The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1870-06-04

ished, he said, quietly
|, 81 am not boasting man gen
tlemen, but I can tell you a more
romantic story than any have
vet listened to. 1 never killed
but one man, but the manner in
which l did that is well worth lis
tening to-"
All united in a demand for the
story, and / saw Mountain Char
ley, who had as vet said nothing,
assume an attitude of intense in>
terest.
''Five years ago." said Bailey,
after a pause, 4 was living in a
little town in Vermont. In the
same town was a young woman
with whom / had been in love
since my boyhood. would have
sold my soul 10 have made her my
wife, and think she would have
married me, but for young fell
low who came from the city and
settled in our place. He preju
diced her against me, and ended
the matter by marrying her him
self. / said nothing at the time,
-, but I swore 1 would have my re-
venge. / knew my time would
come, and I waited patiently, act
p. ing all the while in such a man.
ner as to prevent suspicion from
j, falling on me if anything should
+, happen. Well. one day / met the
! young husband in lonely place
in the mountains, about ten miles
from the town. Before he knew
my intention, [ shot him, and kill
ed him. He never knew what
hurt him, and to cause it to be be
lieved that he was murdered for
his money, 1 took his watch and
pocket-book, and then returned
to the town by another road. The
body was found the next-day, and
the whole country was thrown in
| to the greatest excitement 1t
hurt me to see the grief Of the
| poor widow, but l comforted my
self with the hope that I would
soon be able to console her. /
was among the most active in try
ing to discover the murderer, and
unceasing in my kindness to the
widow. No one ever dreamed of
suspecting me, and after the ex-
piration Of a year l became con-
vlnced that my chance for marry
| ing the woman [ loved was deci-
| dedly good, Encouraged by this
). feeling, / asked her to become my
1 wife. She accepted, me and we
were regularly engaged. In about
a month or so, she proposed to me
that l should come out here and
endeayor to better my fortune.
and promised to marry me when I
returned. l am going home in
six months more. 1 shall carry
fifty thousand dollars with me,
and shall marry my sweetheart
as soon as I reach Vermont. Now
that's what l call romantic What
do you say to it, Charley?" he
asked, turning to the young man.
Mountain Charley had been sit
ting all this while with his head
resting on one hand gazing stead
lily into the fire. The fiickering q
light gave his dark features a
startling expression. and his
whole countenance seemed glow
ing with suppressed excitement.
Il e did not move as he heard Bal
ley's question, but replied, calmly:
''It's very strange story, Bal
ley, and reminds me very much of
an affair that I have once heard
of. The cases are so much alike
that 1 will tell you the story"
"Some years ago I knew Yer
mont woman who had, like your
sweetheart, two lovers. She chose
the man she thought best suited
her and married him, never sus>
pecting that the unlucky one
meant any harm. Well, in the
course Of time. this womau's hus-
band was killed and the murderer
was never found. She had no
suspicion as to who had done the
deed, but in her heart she swore
an oath, that if the murderer was
ever found he should die by her
hand. You will bear me out, Bal
ley, when | say that the Vermont
women do not make such VOW
in vain. Well, in her atfi ction,
the widow found the lover whom
| she had discarded her best friend,
and when her first wild grief had
passed away she came to love him
AT last he asked her to marry him,
and she consented. One day, dur
ing their engagement, they were
sitting together when she noticed
her love in possession of watch
which she could have sworn had
belonged TO her dead husband -
This startled her and aroused her
suspicious, and gradually there
settled upon her the suspicion
that the man she had pron ised to
marry was her husbands murder.
er. Still she was not sure of the
correctness Of her suspicious. and,
after much thought, she resolved
upon definite, plan. She per.
suaded her lover to leave Ver-
mont, and 60 to Pixies Peak to
better his fortunes. Her real pru-
pose, however, was to get him out
into that lawless communi Y, worm
his secret out Of Linn, and then
wreak her vengeance upon him"
"The deviln' muttered Bailey,
laying down his cards and look
ing fixedly at Mountain Charley,
who had not stirred from his po-
sition. THAT was strange"
"Wait Bit said Charley qui
city; ''you havn't heard the strau-