Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-03-21

Henry Van Scooter was nv only broth
er-my twin brother-who resembled mi
very much" said the stranger, land Char
lie Griggs was my sisters husband. It's .
| sad blow! a sad blow! don't know how
| my poor sister will bear II. It's shout thi.
sad affair that came here chiefly. wan
| to send the two bodies through to G-by
| express, Thursday, by the 1l.4O train
| What will be the chargesT'
1.-The charges will be twenty. five dol
lars" answered the agent.
The stranger only bowed solemnly In
! recognition of the reply. Then he was 81.
lent for a minute or two, ,'during which time
he appeared to be struggling with his grief
"The bodies will be here Thursday morn.
ing" he said. II hope you will make oil
arrangements to prevent any delay.
guess my package won't come this week. y
The agent assured him that there would
be no delay, and he might depend on hav.
ing the bodies go through to G., with the
greatest possible expedition.
The man bowed again politely; then he
said:
"Is the telegraph office near7 nus,
break the sorrowful news to my poor sis
ter. ! suppose. though it's anything but a
pleasant duty"
told him how to reach the place he
the sad man with a red eye walked out oI
the office, and in a couple Of minutes the
sounds OF his footsteps died away In the
| distance.
"A queer sort of q chap" said |.
"A little odd" answered the agent.
II wonder IL he heard us talking about
the specieT' queried
''He seems honest enough"
Ies. said |; "but I'm sure he was list.
ening 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 II looked
nightly like it, can tell you"
Suppose you go to the telegraph office
and see what sort of a message he sends, y
| 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
to remember me-at least he didn't look at
me-and thought It prudent not to appear
| to notice him.
! did that preacher looking chap send Q
message to c. | asked OF the operator
| when had gone into the little Office and
| closed the door after me?'
YES. Why do you ask?'
"Oh, only out of curiosity" / replied
| WAS Il anything OF Importance? The mar
said his brother and brother-in-law were
| both killed this afternoon"
! The operator took a copy of the message
| from n file on the table and laid It before
/ me. 1t was addressed to Mrs. c. II Griggs
| G., and signed Issac G. Van Scooter. Il
read:
Henry and Charlie are both dead. They
/ will be sent home Thursday"
Eyarrtbi,,o nj
| doubts which had entertained OF the goot
intentions of the stranger were speedily dis
/ PEELED. | didn't go back to the expires:
| office. but turned my steps toward m,
boarding place. thlnklng. As l walked
along, that Thursday would be an uncom
/ mon day with me. with two corpses an,
eighty thousand dollars In specie In my car
The money was safely deposited In thu
! car an hour before the time for the train Il
I leave. Thursday morning. IL was securel,
| locked in two strong. iron-bound chests
and when they were slowed away in tn
large safe, and the heavy doors made fast
! thought everything was pretty well fix ed
\ few minutes before We pulled out tw
wagons paused bv the car, one of then
containing two cofflns. and the other 81:
men, who were evidently acting as pail
bearers, | looked around for the bereave'
otpAh'A WIN fttN4idt tt C. btt ut ~ u
| nowhere to be seen. | thought IL littl
strange that he should be absent at such
time, but forgot all about il in a moment
The collins were: placed in one end ofth
car, and sf(er IL had been arranged tha
/ one OF the men should come into the ca
and take look at the bodies when we ar
| rived at Redwood, he shook hands with tn
others and entered one Of the coaches. "A
the door closed on him, the bell rang an
We went steaming away.
was pretty busy for an hour or more
and we had passed three or four station
before had time TO cast more than a cas-
nal glance toward the quiet passengers a
the end OF the car, But after little. whel
| had more leisure, All uncomfortable wis
took possession OF me to look at the face
OF the two dead men. 1t wasn't morb
curiosity and can't describe il In any wa
better than to saw It was a sort OF vsgu
desire which could not quiet without at
isfying IL.
4 ] noticed that the lids were not fastened
down. My next discovery was that tn
screws were gone. This struck me as be
/ Ing strange, for | was sure | had noticed
| when the collins We're lifted into the car.
| remembered that had given the attend
/ ants permission to arrange the caskets 4
/ their own satisfaction. and they had been
long time doing it. II they had removet
the screws uaobservel at that time. wha
possible object could they have in Z '".
so; with this question in nv mind | raj,
ell the upper portion of the lid Of the coiii
nearest me. and took a good look at tn
face Of the occupant. He was young man
with full face and square features. Hi
cheeks were not suuken. and he had a de
cidedly fresh appearance for man VIII
,aI a Ia, 81, r. ,
Replacing the lid | walked away to tn
1 other coffin. Here new and startling sur
/ prise met me. The man in the coffin wa
/ the man whom | had seen in the express
/ office, That red eye was staring strsigh
/ AT me. and was not mistaken, For mo
| ment my CONSERVATION was too great 10
words. | could not have uttered a sound
I had my life depended on It.
! The man. who was alive after the acci
| dent which the paper said caused the deatl
/ of Van Scooter and Griggs, and who ha
| made arrangements for the transportation
| OF their remains, was now here in this cof
/ fin. to all appearance dead Then | re
membere1 that the bereaved stranger had
said that his dead brother resembled him
| self very closely But two brothers are moi
| apt To both have red .lsss-eyes. Snch
coir cidcnce a. his was beyond the pale o
responsible probability.
| While yet gazed 1.-THE supposed corpse
/ the other eye opened little and wa
sure 1t was looking at me! WAS convlnc
/ ed that there was fraud here, but to show
that had discovered 1t might cost me IN,
life, so very quietly replaced the lid o
the coffin, and took a momeut's time t.
think the matter all over.
remembered my conversation with thu
| express agent. which we feared had beet
overheard BY the clerical appearing stran
| ger, and could only come to the conclusion
that the whole thing was a deliberate plar
To murder me and gam possession OF the
| eighty-thousand dollars in my charge
| There was no denying that the man with
the red eye was alive, and had no doub
the other man, also. kneeling down,
placed my ear close to the side Of the cof
fih. and could hear him breathe quite dis
tinctly. | remembered that it was the in
tention OF the attendant, who had boarded
the train, TO enter the car at Redwood, anC
knew that we would be there in ten min.
utes more had no time for hesitation
Instant action wa my only nj an Of sctjon