Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-12-10

little hard upon them of late, there
wasn't one man among them but would
raise his voice against having the poor
boys body cut up like beasts The
consequences was-a riot. The police
were overpowered, the doctors sent
packing, the inn taken by storm. For
two nights the body lay in state, being
walked by its wild comrades At the
end of that time the authorities, only
too eager to bring matters to peaceful
issue, allowed it to be quietly buried.
As the grave closed above it, popular
excitement seemed to die away.
But if the people were satisfied the
authorities were not. Every be.
lieved that a murder had been COM
mitted, and that the subsequent riot was
only an effort to prevent the discovery
of the murderer. No sooner, therefore,
was the unfortunate man buried than
the doctors received an order authorizing
them to exhume the body and make q
post norton examination in secret. One
night, two nights after the funeral, they
set out on their mission with hopeful
hearts 1t was bitter winter weather.
The night was black dark, the ground
was frozen hard and thickly covered
with snow. Making straight for the
graveyard, the doctors employed them.
stlves in opening up the grave. For
several hours they worked with pixaxe
and spade; at last they came upon the
coffin, raised it up and opened the lid
It was empty!
At this piece of audacity on the part
of some persons unknown, everybody
was more amazed than ever, and again
came the conviction, stronger than be-
fore, that murder had been done. But
try as they would, they could discover
nothing. The whole county was thrown
into tumult, and popular excitement
was at its height when I unwitti ely
solved the terrible secret by finding the
body in the bog.
III.
Having sworn Shawn to secrecy, | as
sisted him to RENTER The box, and forth
with sent word of the discovery to the
magistrate. The box was at once re-
moved, the post-mortem examination
concluded and the discovery made that
the unfortunate man bad died of heart
disease. Again everybody was amazed,
and this time wonder was mixed with
shame. After the examination was
made the coroner's inquiry was hurried
over, and once more, in solemn pomp
and with all the rites of the church, the
agent was laid in his his grave.
Amidst the solemn concourse which
attended this second funeral, noticed
the wild wan face which had haunted
me ever since that day when I had seen
it by the frozen window of the inn--the
face of the very man whom, in my own
mind, had accused of murder2 For q
moment / hung back ashamed, then |
boldly walked forward and pressed q
bank-note into the wretched creatures
hand. He looked from it to me in dazed
amazement, then the sight of one OF bis
rsgged children seemed to make him
realize what the money would do. He
clutched it closer, and with one last look
down the open grave, he crept across the
boys toward his home.
BY whose hand the corpse was con-
veyed from the church yard to the bog
was never discovered. 1t was generally
believed, however, that news of the in
tended examination had been whispered
abroad, and that the agent was exhumed
and hidden solely with view to pre-
venting his body being "cut up"