl lying on the bed in
half insensible state. From marks about
the girls neck it appeared that she had
been severely choked and sadly frighten-
ed. AS soon as she had in a degree re-
covered, she told her father that shortly
after he had left the house a man came
in, went to a bureau, in the drawer of
which was pocket book containing two
500 and one $50 Government bonds and
papers OF value, and took the book with
It's contents. Upon securing these the
man grasped the girl by the throat and
made ker swear all the solemn oaths he
could think of not to tell her father or any
body else who he was, or give a hint
which might lead 10 his detection. Aside
from the bonds, the book contained papers
that were of Importance 10 the farmer,
| and the less of which he severely felt
''The girl acknowledged that she knew
/ the man well, but could not tell who he
! was, as she had promised not to. She
! seemed to feel the greatest regret at the
i sorrow Of her father over the loss of pa
| pers SO valuable to him; but despite ali
this, she could not be induced to give the
name of the thief. Whenever urged 10 do
SO, with tears she said she could not-she
had given her promise and could not break
! il.
''The grief of the girl at the sorrow of
her father, and the excitement through
! which she passed, were the means OF
throwing her into a severe fever, and for
many days she was quite out of her head.
In her delirium she talked quite incessanf-
! ly of the robbery, but the only word she
uttered that in any way gave a clue to
the robber, was an occasional appeal TO
Casper to spare her, and she would not
tell. As Casper Schmidt was a young
man who formerly worked for her father
on the farm, and was well known by the
girl, suspicion turned toward him. and as
he had been tracked from New Stockholm
to this city, the officer came here in search
of him. As 1t was shown that Casper
had remained iu Milwaukee but few
days and left, the search was Intellectual.
''When the child had nearly recovered
from her illness, and was able to walk
about little, IFS mother, who slept with
Ii, awoke just at daylight one morning to
find the bed empty. Calling, and re,
ceiving no answer, the mother gave the
alarm to the father. who arose and hast<
ened out of tie house. In the light snow
that had fallen, he saw tracks of the
child's feet leading to the barn, and fol-
lowed them. Entering the barn the farm
er saw sight which paraIysed him "a
single timber, stretched from a scafolding
,, TO a small platform high up, and on this
timber the girl was slowly working her
way along The position was a danger
ous one, and the father was aware that few
persons even with steady nerves would
care to take it. The father, not daring
to speak and fairly holding his breath from
fear, watched the girl as she made her wav
across the timber, and breatheG easier
when he saw her at length reach the plat
form and secure firm foohold. Then
she reached among some old boxes, and
drew out the lost pocket book. AS she
did SO she uttered cry of joy, and imme-
diately after a cry of alright.
''The farmer did not stop, but reache 1
the platform by a ladder, and when there
found the girl holding the lost pocket book
in her hand and trembling with fear
The girl was in her night clothes, AMI
was soon taken from her position and into
the house and to bed Sue could give no
account of how she reached the platfotm.
only that she had been thinking very hard
of her fathers loss, and dreamed one night
that the thief had gone to the barn, and
up TO the scaffolding and across the tim
Der, and hidden the stolen article among
the old boxes. She dreamed, too, of fol-
lowing him and recovering it, and it was
understood that she had made this peril
Gus trip in her sleep.
"The pocket book was found TO contaiai
all the papers lost, excepting the bonds,
and the finding was another evidence of ths.
guilt Of the young man Casper, he having
frequently walked across the timber, pre-
ferripg the dangerous route TO the more
easy one of ascending the ladder, when hsS
, had business among the old boxes. !"
Too NTTrrT r-Or9 HFE A oOod sfoFq