Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-01-31

1t is Lon Howard"
But look said Alfred Walter, "see
how the cloud is moyingw
The central apparition resolved Itself
again into luminous mist, and the nebula
swung forward, floating TREMENDOUSLY down
the hillside toward Us and the tent. 1t
kept its shapeless shape no briefest minute.
Now it streamed up through the night like
the mounting fame from some pyre; now
it spread fatty like great bird STOPPING
with pinions wide out-spread; again it
rolled globular in form and motion, or
whirled furiouslv, as if driven by a mighty
gale The edges of the aerial mass swept
so near us in its passage that We, crouching
there before the mystery, felt ourselves
drawn forward with it, for through US, in
its neighborhoOd, ran an electric thrill,
acute to painfulness, yet with curious
sense of exuItation and attraction.
1t is gomez
at is not gomez said Alfred Walter,
" it has entered the tent
We had left the door-faps of the tent
thrown back, relying on the dryness of the
season, and through the opening we could
see the whole interior, Illuminated by
that strange, unearthly glow. And yet not
the faintest CLEAN pierced the thin can
vlss walls. Save at its entrance the tent
was not to be distinguished from the night
without. Gazing into that narrow space
we four who watched that night saw de-
veloped a drama such as was never seen by
mortal eyes before. We saw the heap of
tools within, the bearskin upon the clodded
floor, the piled-up powder cans, the -four
barrel and its attendant stores. At one
side the rude cot-bed, with its rough blank
cts and meager pillow, and could it be?
The form of a man was outstretched on the
bed he stirred, he turned in his sleep and
rose upon one arm to look about him and
gaze ont into the night, and, seemingly re-
assured, sank back again to rest.
Then another tall shape appeared at the
tent door, rife in hand as il keeping
guard He bent to hear the sleeper's
breathing. Seemingly satisfied Of the 9TH
ers Inconsistencies the new conner went
close beside him, put the muzzle of his gun
against the head of the sleeping man and
fired. Oh the CHASTITY sight, in place Of
manly beauty, when the curling smoke
had cleared away The murderer set
aside his gun; he closely rolled his dead
comrade in the blankets and dragged aside
the stiffening body. He carried without
all the stores and the bed, and where the
cot had stood he dug deep and narrow
grave and laid the dead man in it, pack
ing and treading the cold earth over the
senseless clay. Then, with deliberate in
genuity, he spaded over all the floor of the
tent until it presented uniform surface.
The stove, the barrel, the tools were
carefully replaced and, last of all, the as
sassin set up again the bed in its accus-
toned stand. But the consummation OF bru-
tai indifference was reached when Lewis
coolly stretched himself upon that empty
couch above the bloody grave where lay
his victim. He lay. and seemed to sleep /;
and again the splendid head and mournful
ewes OF his old-time friend took shape in
the air, and bent above the slayer. Lewis
sprang up with wild, ringing cry, that
rang through the night with awful power,
and dashed into the darkness. No need
to question longer what had aroused us
from slumber; the same alarm swept over
Us now; the same engorged brain OPP
pressed the same depleted heart-chan-
nels; the same wavering, failing members
distressed.
The spell was broken How long we
had been watching We could never know,
but We must have slept until the night
was far advanced, and dawn had not vet
come. The scenes we had Just witnessed
would have occupied hours in their actual
occurrences; whereas they had been COM
pressed into brief period of time by some
subtle process analogous to the swift oper-
atons Of dreams. Shocked and stunned,
we had not moved when Alfred Walter
spoke;
This is more than mere hallucination
There is purpose in It. The manifesto
tions are beginning again. Look at the
mineW
Beyond doubt there was some repeti-
tive power here-some purpose Of regular
ity in recurrence, for We watched the pine
nomenon until it had reached the stage of
locomotion. Then Alfred Walter stood up
with deep-drawn breath;
Let Us get out the shoyels. Instead Of
monumenting claim we must open a
tomb
The three men lost no time strong and
active all, it was only brief while till
they had dug away the earth from the
mortal remains Of Lon Howard, done to
death by the traitorous hand Of the man
he had loved and trusted like brother.
The terrible task accomplished, Young
Hande rode over the bridge to Salvador
and brought back a crowd of men and a
blackboard to convey poor Towards bones
into town.
Our own party returned intact. We left
our melancholy convoy league outside
4