Litchfield enquirer., 1874-12-10

found the other god. 2 Feeling quite feeble, picked up what supposed was the splinter of g broken log. intending to use 1t as a tcane, and to make shapeiy stick of it asd keep it as memento of my good luek.a walked this, time mound the ledge. sR0t my hat, counted my gold, and placed it carefu1lt fh ny old money belt, which l still retained. The treasure
 I found slaopated to fifteen hnndfed and eightssn dollars. Federal money. T tied
 my belt around my body under my shirt, and started to find the road ~NA zt 'L-5-a
 T resraced my steps to the place where the rohbers had covered me with leaves, and walked around the bushy top of a tree which had fallen during the summer and still retained it's withered fofiaee. Judge of my astonishnhent to find [ was just on the side of the road. and opposite the spring where I had the fight with the highRayfnen. I thought would survey
 the bAttle-f1ald before took the road westwsEd- As I crossed. I heard the sound of horses feet coming rapidly up the road. In few moments Shackelford appeafed in sight. rife in hand. Then followed dozen of my old neighbors.
 On they came, and such shouting and yelling. when they saw me, you never heard They had given ,ms up for mur- dered, and Polly Slaughter had rnade up
 her nina that she.was widow. sbnoln
 'sThe rascais had driven my team into a timber road . little distance ahead, cut tho traces, and immediately left for parts unknoun." Shackeiford hunted them 1uu with sharp stick but to no purpose. The wagon and horses were fytfnd the day after was missing. I had come to and had wandered away to theS brook. while they were scouting the woods at some zdistance in theuhoalow on the other side 6f khe road. Iwondered that Driver. my olap deer-hoandi Who was with then. had nos scented me, but fl bsupposei the ffesheF 4faii of the menu and horses put him at fault Somehof tlle menI boraed the FiSef in search of the btncksnffh !fo1 he had . bad name in the neighborhood, and threatened to burn his house; and they would have done SO but for his wife land her little eotton-headed ehiidren.
 Vixen we got to Kentucky and Shack elfofd Hound I had money to pay for the land. notwithstanding | had been robbed, l had so tell him the whole story about finding the gold, but bound him to se- crecy. as I had 3 fear that I might be traced and waylaid by the robbers to re- cover thelr gold. It was at my own cabin made the confession, and showed him the stick I had picked up by my money hole and used as cane. He scanned ii carefully for some time, and then laid it down. saying it was part of the staye of a barrel and looked as if it:had been gnaw- cd by bears. ,.-+----..-. -- ] n ..Aferpayin Shackelford for my l farm bought government lands on specula- tion, and was very successful. selling them in two or three years at four or five times as much as I gave. was good voodsnan and good judge of land. and . | explored and afterwards located, and then got warrants for fine lands known in those days as the Barrens h the Green Rivercountry, which was not then appre- ciated- People thought that because oi its groNth. .-pine, oak, and so. orth,-it was poor land; but I soon found out the contragy, and profted, by their mistake.
 t..As l was saying. I was exceedingly fortunate in my land speoRlations, and the money found in the hole doubled and doabled itself Yeryafew years. When T let out t1e secret of being such a gainel by being robbed, few or none believed my story. It was generally thought a hoax got up by Shackelford in his mischief for he was a deuce of a fellow at practical jokes, ,-and that I endorsed 1t for the fun of the thing I even advertised the mon- ey when I got we'll ahead in the world, for was anxious to return 1t to the rightful owner. But was only laughed at for publishing such an improbable story. Prentice often ridiculed it in the Louis vile Journal after he started that paper. To this day the story-although I was the chief actor in the drama-goes by the name of sShackelford's s yarn. -s
 ''I have kept a regular account, princi- pal and compound interest at ten per cent, that may pay it some day to the rightful owner or his heirs, if they should ever turn up; for it was the foundation oi my fortune. If they never appear, the amount at my death Is to go to certain in- stitutions mentioned in my will for the benefit of my fellow men, For I have ever considered 1t loan from the Giver of all good, and intend to return it."
 When my uncle had finished his story. I looked at my wife. The bloom on her cheek had faded. There was 8 singularly wild though serious expression in her face. She arose from her chair, and, ap- preaching the old man, lifted her hands and laying one on each shoulder looked with her large gray eyes full into his. "Uncle Ben," she said, s'I think you are sincere, that you are honest, that you are noble by nature, md that you will keep any promise you make to your fellow-man or your Maker. God help us, my dear uncle. When she said this she kissed his wrinkled cheek, and bidding him good night went upstairs ger s.F r.*.s-a
 z After talking with Uncle Ben a short time and lighting him to bed, found Sue Tn her chamber. She was sitting on the lounge by the side of the baby's crib. wrapped in serious thought. Motioninr to me to take a seat by her side, she said, l. a4zEsaaa-.. s.r''7--s -3--gcT
 Ajax. that is 8 strange story that Un- cle Ben has been telling us If there was any reason for doubtiRg it I think I could produce corroboratiye evidence to prove 1t. 7t1sslsL lg-E 1ss-l ig5srT efT
 Why, how you talk, Sue! and if you could. what of it?p zazar ..at sr06e -s.- tWeli--no matter about 1t now" Then. suddenly changing the subject. "What amount did you tell me this house was mortgaged for?'' .Ls-s:roga rss-r z.ll Fight thousand dollars, my Sue. The bond 1s now overdue. and the holder is struggling to maintain himself and says he must go to protest if it is not paid within ten days I have tried nay best to have the mortgage renewed in other hands. but no one seems disposed, to in- vest during this terrible crisis, so in few days I fear we shall have the sheriff placard pasted against cur front. You. see those wild speculations in Mississippi and Texas lands in which my New Orleans partner ventnred. and the worthless bills of exchange he has remitted me, have got us into all this trouble. I .e-rr9 -xs
 s'What amount of Comly $ Go. s bills did you hold, and where are they now2r,
 Thirty two thousand five hundred dol lars when. we went to protest. They have been discounted by the Farmers and Me- chanics' Bank. But Mir. Patton, on whose influence with the president and directors can depend, assures me that he can make that all easy. A kinder heart for unfortunate dehtor never throbbed. He promises to have it so arranged that the bank will hold sths protested bills as col lateral if I can only pay ten per cent. on them every ninety days. .Aithoushe he planes us, as he says for putting so many A00R inko -0no. hosFo% k