New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-08-04
A MOUNTAIN MYSTERY SOLVED.
Glinpses Of Life In the Thinly Settled
lnfarlnr Com nflAx 0l Arkansasy

.~~~s ~N~N~-
Glimpses Of Life I'm the Trinity Settled
lnterlor Counties OF Arkansas.
AT the foot Of the Boston Mountains
dwells a man named Mason. He is
over eighty years old and his tall fig
ure, white hair and patriarchal air give
him an indescribable appearance. His
house is a rough but comfortable log
cabin, and the few acres around it afford
ample subsistence. An excellent marks
man, he has never abandoned the use
of his trusty rifle, while the numerous
deer and bear skins within and without
the cabin bear ample testimony of his
skill and success. With the exception
of his wife he lives entirely alone. But
his life has not always been thus desc
late. Only few years ago three chill
dren frightened his humble home, two
boys, John and David, and one daugh-
ter, Lizzie, who was the pride of the
old mans heart and the light of his
rude cabin. The sons were light-heart-
ed boys, given to drink somewhat, but
liked by everybody, while Lizzie was a
rare wildwood blossom. Her soft blue
eyes and flaxen hair played sad havoc
"ith the hearts of tie younger portion
of the opposite sex in all that section.
and many sought her land in marriage.
the fortunate young sutton being a
young man named Charles Mckinley,
rather dissipatcd, not worth dollar,
yet handsome, a very forest Apollo-in
short, just the kind of man to win q
young girls heart!
The Mason family were anything but
pleased with her choice, and spared no
effort to break off the attachment the
lovers had for each other. Lizzie,
however, could not be moved. En-
treaties and threats were alike unavail-
ing. The former gave her courage to
plead for Charley; the latter made her
cling the closer to him. The young
man was also firm. will never give
up Lizzie, he said, with big, round
oath, when questioned on that point.
Finding all other efforts useless the
Masons res0rted to more violent meas
ures. John Mason met Charles Nc
Kinley one day in the forest, and ter.
rible fight ensued, in which both were
badly cut and bruised, but in which
John was decidedly worsted. This
stirred up additional bitterness and
for time threatened to draw the MA
jority of the surrounding families into
the quarrel and disturb the peace of the
neighborhood. Lizzie SOU ht to pour
oil on the troubled water, and her gen.
tie words melted the hardened natures
that evil passions had filled with
wrath. There was reconciliation be-
tween her lover and brother, and
there was general rejoicing in consc-
changed amity into distrust and sus-
picion. The event was no less than the
sudden and mysterious disappearance
of Charles Mckinley. He was last seen
alive alone in the forest beyond the
mountains, and was on the trail of
herd of deer. The most rigid search
failed to discover him or any trace of
his whereabouts. He had dropped out
of sight and life as if the earth had
opened and swallowed him up. All sorts
Of stories were rife. One said he had
been murdered, another that he had
run away, still another that he was pur-
posely hiding himself and would sud
denly return. But as time went on and
he neither came nor was heard of, the
suspicion that he had met with foul
play gained ground rapidly, growing
into certainty in the minds of very
many persons. Of course John Mason
was accused of the murder, and though
he strenuously denied the charge, the
evidence against him was strong
enough to warrant his apprehension.
Once in the meshes of the law, it seemed
as if hundred circumstances came up
all crying trumpet-tongued "Guilty!'
Divers persons had heard him threaten
to kill Charles Mckinley; that young
man had himself said that he did not
consider his life safe so long as John
Mason remained in the country. Even
Johns father admitted reluctantly that
his son had declared his intention of
riddling Charles Mckinley with buck
shot, while David corroborated the par
ent's statement. Thus the coils of cir
cumstantial evidence closed tighter and
tighter about the young man, and be-
yond his bare assertion there was moth
ing to he said in refutation. The blow
had fallen on the young girl with crush
ing effect. The sudden disappearance
of her lover, the arrest of her brother on
the charge of numbering him, almost
drove her insane. She, however, shared
the popular opinion that young McKin-
ley had been murdered, and that her
brother was guilty of that terrible crime.
Urged for reason for her belief, she
finally admitted that it rested on the
slender foundation of a dream. She
added that on the night succeeding
the day upon which Charles Mckinley
disappeared she had dreamed that she
saw her brother and him in violent
quarrel. The men were in a dark ra-
vine; there was a noun! ain to their
right, and q deep, dense forest to their
left. She heard their words; she saw
John strike Mckinley with the butt of
his rifle and fell him to the earth.
That blow was fatal. The young man
never spoke afterward. John hid the
body in dark cave in the mountains,
end there it still remained! This dream
made a powerful impression upon the
young girl, and though many were dis
posed to laugh at it, even while admit
ting it told tremendously against hel
brother, nothing could shake her faith
and confidence in its horrible reality.
She insisted that it was true, though no
trace of the body could be found in any
of the numerous mountain caves after
a most rigid search, and the vision
rested only upon her individual state
ment. But her faith gave it tenfold
power; her acts seemed to confirm her
belief. From that moment she was a
changed woman. Slowly she pined
away. The color faded from her
cheeks, giving place to death-like
pallor; her step, once light and elastic,
became slow and languid; her eyes lost
their tender glance, and sparkled with
an unearthly luster; she uttered no
complaint. Like the gentle girl who
loved the unfortunate Irish patriot,
Robert Emmet, she passed to her early
grave, forgiving all, beloved by every
enc, the victim of a broken heart!
John Mason broke jail and fled to
Texas, his brother David going into
exile with him. This settled all ques-
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