The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1874-08-07

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windows were wide open, and the doc
! tor had been sent for; and the young
man who had called was screaming that
! his brother had been eho<ed to death !;
and there was the inquest, and they ar
rested me. The brother said the first
thing to be noticed was that wore Mr..
! Glen's watch and seals I had forgot
ten it in ry terror.
50 Hannah had key to the room ?''
said.
Il" Yes; at least it was key that
would open il. tt was the key to 11r.
Bassfcrc's door. She knocked the
other out with stick and put that in. -
.. Tie people who were there on that
night were your boarders when the 9TH
er men were found dead" I asked
ooh, yes I"
And Hannah was there also ?" n
al L. Imgy q n married life Hanna11ly~@ -
Your daughter oversees your
hold in your absence2"
eyes, poor child, with Hannah >
help"
thought little while.
Madame" 1 said. "thcre is some
strange mystery in the affair. do not
despair of proving your entire limo
cence. Meanwhile, be as calm as pos
thing connected with the Sudden deaths
that have occurred in your house. The
incident that seems the least important
may really be of the most immense
value"
So left and went home. Strange
enough, on The way I met the doctor
who had been called in. He was adult,
heavy sort of person, considerably
given to beer drinking, and my opinion
of his ability was not very great. How
ever, I questioned him on the subject,
and he repli d:
Well, you see, I don't say the old
woman murdered him. If she did, ]
should say it was by sitting on him, or
smothering him with the holsters.
suppose the cause of his death was as
phyxia. Well, then, what is asphyxia
Why, too little breath to keep one liv-
ing. He died because he was short of
breath I wash my hands on that mat
ter. Cnly there's the watch that looks
dark
I had learned nothing from the doc
tor. The coroner lived near me. HIS
Jury had been twelve of the most ignor-
ent men in town.
This is al he told me.
"He was smothered, that man was,
smother themselves. We made ii IN
scrutable Providence t'other time We
make it murder this time. That there
watch, you know
Thus. without any new light, I went
home and formed my plans. There
was but one way in which to penetrate
the mystery. I must enter the house;
[ must see the people there; I must
penetrate to the room in which these
men had died so suddenly, and [ must
not be know in my real character. That
Nine. Matteau was innocent / fully be-
lieved, but that some one was guilty
made no doubt It might be the libra
rian, Mr.. Bassford, whose key fitted
the dead mans door. It was possible;
but no, I would not harbor mad su-
perstition. There could be no super
natural power beneath which human
being dropped and died. Death as it
came to us all was mysterious enough.
What had been said to me by woman,
who would have been a spiritualist had
she lived to-day, was mere absudlty.
"I believe that there is some horrible
unseen thing in the room" she said,
some awful shapeless spirit, that when
it is locked in with the victim murders
him. Let others believe what they viii,
/ believe that.
The words haunted me, but I laughed
at them, of course. Whatever 1t was L
would try TO know. I had plan.
At dusk I went into my bedroom my
self. I came out a strange man. l
wore a white wig, pair of green gog-
giles and an overcoat, the tails of which
reached to my heels. l had muller
about my throat, and a little hunch on
one of my shoulders. I carried a thick
cane, and stopped a great deal as L
walked. In my hands [ carried car
pet bag, and in my bosom pair of pis-
tolls, well loaded.
As passed out into the street the
early moon was just rising she lit me
on my way to the door of Nine. Mat
teau's house.
1t was opened for me when I knocked,
by old Hannah. Her eyes were red and
swoll n. Then I teld her that | was a
stranger, and mad received Nine. Mat
teau's address from a gentleman in New
York, and desired to stay all night under
her roof. She shook her head.
ST don't think you can" she said.
''The lady is away from home. Besides
we are in trouble here. I don't think
Miss Gabrielle would"
But here Miss Gabrielle herself ap-
peared.
81 am an old man, MISS" 1 said,
"and as you see, quite infirm. L dread
another step. [ should take it as a
kindness if you would accommodate
me, and will pay you any price you
ask. -
Miss Gabrielle looked at Hannah.
"We have only one room" she said,
"and that"
1 ended the question of my stay by
begging to be taken to it.
:" You will have supper, sir ?" asked
the girl.
But declared that I had eaten, and
only wanted rest.
Her r ply was:
Hannah, show the gentleman to the
blue room and make fire.
was in the blue room, tho
the three sudden deaths or murdefs
was a small apartment, painted blue
Tt had also blue window curtains, and a
blue silk coverlet on the bed a neat
striped carpet, set of old mahogany
furniture, and a very handsome ever
and a basin of costly china. It was at
that time almost universal custom to
| burn wood. In this room, however,
was a small coal fire. L alluded to this
as Hannah came in with the scuttle.
"Yes, SIR" she said. Misses does
burn Goals. Her son Is clerk or the
like at the new mines at Mauch Chunk,
and he sends it cheap to her; but it's a
nasty, dirty-smelling thing, and 1 hate
it. Now it's built and lit, twill warm
up in fifteen minutes. It takes longer
than wood"
She went out of the door aud came
back in a minute with a little tray on
which stood pot and cup and saucer,
also bowl and tiny pitcher, and some
thing in a napkin.
&c Miss sent bit and sip, said she,
Tea rests us old folks nightly. Good
night"
f'Good night" said, "I expect ]
shall sleep soon; / must be up very
early, though, for [ have bills to pay.
I have some hundreds of dollars with
me to pay out tomorrow, and its in this
bag"
She looked at me in a queer sort of q
way and fingered beside me. AT last
she spoke:
:" Look ye, sir I think that old folks
of your age do wrong to lock doors on
themselves. You might be i'll at night,
AMI who'd get into you? Leave you1
| door unlocked"
Was it this woman's practice to beg
| travellers who at0nDad with har T1istrass