Little Falls transcript., 1886-07-09
The Old NOn1aan * |1|I EarnlIllR III q E 5 5

The Old Wolnnaa, l1l1 arnin,lg s
y there lived III central lows
family By the name 81 Robinson,
consisting Of father, mother, and two
children, the 'hle latter being boys, 2 and
y years old respectively. Robinson
was g well -to.do farmer, we'll thought
ofSby the neigh hbors, and q Christian
man. There was, therefore, no one
who questioned the truth Of the in
c'oent ne related. He had brother
IN les Molnes, who was taken very ill
AlRda sent for him, and he left home,
NC to be gone at least a. week.
deenad no hired man, but the boys
were old enough to care for the stock,
and the wife was not a women to Dor. /
:ow trouble
Robinson was in perfect health when
ne !ett home, and there was no reason
TO feel anxious for those he lett behind.
he reached Des Moines of q Saturday
night. His brother was very low, but
it was believed that the crisis had
passed and that he was mending.
On Sunday night, at midnight,
the watcher who had been at the
bedside during the first part of the
night called Robinson and retired.
The patient was resting easily, and
the watcher had only to give him med.
lcine once every hour. He gave it at
l o'clock, and fifteen minutes later,
while he was seemingly as wide awake
ts ever in his life, little old woman
suddenly entered the room. The sick
man was in the parlor bedroom, and
the woman came from the sitting
room, the door OF which stood open.
Robinson bowed to her and while
somewhat surprised at her appear
ance, he supposed it was all right,
taking her for a neighbor who had
come in. She looked to be 55 years
old, was very small for woman, and
years afterwards he could describe her
dress and features. She stopped in
the center Of the room, and Robinson
| tip-toed over to her and said:
'"Ihe doctor thinks he is much bet
ter"
"You must go home" she brusquely
remarked in answer.
"Who-me?"
| eyes,
but | came to help take care of
James,"
"You must be home by 10 o'clock
tomorrow night!' said the old wom-
an.
"Why?'
She beckoned him further away
from the bed, and then whispered:
"Io-morrow night, before midnight,
three bad men will enter your house
to rob and murder You must 90
home!"
.'How did you learn this?" he
asked, knowing we'll enough that she
would not joke him at such a time,.
but unable to credit her with all seri-
business.
"Ihey have poisoned your dog to-
night she answered, "and they are
now sleeping in the barn. There are
two OF them now; tomorrow night
there will be three. If you love your
wife and children do not tarry here"
"But-but-"
"Go-go!" she commanded, backing
! out OF the room.
,,Charles, who is that woman?"
asked the sick man, and Robinson
turned to the bed and found his
brother wide awake.
81 do not know
II saw her in the room lust before
you came in. Shee came and leaned
over me. She must be stranger"
Robinson passed into the Sitting
room, and from thence into the kitch-
en-, but the woman had disappeared.
lie called his brothers wife, but she
had no such person on her list of ac-
qualntances. The doors were all
locked and the windows down, and it
did not seem possible that she could
have left the house, though a thorough
search failed to find the least trace of
her presence. 1t was 2 O'Clock when
the search was abandoned, and at that
hour the sick man was amazingly bet
ter. He not only declared that he had
seen the woman and heard all she
said, but he stoutly insisted that his
brother should go home as soon as
possible. At 10 O'Clock in the fore
noon Robinson left for home. The
nearest railroad point to his farm was
seven miles, and, as he had to wait at
a. junction for several hours, he could
not reach his house before 10 o'clock
the evening. When he reached the
station at which he must leave the
railroad he told his story to the sher-
1T, and a team was hired and
SIX well-armed men went out with
him. 1t was 1920 when they reached
the house. They approached it
across the fields, and came up lust as
two men had entered by an open kitch-
en- window, while the third was on
guard outside. The trio were speedily
captured, and then several points cor
roborative OF the little old woman's
declaration were picked up. The fam
lly. dog had died suddenly, with every
evidence of having been poisoned.
Two tramps had been noticed hang
ing about the place the day before, and
two OF the arrested parties were iden~
titled as the fellows. They had slept
IN the barn, and they had been ioined
by third. They intended to rob the
house and steal horse and buggy to
get away with. In hopes of shortening
his term OF Imprisonment at the ex-
pense Of his comrades one of the trio
turned states evidence. He said it
was understood between them that if
Mrs. Robinson and the children awoke
they were to be killed.
Now comes another singular feature
| OF the case. AT, IL o'clock ofthe night
on which Robinson reached home the
sick mans wife was sitting up with
him, and, as he was resting very easy,
she fell asleep. The little old woman
reappeared, sat down, and said to the
patient:
! "Your brother reached home in time.
am glad to see'you getting better so
fast"