The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1876-08-04
A CURIOUS SCAR.

cEsf8fE4EfCIlt tFaFcErF mana ttg- ! u
one A. refr 20 you can tell from tn
hundred others by liyid scar cx.~ff-
ing from hi, right jawoone clear acr.r.s
the clleel. The scar il red pstli trac. 4
along the check. looking a. il red hal
iron had rs.-trd there long en0u-a 20
blister tn Il. - - might think II
was thc r-.u.t E a. SCI dem q week
oil, su,l ~otsi~r why he Ill 1T have
his fac. bound ny tnt 'a. ec,r -
made several year, ag4 tra or tael -
months b-fprc the notorious Ecuds.r
family Of Kansas had their awful crimes
expos. d rs the ufficers. II j. I. burn
IL ~as burnt Oy a ballet tirsd by = man
who meant II have lodged il in the
traveller skull Just a. the scar .yuk.
now II has looked tyr years and :, II
always draws attcution. bat IL WAS
either that or death
The Bender family. II will be rcuem-
bercd, consisted Of four or five persons,
including the h1sband Of Bender
daughter They occupied cabin on
Kansas prairie, had no neighbors
within four or five miles. and the pco-
pie iourneying on the highway con
Meeting two tiourshing towns converted
the cabin into tavern /: was u
lonely spot, and would have seemed far
more desolatc had the traveller halting
there for frugal meal but suspected
that the yard behind the house was the
resting place of half dozen murdered
men. The family were accounted curl
Gus. bot still not more so than many
others living as they lived Old Ben.
der. u grey haired. hawk eyed man.
had but little 10 say TO any caller; his
wife seemed shy aud frightened. and
the work of entertaining guests was
left t. the daughter. woman twenty
eight or thirty years of age. tall III
form. slatternly III look, md nothing
in her face 10 attract 4 second glance.
Scores, if not huLdrcds, of people ate
dinner in that lone prairie cabin with
out fear or suspicion, and yet each man
of them stood beside hi. own grave as
he sat at the table.
The room in which the table was
spread was no larger than an ordinary
kitchen One or two plctures. cut from
illustrated papers or magazines, were
Bl4IBttl W tbt NattS tittIF as ~ ltdilCi
curtain at the window. and the clean
floor was the only thing 10 create a
/ favorable impression as the guest
/ looked around The cards We're scrub
I bed as white as chalk, and one would
/ have said the daughter believed in
/ cleanliness. even If her dress argued
/ otherwise. There was nothing 10 tell
/ them that soap and brush had erased
| spots and pools of blood from the soft
boards under their fes-t Six or eight
feet back from the table curtain was
stretched across the room. aud whoever
sat down 10 the table had his back to
/ this curtain. 1t he noticed it he argued
that it cooceal.d Il bed, never once
dreaming. as be handled knife and
fork. that tn eyes of murderer were
watching him through the rents IN the
| curtain
The name Of the commercial trav eler
may be given as Hastings. His adyen-
/ ture has never been published. and lie
has never explained to any one
but few intimate friends how he re-
| ceived the scar Strangers who refer
to i, are briefly or jokingly rebutfed
a. stated at the beginning. "A little less
than year before the awful crimes Of
the Bender family were suddenly
discovered. Mr. Hastings, pursuing his
calling IN the far West. balted at the
/ cabin one day aud asked for dinner
There was no one IN sight but the
daughter The borrowed horse on
which he was making the trip was
watered and led by the young woman.
and the traveller sat by the door and
read the newspaper while she was
preparing his meal. He had 40 fault
10 find with quantity or quality rs he
drew up 10 the table, nor had he the
/ slightest reason 10 believe that there
was any one else in the honsc or around
IL except the young woman. She had
not spoken ten words since his arrival.
and as soon as pouring his coffee she
| left the room.
IL the shadow of murderer fills the
soul of victim with II fear ot evil IN
some cases il did not IN this. The
traveller had not the least fear Of evil
as he ate his meal. The sun shone
brightly, the birds sang, and the prairie
WAS huge bed OF flowers. His emp Of
coffee was very hot aud he WAS slowly
. slipping 1t. after having tasted doxen
mouihsful of food. when streak OF
tire rushed along his check The cup
dropped from bis hand, his start of sur.
prise nearly upset the table, and as he
staggered 10 h,s feet the room whiried
round and round. aud he imagined that
the cabin had been struck by lightning
+ The room was iull Of smoke. which
helpci TO bear out his theory. but the
delu>ion listed only few seconds.
W.thou: realizing what be did. he
drew his revolver. tore aside the cur
tain aud the form 81 man disappeared
through = back door which the screen
hal hidden Rushing after thu un-
known, and all ~ once realizing that
he had been shot. Has:iugs tnrn, 4 the
corner ot ,he house. and found him ell
t.,e to face with the old Bender. y 10
held revolver In his hand he
daughter came around the other corner
Of the house At the SAME instant, and
spr,nging between the men sue said Il
the traveller
Don, shoot; i, i my father, be Is
crazy
The old man sluuk cut - sight, mu,
,ering aud growing aud 'he daughter
J continued
lie has heon wandering on the
prairie for the last three days. aid re
turned 50 slyly that did not see him.
though WAS on the watch. He does
haz svtt