The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-06-24
A Tale of Blood.

arrived in this country in 80, sick,
dispirited and emaciated To almost a
shadow. By the advice of some friends
| was induced 10 try my luck in
mining speculation went TO MOke-
lumne Hill. and after prospecting
for several DAYS. concluded that |
would remain. l picked ne out
claim. and weak as was. set TO work
with high hopes. But after working
about cue month. and not making any
thing. besides catching the rheumatism
| concluded that | would leave the
diggfngs. aud with ten broad 'scads'
in my pocket, aud my blankets on my
shoulder, | started for stockton lar
rived there one bright March morning,
with the pile Of 'scsds' that ! started
with considerably diminished. After
put up at some cheap boarding house,
and look around for employment.
After searching all over the town | at
last succeeded in finding a place that |
thought would suit me. 1t was then
near night, and being very tired, |
spread my blankets down i'm the back
room, and was soon sound asleep. |
slept. | do not know how long. but it
must have been late, or rather early in
the morning, when l was awakened
rather suddenly by hearing a heavy
fall IN the adjoining room. The fall
startled me. raised myself on my
elbow and tried to pierce through the
darkness, bot it was SO dark that moth
lng could be seen. Concluding that
something had accidentally fallen, |
again laid down, but sleep was by this
time banished from my eyelids, and l
lay and rolled and tossed in my bed for
al hour or so. vainly endeavoring to
sleep AT length becoming tired of my
recnmbent position, cautiously raised
mysef In sitting posture in my bed,
and after rubbing my eyes and yawn.
ing several times, glanced around the
apartment. but it was so dark that it
was impossible for me to distinguish
anything. placed my hand on the floor,
there off my blankets for the purpose
of posing myselfup. and felt something
wet; | raised it up and attempted TO
wipe 1t off with the other, but il ap-
peared to stick. | was in that position
when heard some person moving in
the adjoining room. Presently Il light
appeared, and "a it showed plainly
through small hole at the head of my
bed. | raised my hand to see what was
on 1t, and oh, horror Of horrors. it was
blood. | was instantly wide awake and
determined to try and discover what
was doiLe in the adjoining room. l
raised myself cautiously in my bed, and
peered through the hole, and oh God,
suon SIgnt as tnere MET ~aaA, eyes /
hope it may never be my lot TO gaze on
again. In the centre of the room was
n large round table. on which burned
brightly lamp, and around which were
gathered four men. il they may be so
termed. On the table lay Ratchet. q
Bowie knife. and q revolver. They
were conversing in a low tone, so low
IA tone, that l could not hear hard
ly anything, though word would oc-
casionally he spoken louder than usual;
but such an act of indiscretion was in
stantly checked by one who seemed to
he the leader of the party. On bed
in the corner of the room lay . man
weltering in his blood; his throat was
cut from ear to ear, and there was
large cash down his forehead, appa-
rently made with the Ratchet. There
was large puddle of blood in the mid
die Of the floor, at which place he had
doubtless been struck with the hatchet.
After had made these observations,
my attention was directed to the msn
around the table. They were now in
an animated conversation. One of them
appeared to differ with the rest on some
point; at last the leader arose and in a
tone loud enough for me to hear him,
remarked. "That he did not see how
else it could be done" The one who
appeared to be dissenting from this
opinion muttered something about
burning" fire." &c; but at last he
appeared to agree with the opirion of
the leader, who then went to the bed
and drew out from under it = long sack
and after putting the body in it, he
sat down and sewed mp the end. and
then two of them helped him to put it
on his shoulder. and three of them
started out, carrying the body. The one
remaining sat for about ten minutes.
apparently in deep study; at last rising
up, he went to chest and took out a
bag Of gold. buckled on revolver. and
left the house; thought this to be my
time for leaving also. | cautiously
opened the door and travelled"
About a year after this occurrence.
one Of the men was arrested in Sacra-
mento on charge of stealing, and
while in prison | made myself known
tn him. and he told me all about the
whole occurrence: that the four | had
seen were partners, and that they kept
lodging house for the purpose of mur'
deriTg aud rohbing miners wlro lodged
with them. He also told me the histo