The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-08-13
THE WARNING,

In 1875 there lived i'm central Iowa q
family by the name of Robinson, con-
sisting of father, mother and two chill
drcn, the latter being boys. 9 and II
years old respectively. Robinson was
well-to-do farmer. well thought of by
the neighbors and Christian man.
There was, therefore. no one who ques-
toned the truth of the incident he re-
lated. He had a brother in Des MOines,
who was taken very i'll and sent for him,
and he left home, expecting to be gone
at least a week. He had no hired man,
but the boys were old enough to care
for the stock, and the wife was not a
woman to borrow trouble.
Robinson was in perfect health when
he left home. and there was no reason
to feel anxious for those he left behind
He reached Dcs Moincs on a Saturday
night. His brother was very low, but
it was believed that the crisis had passed
and that he was mending. On Sunday
night, ut 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
medicine once every hour. He gave it
at o'clock, and fifteen minutes later,
while he was seemingly as wide awake
as 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. Robin
son bowed to her. and while somewhat
surprised mt her presence, he supposed
it WAS all right taking her for nnigh-
Dor who had come IN. She looked to be
80 years old. was very small for wo-
man, and years aftcrward he could de-
scribe her dress and features She stop
ped in the center of the room, and
Robinson lip-toed over to her, and
said:
1.-The doctor thinks he is much bet
ter"
You must go home" she brusquely
remarked in answer.
"WhO--mep"
Yes"
"But came to take care of James"
You must be home by ten o'clock
tomorrow night" said the old wo-
man.
'Why?"
She backoncd him further away from
the bed aud then whispered
''To-morrow night. before midnight,
three bad men will enter your house
to rob and murder. You must 60
homer
.'IIOw did you learn thisp" he asked,
knowing well enough that she would
not joke him ut such time, but unable
70, nrn,lit hn, Ill
"They poisoned your dog tonight"
she answered. land they are now sleep
inc in the barn. There are two of them
now; tomorrow night there will be
three. If you love your wife and chill
dren do not tarry here"
''But-but-"
"Go--gor' she commanded, backing
out of the room.
Charles, who is that woman?' asked
the sick man, and Robinson turned to
the bed TO find his brother wide awake.
81 do not know"
81 saw her in the room Just before
you came in. She came and leaned
over me. She must be stranger"
Robinson passed into the sitting-room,
and from thence to the kitchen, but the
woman had disappeared. lie called his
brothers wife. but she had no such per-
son on her list of acquaintances. The
doors were all locked AMI the windows
down. and it did not seem possible that
she could have left the house. though a
thorough search failed to lind the least
trace of her presence. II was 2 o'clock
when the search was abandoned. and at
that hour the sick man was amazingly
better. lie not only declared that he
had seen the woman and heard all she
said. but he stoutly insisted that his
brother should go home us soon as pos
sibe. At 10 o'clock i'm the forenoon
Robinson left for home. The nearest
railroad point To his firm was seven
miles. and. Us he had to wait mt n juno
ton for several hours. he could not reach
his house before 10 o'clock in the eve
ming. When he reached the station ut
which he must leave the railroad no told
his story To the shcr.;l,. and a team was
hired and six well-armcd men went out
with him. Ii was 1890 when they
reached the house. They approached
it across the fields, and came up just as
two men had entered by an open kitch-
en- window, while the third was on
guard outside. The trio were speedily
captured, and the several points cor
roborative of the littl u Il wOman's de-
claration were picked up. The family
dog had died suddenly. with every evil
dcnce of having been poisoned. Two
tramps had been noticed hanging about
the place the day before and two OF the
arrested parties were identified as the
fellows. They had slept in the barn.
and had been joined by Il third. They
intend al to rob the house and steal Il
horse and buggy to get away with. In
hopes of shortening his term of impris-
Onmcnt ut the expense of his comrades
one of the trio turned states evidence.
He said it was understood between
them that if Mrs. X ,binson and the
children awokc they were to be killed.
Now comes another singular feature
of the case At IL o'clock the night on
which Robinson reached home the sick
mans wife was sitting up with him, and,
rs he was resting very easy. she fell
asleep The little old woman reappcar-
ed, sat down, and said to the patient:
Your brother reached home in time
am glad to see You getting better so
fast"
With that she was gone. AM none of
the parties have been speaking OF ever
saw her again. Pco,l, VIII" know the