Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-07-21
MEMPHIS, TENN: THURSDAY EVENING, JULY 81, 1870

above the chest of drawers that had stood
opposite the foot of the bed. His hideous
face with its horrible mouth and its
greenish fangs, and those frightful, leer-
ing, bestial eyes--how they looked He
was grinning as he poked his head out,
and the light glowed on his countenance.
AS / gazed upon him, in an instant
hope of salvation flashed through my
mad brain. The crimson scarf | had
worn mufiied around my neck during my
travels was lying across the bed. |
reached out with quick, nervous grasp
and caught it, and then waited for him
to creep far enough from under the bed
to throw this scarf like lasso about his
neck. / leaned eagerly forward. He
crept almost noiselessly along, and then
letting his head warily, he shook back
the tangled shock of sandy hair from
over his eyes, and at the same moment /
threw the scarf about his neck. Had it
missed its aim / would have been lost;
but God guided it with unerring pre-
cision, and, planting my feet against
the foot-board, | pulled with all the
frantic strength | could command. The
attack, coming so suddenly, dispossessed
the robber of his self-command, and only
his head being from under the bed he had
no power to use his hands felt the
wild throes of his body houndering upon
the floor beneath me; but not even after
he lay quiet did release my clutch upon
the scarf. Once | remember | heard
footsteps stealing close to the door, and
then they paused as if some one was lis
tening, and all being quiet, they retired
as cautiously as they approached. |
dared not call out. / knew the man was
dead; but if | shrieked for help. would |
not the host and his wife become my
murderers when they beheld their dead |
son? How lived through those hours is
a mystery to me- God was with mel
The embers died out and left me and |
the throttled corpse and the happy child
together in dense darkness; and so /
watched for the dawning day and the
coming of my husband, Leaden-footed
the hours dragged by, and at last the
first rays of the morning sun shone in at
the window / dared not look at the
awful thing that lay prone upon the floor
lest ! should lose my reason. | could
not release my hold, for l had grown
rigid. ! was paralyzed.
On the still, clear air of the morning
at last heard Clarke's voice in the court
below:
Hallol mine hostl did my wife come
last night?'
i could not distinguish the answer
My reason tottered | knew nothing
more until months afterwards, at least,
distinctly. have faint recollection,
and a fearful one, of the bursting in of
my door-of a glimpse of hideous face
with blackened tongue, and eyes starting
from their sockets, and of our boy start
ing from his happy sleep to greet his
father. After this all was blank for
weary weeks | was i'll.
Clarke has told me since that sus-
picion rested upon the host and his WIFE
They hushed the matter up quickly, and
the robber was buried quietly enough
When next looked in the mirror, my
face was prematurely pinched and wrin-
kled and my hair as silvery as it is
to-day.
We moved from Anselmo, and return
ing to our native State we battled with
the bravest until fortune came to us.
But the wealth of the Indies-the bliss
of an eternal paradise conld never re-
store to me the freshness and fairness of
my life before that one fearful Night of
Horror