Litchfield enquirer., 1879-01-09
WHOLE NO. 2745

| returned. although the anxiety possessed me not the less strongly to pursue the mystery to an end if only to sati fy myself that all the scenes had passed through were not merely the creation of a disOrdered and enfeebled brain. Faint though 1 was and weary, my head seemed clear enough, and presently q draught Of milk, obtained from an early milk man. gave me some strength. If Wyatt really came as he had promised, by the first train he would be here at seven o'clock. The sun rose bright and unclouded, but 1 had still a long time to wait. Under differ ent circumstances, there would have been abundant scope for enjoyment ill watching the l gradual birth of another lovely summers day all nature refreshed by the nights rain. But now was only weary and impatient. | The train arrived. Wyatt stepped out, the only passenger for this station. He quite started on seeing me my face and appearance evidently reflected the excitement 1 had gone i through
 To his anxious inquiry, what was the mat ter with me, could only reply by urging him to press homewards. He should see and | judge for himself what was the matter. And at last Wyatt, seeing my condition, gave up questioning, and we pursued our course in silence
 Entering the vegetable garden by the back gate, we came to the little tGolshed. A spade was lying there which took up and gave to | Wyatt, and taking hoe myself, led the way 1 to the grove. Arrived at the little glade, 1 pointed to the mound in the centre, and begin ming to ply the hoe, urged him to dig too.
 He set to work but after few strokes 1 was compelled to stop from want of strength l Never since childhood had felt so weak and helpless Leaning on the hoe, gasping for breath, urged Wyatt to his task. He dug away, casting every now and then a doubting look at me- as if he questioned my sanity. The morning was hot and Wyatt, though sturdy fellow began to feel the strain of the unwonted exercise, taken while fasting and at last he stopped, and leaning on his spade looked sulkily at me, as if to say that he had humored me enough. replied to his look of reproach by taking the spade from him, and stepping into the | hole which he had made, resumed the work of 1 digging. But my labor did not accomplish much nerves and muscles were both equally relaxed.
 Wyatt stood watching my feeble efforts for a time, wipng his brow with his shirl-sleeye. At last, observing that if this tomfoolery was 10 go on, it had better be done by him, he stepped into the hole again, and taking the spade from me, set to work
 But he too was tired, and did not work with a will he began grumbling to himself as he dug, speaking in an undertone.
 Suddenly he stopped digging and looked down eagerly. His spade had caught in some- thing
 It was pice of rag of some sort The spade severed it easily, and fragment was thrown up with the earth and lay exposed ou the top of the soil. Another portion could be seen still ln the hole, mixed with the loose 1 earth.
 My companions listless manner had left him he dug now with will, throwing up large spadefuls quickly.
 l Presently the spade again met with an ob- stacle. Something stayed below, when the loose earth was thrown up, projecting above | what was left.
 Is it stone or piece of decayed wood?
 Wyatt stopped down to look at it, but drew back again quickly with an exclamation of disgust
 drew close to the spot, and kneeling, ! looked down too The thing was not wood. It was the end of a human foot; the long bones could be seen, with some decomposed flesh still hanging to them.
 1 Wyatt looked at me for time, in silence, then he got out of the grave, and laying down the spade, said, We had better not deal with | this matter alone let us get somebody else to go on with the job. Let us go and call the miller"
 He put on his coat and led the way. fol- lowed him king last glance round to where the silent witness of the foul deed pro- l IIuucu lIOin tIc udtiON paul through the grove till we got through the grove, till we got into the open meadow. Then we walked along side by slde | ''Not nOw," said my friend, as 1 essayed 10 speak ''tell me all about it by and by, when you are cooler. beg your pardon for having doubted you"
 We walked on in silence. AS we drew in | in sight of the mill we saw a couple of per sons, women. standing on the bridge which 1 oroccoA tho tba mill daughters. They hardly noticed us as we came up; they were staring in rapt attention, 1 looking down towards the stream where the | stakes were, at the tail of the race.
 As we came up with them, the miller ap- | peared from his house carrying a rake and a rope:
 Another drunken fellow, I suppose" he said, missed his way over the bridge last night ;" and so saying, passed down the bank towards the stakes We followed him with | the girls.
 AS we approach the spot dark limp mass can be made out in the water, swaycd idly to and fro by the eddy of the stream. It needed not to see the bloated features, as they dragged the body out of the water, to tell me who it was. 1 knew from the first moment that was once more face to face with the visitant of that dread night
 Note by Mr. Wyatt.-The foregoing accoant was the my poor friend wrote, hnulng if his paper ,carfnlly ertedas il attended for pub lication believe am justified ill publishing it f"r the b~neft of his estate. The ruth of it sufficient cUrrOborated by the discovery the body 1 of the woman, precisely d. scsIb~d and of Inc drowned man, and the intert st which the matter cited at the time will be fresh in the recollection of many. Of the occu rene of the nj Iht there other witness than himself, and the reader judge how far it colored by the condition of his h. alt the mel ncholy state of which has been only tL- fully portrayed in his narrative can only say that | to ihe day of his death which happened only iew Wet ks after the events de crbcd my poor friend al asserted iu the strongest terms truth what he had written; and the on,y shade which pass our fir endship during his st illness from my having ventured to express sOmewh too sror gly ny doubt whether he was not laborug ynder deU>ion.
 am bound in candor to add h his belief in the ap partition seems to have been fully shared by | ma'e occupants of the mi aithongD erpresse by them under great reserve The mrller's ne ii n with his brother, the former occupant If e mil W wts never fully cleared ur; nd I cannot bu corrub1r. .lo my fr1end'. account of my having myself seen ihe male figure passing from the house to the wood, acty he describes it. alth ugh should be sorry to say with equal idence thatthe apps trance ws not | susceptible of rational explanation IT. W. Little Johnny. the youthful contributor of the ArUODaut records fhia moral al \ Y,roa