The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-02-13
STRANGE HISTORY.
A Murder Mystery Cleared Up At
Last.

The bell on the little church in the
mountain town of Sylvanite was
tolling its mournful record-thirty-
four, the age of the man whose funeral
was about to occur. Thirty-four years
on earth, and what had it brought
Charles Thurston, the man who lay
dead in front of the little altar, with a
few hardy miners sitting there in ap-
parently listless Indifference, and yet
their hearts were moved, not so much
from sympathy for the dead man as a
real human pity for the young thing,
who for hours had lain almost as an i'm
movable fixture across the foot of the
coffin, with her long hair almost hiding
it as pail. Lena Thurston was the
dead mans only relative in this part of
the country, and despite the many short
comings of her father had adhered to
him through good and evil report, and
now chung to the poor remains as to
the last link which bound her to hui
manity.
Some years before Charles Thurston
had made his appearance in the camp
with his wife and young daughter, and
engaged in mining, having subleased a
claim on the Golconda. His home was
located in small cabin on the outskirts
of the town in the direction of the
mines, and although it was evident that
his wife was lady accustomed to good
society," there was something about her
that suggested broken heart. At all
events, the Thurstons lived in their
little cabin alone, Mrs. Thurston and
her little daughter being seldom seen
except when necessity compelled them
to come down town for indispensable
articles As for Thurston, he was cross,
gloomy morose, and by his manner
seemed to repel the sympathy or hospi-
tally which would have been so freely
extended by the people of the camp
After time the meek-looking. sad
eyed wife was seen no more outside the
cabin, and it became known that she
was i'll. Some few of the miners wives
rendered their good offices but they were
roughly and rather rudcly refused by
Thurston. That winter was terribly
cold one, and it was known that Mrs.
Thurston was dropping gradually but
surely, her disease being consumption,
fastened, it was said, by the altitude
and rigor of the climate and, it was
darby limited, by the cruel treatment OF
her husband. At all events, just as the
snow was leaving the mountain sides
apN tho YOOunto;n l;l;oe ooJ aov,, Jol;l;r
were peeping up with their modest
bloom Caroline Thuston laid down the
burdens of her life and she was buried
at the edge of the timber, where the
'columbines and white honeysuckles
would shortly frame the romantic grove
with their gorgeous settings and fill the
air with their wild and peculiar incense.
After the death of his wife Thurston
was, If anything, more morose and dis
agreeable than ever, hardly ever speak.
ing and seldom deigning to answer
when spoken to. One popularity was
his long and frequent absences from
home, during which the poor girl Lens
was absolutely alone. 1t was upon hi.
return from these mysterious visits
which were sometimes of weeks dura
ton, that Thurston's manner was, i
anything, more fierce and forbiddins
than at other times. Then came pc
riod of horror in the camp. News cam,
one morning that shortly after the day
shift had gone on duty some of the tim
bers in the main drift of'the Golconda
between the breast where the men wer,
at work and the entrance, had givel
way, and five men were entombed fatet
apparently for horrible death. Vol
unteers from the two night shifts wer,
quickly on the ground, one of the frs
being Charles Thurston, who, seemingl,
endowed with the strength of ten men
inspired the others by his deeds of he
roism to unheard of bravery. Ate
several hours of unremitting labor tn
immense pile Of debris was removed an,
the men released from their livini
tomb with but slight injuries. Thurstol
was the last one to leave the mine. an,
upon starting out other timbers whic
supported the roof having been weak
'ened by the digging operations Of tn
reseuers, gave way and caught an