Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1878-09-12

together certain, beyond all mis-
take, but it looked nightly like
it, | can tell you"
"Suppose you so to the tele-
graph Office and see what kind
of message he SENDS" suggested
the agent.
No sooner said than done. /
hastened around to the telegraph
office, and as I went In the man
came out. He didn' seem to recog.
nize me-at least he didn't look at
me-and | thought it prudent not
to notice him.
did that preacher-looking fel-
low send IL message to CO" |
asked of the operator, when had
gone in and closed the door after
me.
Eyes. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, only out of curiosity" /
replied. "Was it anything Of i'm
portance? The man said that his
brother and brother in law were
both killed this afternoon"
The operator took the copy of
the message from the file on the
table aud laid it before me. 1t
was addressed to Mrs. G. II.
Griggs, c., and signed Isaac
G. Van Scooter. II read:
Henry and Charles are both
dead. They will he sent home
Thursday"
Everything seemed consistent,
and any doubt l had entertained
of the good intentions of the stran.
ger were speedily dissolved. |
didn't go back to the Office, but
turned my steps toward my board.
ing place, thinking that Thurs.
day would be an uncommon day
with me, with two corpses and
$4,000 in specie in my car.
The money was safely deposi-
ted in the car an hour before
time for the train to leave, Thurs
day morning. 1t was securely
locked in two strong, iron-bound
chests, and when they were slowed
away in the large safe, and the
heavy doors made fast, | thought
everything was pretty we'll fixed.
A few minutes before we pulled
out two wagons passed by the car,
one of them containing two collins,
and the other six men who were
evidently pail bearers. | looked
around for the bereaved brother
with the peculiar eye, but be was
nowhere TO be seen. | thought it
little strange that be would be
absent at such a time but | forgot
all about it in a moment.
The collins were placed at one
end of the car, and after it had
been arranged that Que Of the
men should come into the car and
take a look at the bodies when
we arrived at Redwood, be shook
hands with the others and entered
one Of the coaches. As The doors
closed on him, the bells rang and
we went steaming away.
1t was pretty busy for an hour
or more, and we had passed three
or four stations before | had time
to cast more than a casual glance
toward the quiet passengers at
the end of the car. But after a
little, when | had more leisure, an
uncomfortable wish took posses
sion of me to look at the faces of
the two dead men. 1t wasn't
mere morbid curiosity, and | can't
describe it in any way better than
to say it was sort of vague de.
sire which I could not quiet with
out satisfying it.
/ noticed that the lids were
not fastened down. My next
discovery was that the screws
were gone. This struck me as
strange, for I was sure I had no
ticed them when the cofins
were lifted into the car. / re-
membered that / had given the
attendants permission to oarrange
the caskets to their own salts
faction, and that they had been
a long time doing it. If they
had removed the screws unob-
served at that time what posi-
Bile object could they have had
in doing SO? With this ques-
ton in my mind | raised the up
per portion of the lid of the cof-
fin nearest me and took a look
at the face of the occupant. He
was a young man, with a full