The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-02-12

closer scrutiny, deeper study OF the
man.
After this L prolonged his visits as
much ms could without causing him to
suspect | did so Intentionally. The
things he wanted / generally had some
trouble in getting, and filed up the in
terval by remarks about the weather, the
country. the mines, the success of some
and the failure of others-in word,
ANYTHING could think of to induce con-
versation, watching him furtively all the
while. He answered easily and readily,
and yet with that peculiar kind of reserve
that was not suggestive of tending
toward familiarity. His replies, how
ever, evinced man of mind and educa-
ton, and began to give him credit for
being thinker-perhaps practical and
selfish dreamer, If | may use paradox
ical term that best expresses my idea.
Ono day, L scarcely know how, L
touched upon the general superstitions
of mankind, and, to my surprise, saw
that he was interested. His eye changed
expression, and frightened, and emitted
strange and peculiar CLEAN; and my
attention being thus directed to his eye,
l now bethought me that 1 had never
seen one exactly like it--one capable of
being so apparently open down to the
| soul while concealIng so much. 1t was
off its guard now; the door was really
open to the soul Of the man; and / looked
in Mt the door of that opening, and SaW
/ that the sOW of that man CaS q dark
one. A nameless fear came over me,
! like an electric shock; L felt an electric
1 shudder of dread. No wonder | had not
been able to read him before; the man
had been wearing an impenetrable mask.
j had the key of the mystery, and to
him, and used it. He was Interested
in superstitiGns-he was superstitious
himself Why2 Good men may be super
stitious; bad men always are, because
they carry hell of wild fancies within
them. Thus it was with this man, as l
could see by his eye, and L made his
fancy work upon him. | told him sto-
ries of sorcery, of witchcraft and magic,
OF ghosts, hobgoblins and devils till he
became pale with fear, breathed with
compressed lips and trembled, i'll spite of
his great nerve and skill.
If good men, as | have said, are some
times superstitious, why, you ask, did l
think this man supers6tioUs also
First / answer, because l had acct
dentally thrown him off his guard and
read his soul; and secondly, because he
was not naturally nervous and credulous.
Fear could only arise from the self-con-
victed knowledge of a past wicked deed.
The man was even then n criminal.
But let me hasten along to the denoue-
ment.
Lot -
present when this conversation occurred
about the superstitious fancies OF men,
and rs soon as we were interrupted by
the entrance of another customer my
dark visitor left somewhat abruptly.
After that he did not come SO often as he
did before, and never renewed the con-
versatiOn that had so agitated him, and
never, in fact, entered into any other
that he could possibly avoid. [ kept my
thoughts to myself, but made some cas-
ual inquiries about him, and learned
that he had been SO fortunate as TO Sc
cure a capital lead, from which, with
his partner, another young man, he was
taking out gold in quantities that prom
ised to enrich both, and that both had
the goodwill and esteem of all who
knew them.
One dark night, about three or four
weeks after this, | was startled from
my sleep by wild, prolonged shrieks,
and cries of " Murder ! murder help
help -
1 jumped, seized my revolver, and
darted out into the open air. The cries
and screams still continued, coming
from bend of the river about hun
L l.. II l..
joined by five others, all well armed, and
together we ran as hard as we could to
the place from which the alarm proceed
ed. When we arrived there at least
thirty men were collected i'll and around
the tent of the dark man L have been
describing, and he it was who had given
the alarm. His partner and companion
had been murdered and robbed, and he
himself had been slightly cut across
the face and gashed on the left arm, and
he was all excitement, lamenting his
dearest friend, and vowing vengeance
against the assassin. 1t was some time
before we could get at the particulars,
and we then learned that both had been
sleeping side by side, when an unknown
robber had crawled under the light can
vas, stabbed one to the heart, and taken
large bag of gold from under his head.
With this he was escaping when the
present narrator awoke and seized him,
and received the wounds which had
compelled him to relinquish his hold.
Lights were brought, and there, sure
enough, was the bloody confirmation of
all that had been related.
shall make no attempt to portray the
intense excitement, the wild rage and
CONSERVATION which this daring murder
occasioned. Every man felt that, if the
assassin escaped without his just pun
ishment, there would no longer be Sc
curity for any one i'll our hitherto quiet
and peaceful valley, and solemn oaths
were taken to hang the wretch, if found,
upon the nearest tree.
A large reward was offered for his de-
lection, and every gambler that had ever
been seen about there was more or less
suspected, and 1 believe that, had any
man been arrested on the following day,
he would have been hung first and tried
| afterward said lpqq than anv for I