Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-12-28

/ where is my husband-my Manuel Z"
ahe exclaimed, in pcremptory tone.
Tell me. senior, for charity, where Is my
husband -
Dead dead she exclaimed, as the
director was silent; '.and how did he die =
+ Who killed him 1t never was his own
fault No. Manuel was not druIllard.
Nv Manuel wa. not reckless. Ifshc died,
it was not by his own hand. Show me the
murderer"
my poor child replied the director,
there is no murderer There was care
lessness. but no crime.
Never tell me that, Don Jayne. by
Manuel was no sot no mailman, To throw
away his life like Pedro Bravo. If he is
dead. accuse Miguel Gomez of his muir
der. There stands The yilain-look in his
face and Judge. 1t was only year ago,
a little while before Manuel and | were
married. that he offered the caTgdei0r Pc
draza the post of captain of the galley, if
he would come behind Manuel and push
him off the Rinconada. Answer me, Juan
/ Pedraza, before the great God who sees
/ and hears US, is it not true 2
! Juan Pedraza, miserable looking man,
with face haggard from the effects of
/ habitua intoxication, hung down his
/ head, and made no reply. 4 gloomy ST.
/ lence ensued, which was at length broken
! by Don Jayne, who said:
/ Gomez, this affair begins to look Sc
| rious for you. | am not your Judge, but
/ il is my duty to see that the matter under.
! goes a strict investigation. Perez-and
1 YOU Francisco-I give the accused into
! your charge. See that he does not es
cape, and bring him before the alcaldc to-
morrow morning, when all now present
will attend the examination
| The nervous anxiety which had been
/ depicted on the countenance Of the over
| seer ever since the explosion, nov sud
denly gave way to an expression of Zero
/ cious determination.
/ Stand off y he exclaimed, drawing his
| knife, back, for your lives! am inno-
cent of Manucrs death; but l will not
stay to have my life sworn away by the
| hereto Jews, spiteful women, and drunk
en- villains. Out Of the way, Perez. Fol-
! low me at your PERIL"
| With these words he darted out of the
| gdlern and fled down the mountain at a
| pace which detied pursuit.
| Atths moment, Manuel, whose strength
had been nearly exhausted by his labors
! in the mine, was painfully ascending the
difficult path. He had nearly reached the
Rinconada, and had paused for an instant
| to take breath, when man suddenly
! turned the corner at full speed. 1t was
/ Miguel Gomez He held in one hand a
drawn knife, and looked backward over
his shoulder, as if expecting TO be pur-
sued. But, hen, on turning his head
he bcheld directly before him the figure
of his victim standing motionlcss. with
pallid face and bloody hands, and eyes
! steadily fixet upon him, he recoiled with
a cry of horror and alright Whether it
was a mere accident from the dizziness of
| the sudden shock, or whether it was an ac-
cess Of suicidal frenzy, can never be
known but the unhappy wretch disap-
peared from the sight Of the horror-strick-
EN- beholder, one last scream of despair
ascending as the criminal shot downward
to his frightful and inevitable doom.
Manuel, overcome by IA sickening weak
ness, leaned against the steep side of the
mountain, and wiped away the cold per-
spiration which gathered on his brow;
ried forward and managed to reach the
ga1ero. His entrance, as may be supposed,
was the cause of great agitation. Most
of those present recoiled and crossed
themselves in terror, though not SO ex-
ccssively as that of the miserable Gomez
One person, however, sprang forward
with IA laugh of hysteric delight, and ex-
claimed:
"Ah, Manuelito, you are alive! | knew
it was all n joke upon your poor little
wifen
And with these words the ovcrjoyed
Margarita fell upon her. husbands neck;
and tainted away in his arms.
need only add to the foregoing mar
rativc that Don Manuel Campos, the
present resident manager of the new mine
of San Adrian, will receive with great
hospitality, at his home in Zacatecas, any
English traveller who may pass through
that city, and will, if desired relate all the
particulars of the remarkable accident to
which he was mainly indebted for his
rise in the world. Donna Margarita, his
very lady-like wife, will confirm the ac-
count by her own testimony, and by the
additional token of long haired, black
ened urchin, some five or six years old,
bearing the identical name of Adriano, in
commcmoraton of the event which hap
pcned shortly before his birth, so that the
essential truth Of the story may be con
sdered as established beyond the posi-
bility of a doubt.