Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-04-10

this dream, or incubus state, and ahem-
ed and turned over TO see If were
really awake now. My whole body
was damp, the sweat standing in cold
drops upon my face, 90 great had been
the suffering in that few moments
sleep. It was so strange, 80 ff1ghtfully
real, that / shifted to the other side,
and as silently as possible drew up my
pants and felt in the pocket. My An
gers touched q bullet that was lying
loose amidst other rubbish. drew It
out and with such sensation rs
never experienced before and hope
never to again, prepared for the
dream test. Reaching my hand well
down toward the floor, II gave it a roll
toward the back of the bed. 1t moved
foot or two, and struck something
soft and stopped.
My heart stopped beating for min
ute, and globulcs of fire SWAN before
my face, peopling the darkness with
horrors. There was no choice but to
fill the programme of the dream. l
sprang from the bed before my mus
cies were paralyzed with terror, and
called ont /:
"Here, you, Stowell!' !'-I actually in
tended to say jerks but could not
"come out from there, and have done
with this sort of practical joking" No
sound about the house. The stormy
clouds tearing away overhead, allow'd
a food Of watery moonlightto pervade
the room.
"Stowell,v | called again, F" am in
ITO mood for this sort of joking
have not boasted Of my courage but
I shall discharge my pistol under the
bed, hit or miss, in one moment
more
There was a humping and a rustling,
the spread was swept aside and good
Heavens it was StowelI. Icould see
his white hair and beard. Before he
had come TO an upright position, for !
could dimly discern the outlines Of
objects, sprang to the door to shout
for help.
had not turned the key when
heard leap outside, and the instant
that the bolt flew back from the socket,
man sprang into the room; a pistol
ball grazed my ear another shot and
two forms were struggling on the
floor. 1 was but moment inactive;
the next, and 1 had planted blow
with the but of my pistol somewhere
upon the grey head, which stretched
the villain senseless, almost the instant
receiving. the fash Of pistol in the
side ofthe head, which, had II not pro-
videntially refused fire must have ma
terisliy interferred with my future
powers of narration.
Much confusion followed. The land
lord rushed in; the landlady ALSO
Everything was explained directly
jerks was my rescucr. jerks, whom
I had so doubted, said to me "Look
here!" and he removed the white hair
of the robber, and exposed to our gaze
the clean face and closely-crOpped hair
of sentenced for life penitentiary
man.
He escaped two weeks ago from
and eluded pursuit. ] got on the track
of him at Detroit, and have followed
hmm, off and on, ever since. He came
up from New Sharon purposely to rob
and ii need be, to murder. His jovial-
ity, his apparent good humor, allayed
all suspicion. could read his plans
when he first went to bed. He stow'd
himself into some closet or corner of
your room to wait for You to fall
asleep. l remained close by your door,
and should have warned you, but fear
ed to arouse the suspicious Of the fell
low, lest he should again make OF"
Since was really saved by dream,
consider 1t remarkable,
distrust remarkably jolly people
now, and take into favor, sour, silent
appearing persons.
jerks was detective.