The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1884-04-11
CHAPTER VI.
BURIED IN THE LAKE.


The DANTE leader now beckoned our party
to move on, bidding us leave the heaviest log
chain behind The horsemen merely glanced
at each other. They knew what was to be
done, and swung into the saddle as one man.
No Cromwell ever had troopers obedient as
were these ignorant and desperate followers of
the false religion in America.
If you who have this question to settle, soon
er or later, will only stop to consider moment,
you will observe that all such monstrosities that
poor human nature has brought forth on the
earth have two elements for their establishment
one, the father of them, learned man, SUI
perticially learned man, "crank;' and the
other element, densely ignorant mass of man
kind to SOW his doctrines among, to mature and
maintain them when they take root. And
these two elements are never wanting in re-
cruits. They never will be while ignorance is
so general upon the earth. OF course You can
not destroy the leaders, the "cranks," men
crazy over their books and about religion. But
you can utterly destroy their following. Plough
up the field cultivate it, and the tares will per-
ish in time. This is the remedy. Cultivation,
intelligence, education, association with others,
have already done much, broken Off the hard
corners of this rock in the sea. But let igno
rance prevail there as it did thirty years ago,
and you will see renewed all the ferocty, cruelty
and crime in the name of the new religion which
we knew then.
Destroy these people by war! No, you cam
not destroy them by war, even though you
pour in million of men with guns and all the
treasure of this universe. You might kill them
every one and confiscate their homes. And yet
in Europe-anywhere everywhere where there
is ignorance to follow and fanaticism to lead
you might see Mormon church.
Our train moved on. The horsemen galloped
alongside for little way after having had some
silent orders from their giant and iron-hearted
leader. Then they rode back. Then they gal
Al I. 81 4
manned until we had reached the top of tine steep
hill. Here we were ordered to stop and wait,
till we were permitted again to move on.
No one had spoken to the girl to say good-by.
Hope had been kindled in her heart. She had
even taken step forward TO fall in with the
moving train and follow us as we started. A
heavy hand fell on her shoulder She lifted her
eyes to the mis.ionary's, let them fall, and
stopped as still as the dead.
When we turned about in the full white
moonlight on the hill, and looked after the
horsemen while they dashed down the hill in
cloud of dust, we could see but dimly. But a
man who protested to see clearly, said the giant
was leading the girl down toward bis own camp,
and the ugly coffin hiding away there in the
shadows
One of the hoTsemen rode down to the mouth
of the little stream where it fell into the lake,
and drew boat that was hidden there up into
a little cove formed by the waters of the brook.
We could not see the girl now. What was be-
ing done
As said before, we could see but indistinctly
now. By and by some one saw the monstrous
giant once more pushing his long black box be-
fore him down toward the lake, and pointed out
the dark object to others. The horsemen rode
some distance leisurely behind, with their hats
in their hands. The girl still could not be
seen.
AT length dreadful suspicion crept over us,
and a CRY burst from one OF the women. She
wrung her hands and cried Historically that the
girl was in the coffin and they were going TO
bury her in the lake.
The woman was silenced with effort, and all
stood sill as death, waiting, waiting. The
moon seemed only n little way above us, only
a little higher on the hill, and oh, so pale and
pitIful and sorrowing she seemedi The far
white mountains of snow shone Ike silver IN
this vhitest and brightest Of silver moons this
side OF Arabia.
Why were VIC compelled to stand here and
see all this Surely they meant TO murder this
girl and make rs witness it, in order TO spread
terror and the fear of their power TO ''judge.
and 20 execute judgment through the land.