The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1874-10-31
1XinE of 1T Hammer.

On the train the other day were a very con-
fidlng old man and very innocent old lady
They had passed away 5 6ths of their lives hid
den away behind the hills of Vermont, and were
going to western Michigan visit to their
son. After little skirmishing round the old
gentleman pitched into me about the "crops,"
'sile," and when found how innocent he was,
l gave him all the information l could. All at
once, as he rode along, the wife caught his arm
and exclaimed:
"Look out, Samuel, or you'll be forgetting
that place where they it'll"
Theold man explained. He said that young
man who came down from Canada with them,
told him to look out for the battle field of Brad
docks defeat as he left Detroit.
was going to reply that the young man was
an Internal liar, but the old lady seem ed to have
set her heart on seeing the spot, and the old
man was so anxious that l couldn't bear to tis-
appoint them. When we got down into the
woods pointed out the "batte field, )" and thoy
put their heads out of the windows and took in
the scene.
"Think Of it Hanner, exclaimed the old man,
as he drew in his head "thnk of them Injuns
creeping through them woods and shooting Mr..
= uxsEi ack down dead !"
- "My soul !" replied the old lady, seemingly
overcome at the idea, and she kept her eyes on
the woods until l thought she would twist her
neck off.
Wcgot along all right for about five miles
more, and the old man wanted to know if we
weren't down pretty near the spot where Te-
cumseh fell
"Where?" yelled, and he said that the same
young man had Informed him that the railroad
ran close to the identical spot where the great
indian warrior fell and slept
"Itll be powerful favor to me an Samuel if
yell point out the spot" urged the old lady,
placing her hand on my arm.
How could 60 back on what that brasen
young man had said? The old folks had made
up their minds to see the spot, and if didn't
show it to them they might worry for weeks,
and they might think the young man had lied, -,
or that wasn't posted in the historic spots Of
my own State Lor' forgive me, but mile
further on pointed out bill and said:
"Behold the last resting place of the great Te-
enmssh."
"Think of i, Hanner-just think of it~ ex-
claimed the old man; right there is where
they got him
"Mercy but it don't seem possible" she
calculated, and she had 10 get out her snuff box
before she could recover from the shock.
The old gentleman said he had particular
interest in seeing the spot, because he knew the
man who had killed Tecumseh-used to live
right by him.
"He must have been an awful Injun !" broke
in the old lady, "for the young man said he
didn't die till they had cut off his head, and
feet, and hands, and blowed the body up with
barrel of powder!"
| wanted to get away after that, fearing that
something worse was coming, but she insisted
upon my taking pinch of snuff, and SO l kept
my seat We were just beyond Brighton, when
the old man came at me like steambc at, with
"Now then, how fur is it to the spot where
they found the Babes in the Woods?"
l wanted to get out of it, but how could I?-
That young man had deliberately lied to those
nice old folks, and hadn't the moral courage
to tell 'em so, and thus had to make liar of
myself. It's awful to deceive any one, especial
ly good old man and a fat and motherly old
ia5SRn their way to the tomb.
~"THat's-yes-that's the spotW said as we
came to dark piece of woods.
"Think O. thst, Hammer" |" he said, his head
out of the window; "think OF them ba bies be-
ing found in there"
Eyes, it was fearful" she replied "seems as
if could almost see them stubbing about ir
there nowY'
There was another historic spot of which the
young man had told them, but they lad forgot
ten it, and I was never more thankful. Taey
kept quiet until the brakeman yelled ont "Lan-
sing," and tben the old man bobbed up and ex-
claimed
Lansing-Lansing-w here's where they
hung Tom Collins, amt it,"
He explained that Tom Collins, Chicago
despsrado, had murdered eleven old women
and drank their blood for his liver complaint,
and after being hunted for miles and miles, had
at length been captured at Lansing, cut to
pieces by the infuriated populace, and then left
hanging to tree.
had to point out the tree. 1t was tree
near the depot, and the tail of q kite had lodged
in its branches.
There's whar' they hung him, Hammer" the
old man said, stretching his neck.
"And there's some O. his shirt left yeti" ex-
claimed the old lady, and as backed out of
the car, the good old man was remarking that
he was going to ask the train boy if he didn't
have the pamphlet "Life of Tom Collins" so
that they could get further particulars.