The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-09-03

| forgot all about IL In @ moment.
The collins were placed In one end Of
the car, and after II had been arranged
| that one Of the men should come into the
| car and take look at the bodies when
we arrived at Redwood, he shook hands
| with the others and entered one of the
coaches. AS the door closed on him the
bell rang and we went steaming away.
1 was pretty busy for all hour or more,
and we had passed three or four stations
before had time to cast more than a
casual glance toward the quiet passen-
gers at the end of the car. But after q
little, when had more leisure, an un-
controllable wish took possession of me
to look at the faces of the two dead men.
1t wasn't mere morbid curiosity, and L
can't describe 1t In any way better than
to say it was sort of vague desire which
1 could not quiet without satisfying It.
noticed that the lids were not fasten-
ed down. My next discovery was that
the screws were gone. This struck me
as strange, for was sure j had noticed
them when the collins were lifted into
the car. remembered that had given
the attendants permission to arrange the
caskets to their own satisfaction and that
they had been long time doing it. If
they had removed the screws unobserv-
ed at that time, what possible object
could they have had in doing so?
With this question in my mind rails
ed the upper portion of the lid of the
coffin nearest me and took look at the
face of the occupant. He was young
man with full face and square features.
His cheeks were not sunken, and he had
a decidedly fresh appearance for young
man who had been dead nearly two days
l thought.
Replacing the lid, 1 passed away to
the other coffin. Here a new and start
ling surprise met me. The man in the
coffin was the man whom 1 had seen in
the express office The red eye was
staring straight at me, and 1 was not
mistaken. For moment my conster-
nation was too great for words. L could
not have uttered a sound had my life de-
pended on it.
This man who was alive after the ac.
cident which the paper said caused the
death of Van Scooter and Grigg's, and
who had made arrangements for the
transportation of their remains, was
now here in this coffin, to all appear
ance dead Then 1 remembered that
ha harao Let, I, T..
dead brother resembled him very closely.
But two brothers are not apt to haye
red glass eyes Such coincidence as
this was beyond the pale of reasonable
probability.
While yet 1 gazed at the supposed
corpse, the other eye opened q little and
1 was sure that it was looking at me.
was convinced that there was fraud
here, but to show that had discovered
it might cost me my life. So very qui-
etly replaced the lid of the coffin and
took moments time to think the mat
ter over.
1 remembered my conversation with
the express agent, which he feared had
been overheard by the clerical appearing
stranger, and could only come to the
conclusion that the whole thing was a
deliberate plan to murder me and gain
possession of the $4,000 in my charge.
There was no denying that the man
with the red eye was alive, and L had
no doubt that the other man was also.
Kneeling down placed my ear close to
the side of the coffin and could hear him
breathe quite distinctly.
remembered that it was the inten-
ton of the attendant who had boarded
the train to enter the car at Redwood,
ostensibly for the purpose of seeing to
the bodies, and could not doubt that
the three men intended to attack me
after the train pulled out from the sta
ton, and the rob the car before our ar
rival at the next stopping place. There
was but one station between us and
Redwood, and 1 knew we would be
there in ten minutes more.
had no time for hesitation. Instant
action was my only chance for safety.
If could secure myself against an at
tack until we reached the next station,
felt that all would be well. In one
instant 1 had decided upon a plan of
action. AS quietly as possible 1 piled
several heavy boxes of merchandise on
top of the two coffins, and then L knew
was safe. Scarcely was this accom-
1s1Ix 4 4. 81 II.