Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1872-06-22

| cedIcu llnsclt WItnIu, ana uau 4lre
Wilder just discovered him? If so
Heaven help him!
No, there stood Mrs. Wilder, CaZ-
ing with q terrified air at something
she had picked up near where thS
rent had been made-and now, with
a shudder, she let il fall again at heI
feet.
what Is It? What's the natter
was asked, and Tom Cook, followed
by others, waived ceremony and en-
tered the tent, while George, with
his axe, was without, answering the
hurried questions of new comers.
ooh, Lord of IIeaycn!" exclaimed
Mrs. Wilder; my murdered hus-
band has been here this night ]
shall soon 20 TO him, l kuowl II Is a
warningl Oh, Abraml Abramu
| Scarcely knowing whether 10
think the woman sane or not Tom
Cook advanced and picked up the
object that lay at her feet.
Itwas knife-a large pocket knife
with two blades, one OF which was
! five or six inches long, and open,
and the handle was Of rough buck
horn. It was a peculiar, Old-fash-
iOned knife, and there was small
brass plate on il, containing the ini-
tials "a. W"
1t was my husbands knifc,' said
| Mrs. Wilder, while a tremOr ran
through her frame.
The men started at each other.
q saw him in q dream-ycs, and
saw him standing in the tent when /
awoke-and l heard that knife faIll'
| The first thought that went the
rounds was to the effect that the
| ghost of Abram Wilder had visited
| the widow, and left this article, that
she might recognize il; but that idea
was quickly dispeIlcd by the assur-
ancc of one of the miners that he had
seen two Indians retrcating.
fThen, Mrs. Wilder said Tom
/ Cook, who did not like to give the
/ ghost up entirely, your danger
This idea was received with gene
| raj favor, and with a confusion of
voices discussed the matter, the
moon palcd, and gray morning came
over the mountain.
I Among the miners was one nam
| ed Tirrell, who had recently come
| from another camp a few miles
| distant, known rs Bear Gap. BY
/ and-by he examined the knife
| When hc did so he started, scratch
| cd his head III an intellectual
way, opened his eyes too
wide, and uttered a significant ex-
clamatiOn.
''What now, Terrill What's up ?"
'I-knoW-t this-knife ~ he said,
as if he was not quite sure about it.
care you sure ? Don't speak rash
" rporY-iI1 -
He scrutinized il more closely,
and then said:
"Yes; Pd swear to il. l borrow
ed that very knife two weeks ago,
and returned il to its owner"
n pause ensued. The miners
looked at each other a moment, as
If hesitating to ask the mOmcntous
question.
At last Tom Cook asked it:
"WhO 20
"a man at Bear Gap. But mind
/ don't say he's been here at any bad
tricks. His name's-Mallity
"What I" exclaimed Mrs. Wilder,
starting as though she had trodden
upon a serpent; 'Maliity? Where
where is he ?"
"At Bear Gap"
"DO you know him, ma'am ?''
asked Tom Cook.
''IIe is one of the very men l told
you of last evening. Mr.. Cook one
that | always thought murdered my
husband! kROt0 it now, and this
knife is his condemnation.
| There upon she briefly related her
story to Terrill and others, who had
not heard it before.
''Can it be that this man has been
coming all the way from Bear Gap
week after week, to rob us 2" asked
Tom Cook.
But how about the Indians ?''
asked another.
"They may have been disguised.
Who could the other be, Terrill %
Don't know unless il is his bunky.
Another man and he lives together
in cabin at Bear Gap.
WHO is the other 2" asked Mrs.
Wilder.
Oscars, his name Is"
"Oh, UeaYenr' exclaimed Mrs.
Wilder, "the very names! They
are two men who murdered and
robbed my poor husband on the
Plains, and that is the way this
knife came here. oh, shall they cs-
cape unpunished ?"
''NOl no not by iug-fuHi Not
if they're in Bear Gap or in Califor-
nia," was shouted on all sides. ''Let
us track them hOme-hunt them
down! Who's ready 2"
The widest excitement prevailed.
Shortly after sunrise q committee
of six started for Bear Gap. and at
midday they returned with two
prisoners, whom they brought face
with Mrs. Wilder. She knew them
ia 4 moment, and they sank down
upon the ground, half dead with re-
morse and terror, rs they they re-
cOgnizc her,
y cs, yes ~ she exclaimed, widely
Il know you, Sears s-Mallity-vou
killed my husband! You know ii
May you meet with the mercy he re-
ccived at your foul hands :"
Her voice was raised almost to a
scream, and she waved her right
hand IN an excited way, rs IL iuvok-
ing the ycugcncc of heaven.
NCs, the Visions from the Plains.
the ghost of the murdered man that
had come from the mountains, and
carried the dreaming widow back
TO the Hlatte rIver-that had reused
her slumber with a shrek that
startled the mauraders, while in the
act of cutting their way into the
tent, causing them to drop the tell
tale knife-was the means of hunt
ing down the camp-robbers. and
their days were numbered.
IA search of their quarters at Bear
Gap had disclosed a considerable
amout of gold dust, which they had
evidently stolen, for they had never
been known TO dig much; but worse
than all, snugly rolled up and pack
cd at the Bottom of sack that was
filled with other things, were two
complete Indian outtits-fcathers
belts, wigs of long, black hair, and
materials for staining the face. Dis
guised as Indians, the two villains.
Sears, and Mallity, the murderers
of Abram Wilder, had been robbing
the various camps in that vicinity
for months.
Before sunset that evening they
confessed all-includiug the murder
of Wilder-and the gathering shad-
oWs of night frOWnCd GA two silent
figures that were dangling hideous-
ly from the bOughs of . tall tree.
Mrs. Wilder was avenged!
But she spoke with a prophetic
tongue when she said her loved
companion had called her. Her
health failed rapidly from that
night, and within two months she
left her children there in the moun-
talns and went over the dark river
to meet him with whom she had
parted on the banks OF the Platte.
4 Pathetic Picture
George William Curtis paints the
following pathetic picture. which