Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-09
THE SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS: SUNDAY, MARCH g. 1884,

abOut6 or years old, strongly resembling
his mother, and, like her, starving to
death.
1T is very kind of the gentleman,
mother. VIII he take us home? l
dreamt l was there tonight in our gar
den, full of beautiful flowers. i heard the
birds singing, oh, so sweetly. and saw our
lovely river; its murmur kept saying:
Come home, come hOme.'"
''He is dying of starvation" / whisper
ed. Listen: 1 live not very far from
here; | will go and obtain some nourish-
ment for him and return with it very
quickly; in the morning my mother shall
come to YOU"
All at once she seized my arm, her eyes
dllated with horror.
Heavens! They have tracked us! Lis
tent"
All! it was indeed the hall door grating
as it opened; footsteps quietly stealing
over the lOosened flooring. l softly closed
the room door, setting my back against it
fastening, alas 1T had none. Oh, the hor-
rible suspense! hoped it would prove to
be policeman, who, surprised to find the
door partly aJar, might have entered the
ruined house; but those hopes were
quickly dispelled when a deep voice NUT
tered:
Il saw her come in, l swear, and not
alone-there was the shadow of a man
with her"
''She cannot be up stairs, for none there
are-all broken and fallen dOwn-see.
She cannot be far off; ali, here is a rOOm."
They entered the apartment adjOin-
ing. We did not dare to move. Was
there still chance Of escaping? Alas!
no
"Here is yet another dnor,v exclaimed
one of them; and the next instant he
tried to open Ours-tried some time in
vain. With all my strength, aided by the
fortunate mother, who was like liOness
at bay, we endeayored to keep the door
fast-but vainly; these two powerful men
hurled themselves against it in COM
bined effort; the next moment they were
in the room.
$50 we have you safe at last, madame -
cried one seeing her by the shoulders.
"And you shall not escape me this time.
A Luftsprung you have given us; throw
the bull's-eye light. Heinrich"
''And your accomplish, too" exclaimed
the other, as he sprang on me, and seized
me by the collar.
1 struggled with him, but my strength
was partly exhausted; he seemed made
of iron | was no match for him.
"Turn the lantern-light on his face.
Who is hep" said he, with the more for
eign accent, and the dazzling glare sud
denly blinded me.
"a strangerV said the tall man, who
still held his wretched victim fast; "a lit
tie contemplate shop boy, apparently.
Why der Ieufel have you in this affair in
terfered?"
"TO protect this unfortunate"
was not permitted to proceed further
/ "a gag was placed in my mouth, my arms
were pinioned with a rope.
$50 much for thee-thOu RQnke-
| mdcher!"
A shrill scream came from the little
boy whom they now raised from his mis-
cradle bed on the floor.
"MOther" Then came a desperate
| struggle and dull thud on the ground.
The unfortunate woman yainly tt led to
| escape them.
''Take her to the carriage-Kari has it
at the corner by this time,'' said the deep
voice.
They mufied her in black mantle and
| hurried away. l began to regain my
| senses. Though gagged and pinioned /
! still had the use of my feet and followed
as well as 1 could One of these men
| forced the unhappy. woman to the door;
! the other bore the inanimate--I think
| dead-child over his shoulder. l stagger-
ed on close behind, fearing to lose the
/ glimmer of the dark lantern. Upon reach
| ing the street door he turned and saw me.
| With his disengaged hand he hurled me
outside on to the pavement.
''Take that, you meddling foOl-curse
you" he cried, striking me heavy blow
with some weapon. fell and knew nc
more.
When recovered consciousness l found
myself in a ward of MiddleseX Hospital
had been picked up insensible, at 5 O'Clock
in the morning, by a policeman; but was
neither gagged nor pinioned, my assail-
ants having doubtless unbound me be-
| fore taking TO hight. L told my story 10
! the house surgeon, who evidently did not
| believe me-then to my mother, when she
came, who did believe me, and went direct
to the magistrate at the police court. The
policeman who had picked me up declared
| was intoxicated, that l had fallen and
cut my head against the curbstOne, but a
search in the uninhabited house bore out
my statement; the door was found open,
as it had not been for five-and-twenty
years before-my violin was in a corner of
the room, where had put il dOwn-the
broken pitcher-the candle end burnt out
on the mantelpiece. Not particle of the
wretched bed remained-it had been re
moved; so that all the efforts OF the police
failed to trace the wretches and their vic
Tins.