Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-09-04


with gewgaws. e
Alice felt some disap mtmen't; /. at
seeing Richard ,llco nyinced and per-
sisted that all was not right
about the pack. She believed
there were stolen goods in it, at
any rate, and she had no wish to sleep
III the house with it.. Next came IN
Edward, the lad of six teen, who aided
Richard in his work about the place.
He was at this time often engaged in
shooting crows and other birds, and
had bought a huge old military gun
with which he thundered away at
them, and this very moment he had
seen a flock of birds feeding at his corn
rick and had come in to get his gun.
When Edward heard the talk about
the pack he pricked up his ears atten-
lively. Faik, ALICE said; he, laugh
ing, ST it's q live pack perhaps Pdbet-
tershoot it." Hold your tongue, you
fool said Richard. But Edwarn, tax
ing the candle in his turn, declared he'd
have q look at the pack, at any rate.
Gliding down the passage he edged up
to the parlor door and gazed within.
Presently he came back with I very
different look from which he took
away. e. ss t5 IA z. 81 M .S,z +
HAs sure as death | saw it stirring -
he whispered, 'tand whatever be in
there I'll shoot it. In vain the 9th
ers attempted to dissuade him. Car
ryillg his gun in one hand and the can
die in the other he fastened down the
hall. Without ,hesitating a moment
he fired. Great heavens! The blood
gushed ont upon the floor like a tor
rent, andssa hideous roar, followed by
q groan of death, issued from the pack.
Dropping the gun, Edward ran into
the kitchen like one distracted, and out
at the open door, taking to the hills
like 9 wild roe in his fight Alice fol-
lowed as fast as she could; and old
Richard, after standing for time in d
state OF petrefaction, went into the
parlor. The pack had thrown itself to
the floor, which flowed with blood.
The cries and groans had ceased, and
only kind Of gutteral noise was
heard within: The old man, getting
down upon his knees, Embossed the
cords and discovered the body OF a
stalwart man, from which life had for
ever fed.
CALAIS! Alas!'' said old Richard, tears
running down his cheeks. ri wish he
had lived to repent ofthe bad cause that
brought him here
BY this time Edward and Alice, who
had gone off with the wild idea ofsum-
moning some one to their aid, returned
in sad distress. Having found no one
near, they could no longer leave Rich
ard to his melancholy fate. Together
they took the corpse from it's confine-
ment. The way in which it was packed
was curious and artful. His knees
were brought up toward his breast,
and his feet and legs were stuffed in a
wooden box, another wooden box, a
size larger, but without q bot
tom, made up the vacancy betwixt
his face and his knees, and, there
being only one fold of canvas around
this, he breathed with perfect ease. It
was the heaving OF his breast which
had alarmed the servants. His right
arm was within the box, and to his
hand was tied cutlass, with which
he could rip himself out of his confine-
ment at once. On his person were
tour loaded pistols and silver whistle.
In an hours time they had the house
we'll equipped with armed men, and
when the robbers, who had thought
to establish their confederate within
in safety, arrived about. midnight,
they were repulsed with unexpected
fury, several of their number being
killed or wounded and their bodies
carried away in the retreat of the 9TH
ers. The body OF the robber in the
pack was buried, and it was said that
his grave was opened and the corpse
taken secretly away. No clue to the
perpetrators of this base and bold at
tempt at burglary was ever found.