Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-06-19
& STRANGE STORY.

their foundations. and deluging the
earth until roads became rivers, and
rills expanded into torrents. In the
early edge of the night the evening
train from the city had thundered
into Fish kill-on-t Hudson, and out
again, leaving, among others, one
passenger, who, without word or
sign, struck off into a pathway lead
ing UP among the hills.
This person was a young man Of
fine appearance, not more than
twenty-siX years of age, dressed with
scrupulous elegance. His elastic
step betokened vigorous health, and
his half-smiling face indicated both
a heart and a mind at ease. And
Why should they not be at ease, when
one " as waiting for him by the par
Tor window of the mansion on the
hill, whose love it was worth a duke
dom to possess? She, beautiful,
noble woman, was his atfiauced and
tnat night, so threatening in its ele-
mental war, was one of sweet con-
tentment OF soul-it was to name
the moment of their marriage.
Ere the Young man had fairly dis
appeared under the deep shadows OF
the trees which overhung the hillside
path, the storm burst. The wind
lashed the trees with demoniac fury,
and the leaves flew in binding
clouds, filling a'I the air. Then the
rain came down, filling up all the
pauses of the storm with a roar like
the booming of the sea. The young
man staggered before the blast, but
kept on-on, up the path now become
a rivulet's bed-on, beneath the
swaying branches OF the elms, and
past the evergreens, which, in the
dense darkness, served TO indicate
the way-on--
\ second form gIidcs from behind
the evergreen just passed, 4 glitter
of steel, a quick, single stroke in the
back, and the young man falls for
ward upon his face, his dear heart
pierced and the pulses stilled in an
instant. Not 4 word, look, or groau;
it was death instantaneous, unan-
nounced, catching on the lips the
sweet smile that stayed there a. if
to tell her what was his last thought.
Oh, it was pitiful-the form so full
OF life and grace destroyed at a
stroke. And there, all through the
dismal night, the beautiful face
pressed To the wet earth. ali that was
mortal OF young Mr.. Embury lay,
while she watched from the window
looking down the road for the com
ing OF one who was never more to
come.
What q night-watch it was?
| Where was he? Surely, neither
| tempest nor rain could have stayed
| her feet, winged with love, nor could
| they have stayed his. What coHld
/ have happened Tho demons in the
air shrieked and moaned at the
| threshold the lights, one by one,
/ went out, and the sad watcher went
| sobbing to couch to which sleep
would not come.
| y early day the dreadful tragedy
| was revealed. y passer-by discov-
cred the body, still lying on its face
as ii fell, not drop Of Hood visible,
nor wound or injury perceptible-
I SO calm was the face, so undisturbed
/ the dress, SO seemingly unviolated
/ the person, that the amazed behol-
/ der could hardly believe he stood in
/ the presence of death. But the pull
ses were still, the body stiff and cold \,
and the light of that early autumn
/ day shone only upon what was dead
dead indeed.
/ The alarm was given the servants
/ of the mansion were aroused by the
cry : "A dead man lies in the path
/ below ~ and with blanched faces
/ they hastened To the spot.
| \ dead man Who was he?
| \ cry burst from their lips ''It is
/ the dear fellow for whose coming we
waited -
/ Tears were shed, not To- the dead
/ alone, but for the living, fer what
/ now would be the world to the beau
/ tiful girl who loved so well Who
would bear the tiding.? All, all
Shrunk from that and the messen-
/ ger was the cold body itself, borne
! by gentle hands up the pathway,
I into that room where loves tryst was
/ to have been kept.
over what followed we drop the
veil.
( Who killed young Embury.
What was the motive for the mon
I strous deed
/ These were questions upon all lips,
! but no answer could be made. Even
surmise seemed bafIied. He had no
enemies. His character had been
siugularly pure. The vices which
I curse so many young mems lives
stain SO many naturally noble ma
tures-had not defiled him. Nor had
4 he 4 known rival for the hand Of the
Is;dv of his choice. If such Il rival
+ existed he was Uuacknowledged. un-
betrayed. Yet, there lay the dead,
( 10 testify that an enemy did live,
who, impelled by hate or revenge
alone. had done the bastard deed.
The spot where the crime wa. COM
mItted revealed not trace of anoth-
er's presence-the storm had obiiter-
= ated every footprint. No stranger
had been seen 10 come or 20 To whom
suspicion could be attached. In the
village and vicinity every man, wo-
. man and child were known. and not
one could be regarded distrustfully
The detectives, quickly on the alert,
exercised their subtlest skill to pen
citrate the mystery, and failed, ut
2 terly.
So the deed, from being seven
days wonder passed into a memory.
: Never a trace of the criminal was dis
covered, so far as the public knew.
and young Embury slept in Green
1 wood unavenged.
: This community experienced a
second thrill, when, after the lapse
of few years, = romance com
menced its serial publication, which
: from its initial paragraphs, betrayed
; a knowledge of the crime ami atten-
I daut circumstances that ri once ar
rested attention. 1t seemed like =
flesh of lightning across dark sky,
70 bringing out faces and acts with viv-
ldneSS at once startling and indi-
I vtdual. Soon all classes were read
! ing and talking about THE DEA Il
I LEI IER-a strange, a mysterious
. a wonderful story. which, penetTat-
, f inc fN fIs frrr hArr,p-r mart pF npy