Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1880-03-10

and 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 az
tcrward. John hid the body in a
dark cave i'm the mountains, and
there 1t still remained ! This
dream made a powerful impression
upon the young girl, aud though
many were disposed to laugh at IL,
even while admitting it told tre-
mendously against her brother,
nothing could shake her faith and
confidence in its reality! She in
sisted it was true, though no trace
of the body could be found in any
of the numerous mountain caves,
after most rigid search, and the
vision rested only upon her in
dividual statement. But her faith
gave her tenfold power her acts
seemed to confirm her belief. From
that moment she was changed
woman. Slowly she pinned away
The color faded from her cheeks
giving place to a death-like pallor
her step, once light and elastic, be-
came slow and languid; her eyes
lost their tender glance and sparkl-
ed with an unearthly lustre; she
uttered no complaint. Like the
gentle girl who loved the untor-
tunate Irish patriot, Robert EN-
met, she passed to her earthly
grave, forgiving all, beloved by
every one, 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 questions or doubts as to his
guilt or innocence. Flight was ac-
cepted by one and all as confess
sion of guilt. Liberal rewards
were offered for the capture OF
the brothers, David being consider
ed an accessory to the crime, but
neither were ever unprecedented.
From the Lone Star State they
went to Louisiana and in New Or
leans fell victims to that dread
scourge, yellow fever. Letters now
in the fathers possession contain
the most fervent professions OF
their innocence, and subsequent
events clearly exonerated them
from completely in the taking of OF
Young Charley Mckinley. For,
years later, when the main actors
in this strange episode slept in
their graves miles and miles apart
when interest in the scenes we
have related had almost died away,
or was recalled with awe at the
hunters winter fireside, the mys-
terry surrounding the disappear
auce Of the young man was
brought to light! A party OF
hunters, while chasing hear in
an adjacent county, found his re-
mains in a cave in which the ami
NAL they were pursuing had es-
tablished his lair. There was only
CHASTITY looking skeleton of a
man, a rusty rifle and, rudely carv-
ed in the yielding rock upon which
it rested, these words: Lost, can't
find my way out; Chas. Mckin-
lev" That was all, but it told Its
own story. Ii solved the enigma
that darkened many lives. II
cleared from the foul stain Of MUIR
der, though too late, John Mason
and his brother.
This was the life-history-a re.
cord which. by the way, is authentic
and can be verified by other living
witnesses--the old man told US, one
evening as we sat beside the glow
ing fire in the big fireplace of hi:
lonely cabin. The night-wind
swept down the deep mountain
gorges with the roar of an angry
sea, the stars twinkled dimly
overhead, the howl of the vol
echoed dismally far out in the
shadows of the woods, while the
] III