The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-02-04


died my whole frame. For moment.
"my tongue Glove to the roof of my
mouth" l was astonished to find in q
man of such frightful mien, words which
would have well expressed the noblest
purpose. Not a hope presented itself
was at the mercy OF murderer, and
there remained nothing but to submit
To accurately detail all the thoughts
which at that moment thronged my
mind would be impossible. /, defense
less young boy of nineteen, but just
freed from college life, to be butchered
by relentless life-seeker, excited the
greatest emotions of fear. Those that
loved-ay, that one-stood prominently
forward; not, however, far of, but crowd
ing around me, then swiftly passing away.
The deepest agitation now took posses
sion of me. prayed and sued his mercy,
and offered him half my worldly, all, if
he would but spare my life and take me
back. But no terms of reconciliation
would suffice. Sclfreproaches rushed
over my mind and mingled with my
fears.
Why was so blind, so. foolish, as to ac-
company the man? Why did / suffer my
want of courage to prevent my declining
his offer, instead of committing myself
to this suspicious-looking man?
"Oh, heaven /" l cried, within myself,
"help me-"
Becoming impatient of my long 81
lence, which was the silence of despair,
he roughly seized me by the arm, and
dragged me from the carriage. had no
power to resist. was wholly untutored
as to personal defense, but, had l not
been utterly destitute of hope, have
the belief that could have made an en-
deavor.
Not sound was to be heard. All the
great solitude was echoless and void. l
uttered long, piercing cry, as he flung
me on the frozen earth, and bade me de-
liver my purse. A desire to make myself
shrieks, which he tried to stihe by
placing his hand over my mouth. This
inspired me with new strength, and
rose to my feet and fled from him. The
door of the cemetery was open, and
rushed in, pursued closely by my nim-
bier foe.
The moon had been disappearing be-
hind a heavy heap of what seemed snow
clouds, and now she utterly deserted me
at this critical moment, for l stumbled
every instant against tombstone or
mound. | traversed with preternatural
celebrity those habitations of the dead,
needing not, in my error. the little re-
spect l showed them.
But soon his heavy hand again seized
me by the shoulder, and dragged me
back. My despair lent me strength.
We closed and struggled. l forgot his
superior power, and resolved to resist
death to the last. On his breast he wore
a small piece of gold, on which were en-
graved many familiar devices in Greek,
in addition to his name. Without any
object in view but that of avenging my
self, l seized firmly hold of it, and in the
struggle tore it of. This circumstance
he did not at that time notice, but, in
spite of my resistance, he muttered
between his teeth a successful issue to
the combat; and as l sank, almost ex-
hausted, on the ground in that lonely
place,I heard my antagonist unclasp his
knife.
With startled bound I was again OH
my feet, and extricated myself from his
hands. Then followed the race for life;
flew, rather than ran, with the piece of
gold in my hand. / had no scruples
where l trod. Now / went straight
before him, now evading his grasp by
passing in and out the graves. heard
his curses as l avoided him. The dark
ness was deepening, and all the horrors of
my position seemed to increase.
Nothing was left me but to succumb
to my fate and suffer the pursuing vii
lain to take the life he sought. Every
earthly interest lost its attraction in these
moments of despair. l felt my knees
failing, my step slackening in speed;
dizziness came over me, and the cons
ciousness that lie was close behind me be-
came a certainty, when, suddenly, a
false step on my part precipitated me in
a chasm several feet below the surface of
the earth.
experienced shock, and the pain l
suffered was acute. / believed myself
injured to such an extent that my life
would be despaired of, but l held my
peace.
In the midst of this terrible torture of
mind and body, listened with kind of
savage joy, mingled with fear, to the
oaths of my seeker, as, stumbling at
every step, he went about from spot to
spot, calling me to leave my prov.
idential covert, for that he had intended
no harm.
The sounds of his receding footsteps
became fainter and fainter, and l re-
joiced that, tired of the chase, he had
left me.
In few moments heard the sound of
wheels proceeding rapidly in the diree.
ton we had come, and with feelings akir
to happiness 1 felt myself alone. How
long continued listening to the retreat
ing wheels know not, but at length the
sound ceased. was about to abandon
myself to kind of security, when fam
cied again heard their rolling in my di-
rection. The fear of discovery now pos
sessed me. off he returns he will GER
tainly murder me-" i listened, with
trembling terror which beggars descrip-
tion, to the sounds, as they became more
and more distinct. Nearer and nearer
they came, until my agitation almost
rendered me delirious. heldmy breath
as heard the stoppage of the wheels,
and then, for few brief moments, no
sound, no movement, was audible.
All was still as death! Then, amid
the hushed silence, arose a sound like
that of mans feet among the grass. !
felt that he was near He was searching
low on the ground. Ieven heard breath
ing above me. / was then impressed
that he was seeking the piece of gold
which I had severed from him, and,
grasping the treasure more closely in my
hand, listened with exulting triumph
to his protracted and fruitless search.
AT length he likewise became a victim
to despair. He rose erect, and stood
quite still, to detect, if possible, the
slightest movement in that deathly in
closure. Then, at first slow and nnhesi-
tatingly, he spoke. The deathless
spirits were breathless, and the echo Of
his voice only answered to his summons.
He alternately made use, now Of threats,
now of persuasion. Sometimes, with
tremulous voice, he besought me to dis