Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-05-02


third man pushed IL up again to 90 aft
or them, but in so doing think he must
have put his hand through the broken
pane and have hurt il with the glass in
his haste. certainly heard him NUT
ter TO himself, as if he were in Distress"
"Was there no trace of blood leftP"
1 asked, anxiously.
"None whatever"
began my Investigations anew, and
this time with the doctor of the dis
trict. We got into lively dissertation
upon wounded hands, and in particular
upon hurts inflicted by glass. BY de-
| grees | acquired the, to me, very inter-
esting fact that some three weeks since,
when the medico was riding home to
breakfast after an early call, strange
man had suddenly appeared in the
middle of the highway, and had inn
plored his help. He complained of
having fallen upon q heap of broken
glass, and held his right hand to ex-
hibit its condition. The doctor took
out his pocket case of instruments, and
extracted five splinters from the in
famed palm. While he did so the
patient whimpered like woman.
"How was the fellow dressedP' l
cried, breathlessly.
ga blue blouse and black under
clothes, so far as l can recall.
"Could you identify him againP"
Perhaps. His face made an i'm
preston on me, rather; because it did
not seem to match the clothing, and
yet, now l think of it, seem to see
only an ordinary brow, nose and mouth.
l fancy it was the set of the head on
| the shoulders which looked remark
able. Artisans and such folks usually
look otherwise. This is all can say.
But what makes this matter interesting
to youP'
az believe your complaining patient
to be the principal in the late robbery,
concerning which l have come down
here" replied in low voice. "Can
you give me any idea of what became
of the man, after you were done with
himP"
The doctor looked at me in amaze
ment. " think he went toward Ems"
he replied.
l lost no time in going in the same
direction. An old tree, which forked
at the top, and carried bell in that
division, stood on a height near the
shore. Here those who wanted to be
ferried over the river must stop and
ring for the boatman, whose house
stood in sheltered nook at hand. /
shirked preliminaries, and made at
once for the dwelling. Here | found
gigantic person, who declared herself
the daughter of the ferryman and the
customary rover when, as now, her
father was absent. l sought to gain
the confidence of this damsel. "a
friend of mine went over here, think,
not long since," l said. He was in
great haste, being on his way to Hol-
land in order TO escape serving here in
the army"
The popular antipathy to the en-
forced military training loosed her
tongue at once. "Yes! yes!" she re-
piled. "a young man in great haste
did surely go over little time back"
He wore blue blouse and black
hose?"
Maybe; but it seems to me he had
others with him or of his party"
"Very probably. Two others, 1
supposeP"
"This was how it was. One man
came to me in the early dawning. l
put him across. An hour or so later
there came second, and asked anxi-
ously about the first. When l told him
he was beyond he seemed content
enough, and followed. The third,
your friend with the blouse, asked if he
were the first who had wanted me that
day. He asked me particularly about
the two had already rowed over, and
Y.irP INN in
to the boat himself"
"Ah! One of the three carried tin
boxP" l said, slipping coin into my
new acquaintance palm.
81 never noticed answered the girl.
"But saw that the third man carried
a round bundle or parcel wrapped in
red handkerchief under his arm"
Ibid he give you good reward for
taking him overP"
Nothing more than all the world
ten pfennigs."
with his right hand?"
"Why notP"
WASN'T his right hand tied up?''
"Not that | saw. only know he
kept one hand in his pocket, whether
the right or left couldn't say now"
could have embraced the tall ferry
woman, in spite of her forty summers
and her uncertainty upon minor points.
1t was plain that the three ruffians, for
better security, had separated, and
that the last conner was the leader in
and the chief benefiter by the crime
which had been committed. During
his confab with the doctor no doubt he
had hidden the spoils in some hedge.
was upon his track now.
But had soon to cry "lostn 1t
was a grievous disappointment to me.
Beyond Ems the clew was nowhere to
neighborhood for days. Imade friends
with all sorts of people, letter carriers,
porters, walters and walked many a
weary mile in the hot sun, but all to no
purpose. was baffled and wholly at
fault, as much as though never had
had hint at all to follow.
Nine days had gone by since had
come to T. turned into beer gar
den in the neighborhood of the town
one evening, and sat down near we'll
lighted bowling alley, in which about
ten gentlemen were busy at game.
Ny seat was rather in the shade. l
paid little attention to the players, but
leaned my head upon my hand and re-
viewed the defeat had sustained, and
the small estimation in which / should
be held for sake of it by my colleagues
and chief at home; feeling altogether
extremely out of humor. Suddenly an
ill thrown ball rolled almost to my feet.
"a miss-a MISS" shouted several
voices together, while one cried:
"Why, Bottcher, is your hand not even
yet recoveredp you are not complaining
of it stillP" 1 felt like huntsman in a
forest who sees the game at his guns
end. was on the alert that second.
1 lost no time in finding out all Herr
Bottcher's antecedents. He was mer-
chant, one of Frau Friedow's connec-
tions, and an occasional visitor at her
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