Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1885-04-04
The Niger Bend Tragedy.
BY MORRIS BEDWING.

"Sam Blakely is killed!'
A dozen men who were seated about
the logging shanty smoking or playing
cards started and looked about at this
sudden announcement.
Shorty, the skidder, stood Just within
the room swinging a smoke begrimmed
lantern and looking straight ahead at the
group of loggers gathered about greasy
pine table with sputtering tallow can
die in the center. The game of euchre
came to a sudden halt. Jim Sweezy
turned half round on his stool and grin.
ned at Ned Oakley, or Shorty, and
growled:
"Bosh! What you givin' us now,
Shortly"
"Rats!" and a general laugh followed.
But the stumpy skidde1 knew what he
was talking about, and was not to be put
down by unseemly levity. He advanced
to the center of the room, and then sew.
eral of the loggers could see that his
bronzed face was pale, and that scared
look filled his eyes. Shorty was not
easily overcome. Something of an un-
usual nature must have happened, and
no mistake.
Jim Sweezy crushed his cards down
upon the table and wheeled squarely
about as Shorty said:
"It's Gods truth, boys, Sans dead for
l saw him under tree-top not five min
utes ago."
"Durn Gurus seems to me-" muttered
Jim Sweezy. "The Teller started this
mornin' to 60 down to Niger Bend, and
l don't see how he got back an planked
hisself under tree. You amt comm
no cod BOW, Shorty. Eff you be, I'll
smash every bone in yer body soon's l
find it out"
81 toll you twas Gods truth"
"Boys, Shorty amt lynn now. He's
seen somethin' onyhow. Let's 60 out
and 'vestigate," cried huge, red bearded
teamster, who had until now sat with
his back leaned against the log ribs of
the shanty, smoking brierwood pipe.
He knocked the ashes out quickly, and
then thrust the hot brierwood into side
pocket of his womus.
Sob Stiles is right; We'll 'vestigate."
There was general commotion now,
and soon nearly every man in heshanty,
including many who had crawled into
their hunks before Shorty's coming,
poured into the crisp outer air, and fol-
lowed the fame of the skidder's lantern
to tree-top about forty rods away.
When the skidder came to q halt he
had his lantern high, thus permitting
every man to sec the dark object that
lay upon the ground Just under a pro-
jecting limb of the giant pine.
"Its Sam Blakely sure enough" cried
Tom Halcomb, the scaler. "He must
have come back through the woods, and
got under this tree just as it fell. Poor
fellow"
A feeling of awe came over that group
of rough loggers, and for q time they
spoke in subdued tones, and moved
about with solemn tread, as though fear
full of disturbing the rest of their dead
comrade. Poor Blakely'e skull was
crushed in, but he was not dis6gured
otherwise. Sam was quite q gentleman
among the loggers. He was fairly edu-
Gated, and withal keen business sort of
young fellow.
On a following day the body Of the
young logger was conveyed to Niger
Bend and consigned to earth. The
ehanty crew attended in q body. May
Andrews and her mother were the only
mourners. May and her mother, the
latter q widow, were employed to do the
cooking. Mrs. Andrews brother doing
the chores about the shanty. Sam
Blakely was Nays cousin. and he was
often at the cooks shanty in conse-
quence.
One other had frequently been at the
women's ehanty-Tom Holcomb, the
scaler. Which one was the girls favor
lite none could tell. May seemed deeply
moved at the unimely taking off of her
cousin, and her eyes were red with
weeping for some days thereafter.
It was learned that Sam Biakelv had
been to Niger Bend on the day in ques-
ton, and had set out to return to the
shanty just before dsrk on that fatal day.