The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1878-09-06
VOL. 21.

us the telegraph Office near? must
break the sorrowful news to my poor sis
ter, suppose, though its anything but a
pleasant duty"
told him how to reach the place he
sought, and with polite thank you, u
the sad man with the red eye walked out
of the office, and in a couple of minutes
the sound of his footsteps died away in
the distance.
"A queer sort of chap" said 1.
"a little odd" answered the agent.
II wonder if he heard us talking about
the specie ~ l queried
He seems honest enough"
Yes" said / but I'm sure he was
listening TO our talk when / first saw
him"
Are you certain of it," the agent
asked, eagerly.
'Well-no," replied; mot altogether
certain beyond all mistake, but it looked
nightly like it, / can tell you"
Suppose you go TO the telegraph of
flee and see what kind of a message he
SENDS" suggested the agent.
No sooner said than done FASTENED
around to the telegraph Office, and as
went in the man came out. He didn't
seem 10 recognize meat least he didn't
look AT me-and / thought it prudent not
10 notice him
Did that erloOking fellow send
| a message Ia G-Y'' | asked of the Cd
orator, when had gone in and closed
the door after me
"Yes. Why do you ask ~
"Oh, only out OF curiosity" replied
WAS it anything of importance? The
man said that his brother and brother-in
law were both killed this afternoon"
The operator took the copy of the mes
sage from the file on the table and laid il
before me. 1t was addressed To Mrs C.
II. Griggs, c., and signed Isaac Van
Scooter. 1t read;
Henry and Charles are both dead
They will be sent home Thursday"
Everything seemed consistent, and any
doubts / had entertained of the good in.
tentiOns of the stranger We're speedily
dissolved. didn't go back to the office
but turned my steps toward my board
ing place, thinking, as I walked along
that Thursday would be an uncommon
day with me, with two corpses and $50,
600 in specie in my car.
The money was safely deposited in the
car an hour before the time for the train
10 leave, Thursday morning. Ii was Sc
curely locked in two irOn-bOund chests
and then they were slowed away in the
large safe, and the heavy doors made
fast. ! thought everything was pretty
well fixed. A few minutes before VT
pulled out, two wagons passed by thI
car, one of them containing two officers
and the other six men, who were evident
~ pall-bearers. l looked around for the
bercaved brother with the peculiar eve
but he was nowhere to be seen. l thought
II little strange that he should be alb
sent AT such time, but l forgot all about
1t in moment.
/ 1 =
the car, and after il had been arranged
that one of the men should come into the
car and take Il look at the bodies when
we arrived at Redwood, he shook hands
| with the others and entered one of the
| coaches. AS the doors closed on him
the bell rang and we went steaming
away.
1t was pretty busy for an hour or more
and we had passed two or three stations
before | had time To cast more than q
casual glance toward the quiet passen.
gers at the end of the car. But after q
little, when had leisure, an uncontrola
bic wish took possession of me to look
at the faces of the two dead men, II
wasn't mere morbid curiosity, and cant
describe it in any way better than to say
1t was sort of vague desire which ]
could not quiet without satisfying it.
l noticed that the lids were not fas
tened down. My next discovery was
that the screws were gone. This struck
me as strange, for l was sure | had no
ticed them when the coffinss were lifted
into the car. / rendered that had Civ
en- the attendants permission to arrange
the Baskets to their own satisfaction, anC
that they had been long time doing il
If they had removed the screws unob
served at the time, what possible obiec
could they have had in doing so? Will
this question in my mind l raised the
upper portion of the lid of the coffiI
nearest me, and took look at the face
OF the occupant. He was a young man
with a full face and square features
His cheeks were not sunken, and he haC
a decidedly fresh appearance for younI
man who had been dead nearly two days
l thought.
Replacing the lid, passed away t.
the other coffin. Here a new and start
ling surprise met me. The man in thu
coffin was the man whom had seen il
the express office! That red eye wa.
staring straight at me; and / was no
mistaken! For moment my c0nsterna
tion was too great for words. | coul6
MOI have uttered sound had my life de
pended on it.
This man, who was alive after the &C
cident, which the paper said caused tn,
; death of Van Scooter and Griggs, and VIII,
had made arrangements for the transport
: alton of their remains, was now here il
his coffin, to all appearance deadl TheI
remembered that the bereaved strange
had said that his dead brother resembles
him very closely. But two brothers ar
not apt to have red glass eyesi Such
coincidence as this was beyond the pal
of reasonable probabilities
While yet l gaZed at the suppose,
corpse, the other eye opened little, AM
was sure il was looking at me. l wa
convinced that there was fraud here, bu
to show that had discovered it Nigh
cost me my life. So / very quietly re
placed the lid of the coffin, and took
moments time to think the matter over
l remembered my conversation will
the express agent, which we feared haC
been overheard by the clerical lookin.
stranger, and could only come to the con
clusion that the whole thing was a de
liberate plan to murder me and gain DO
session of the $4,000 in my charge
There was no denying that the man will
the red eye was alive, and had no doub
that the other man was also. KneelinI
down, placed my ear close to the sid
Of the coffin, and could hear him breath,
quite distinctly. / remember that tn,
: attendant who had boarded the train in
sNAANtNt W NhtSA tAAC C<AI Ut INCOMODu, OS
tensibly for the purpose of seeing the
bodies; and could not doubt that tn,
three men intended to attack me ate,
the train pulled out from the station, anC
rob the car before our arrival at the mex
stopping place. There was but one sta
ton between us and Redwood, and knew
we would be there in ten minutes more
| had no time for hesitation. Instant nc
ton was my only chance for safety. i
could secure myself against an attacl
until we reached the next station. / fel
that all wonld be well. In one instant
had decided upon plan of action. Al
quickly as possible piled several heav,
boxes of merchandise on top of the two
collins, and then knew was safe.
had scarcely accomplished this when W,
ran into the station.
4 Immediately found two or three on
GERS. First the man in the coach was &c
cured. He was highly indignant that h,
should be disturbed ON such a solemn
mission. But il was no go. He wa,
} handcuffed in less than two minutes anC
marched out on the platform
1t was an easy matter TO secure the tyyt
quondam dead men. They were taker
greatly at disadvantage, and were de
prived of ali power to resist almost be
fore they became aware how their mic.
little scheme had terminated. All tire.
, had been well armed.
II Bound and guarded, the three miscre