The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-05-27
drunken tones, and I saw a bottle pass be-


but my hopes were soon blown aside.
"One of the men saw me, and promptly
directed the others attention in the same
| direction.
whether it was the liquor they had
taken, / have no means OF knowing; but
they made no attempt to approach, but
stood consulting in low tones.
II could not understand it; but even this
was better than a downright discovery. and
/ stood still. straining my sense of hearing
TO catch their words.
IL heard the word Major pass between
them several times. and thinking they took
me for the gentleman whose clothes l wore,
/ was about TO walk in without noticing
them, when one of the rascals shouted IN
oath, and, raising his rifle, discharged il at
my head.
81 felt singing sensation Immediately
above my left ear and my brain whirled.
/ must have thought myself dead, for /
fell forward at full length, my face down.
ward.
II recovered my senses almost instantly,
and as the rascals were running toward me,
l lay perfectly quiet.
you've killed him, Hank said one, in
/ shrill whisper.
"He stood over me, but did not attempt
to touch my person.
keer il j hev. l remember how he thrashed
me to,her day.
For killing the old woman's cow?
"'Yes' [another blankS and if shooting
a COW is to git a man thrashed don't want
to stay here no more
"'What are you goin' to do? You didn't
speak TO him fore you fired, and everybody
knows you hate him. You'll be shot your
self
$50 will you
al didn't do the shooting
"'No; but you stood by, and didn't stop
me-
"The rascals argued in this strain for
some time, and it was at last decided that
they should spoil the body, and desert to
the opposite side.
Il was well pleased with this decision,
You may imagine, and scarcely breathed
while the rogues riied my pockets. But /
was not yet clear, for they concluded TO
hide the body, otherwise ii would be found
too soon, and they should be stopped.
II imagined at one time that they would
attempt TO cut me in pieces, that might be
more easily concealed, and was hesitating
about discovering myself.
Had done so, instant death would have
been the result; for the fellows would then
be commended, as l had no business where
l was. They had already deprived me of
my weapons, and defense was out of the
question.
"But, luckily for me, they at last raised
me between them, and carried their sup
posed victim off through the woods, to
! point further from the camp.
Reaching, what they considered n con-
venient point, l was dropped upon the
ground, and my murderers began to pile
rubbish, brushwood, and, at last, logs
upon me.
II was in no enviable position. 1t is not
the ill-foItune of every man TO be present
at his own burial; for such | soon discov-
| cred it TO be.
Fear melted the fellows to great labor,
and when they had satisfied themselves
/ that / was concealed past discovery, so
much weight had been piled upon me that
il was impossible that / should release my
self.
Besides l felt that / should be suffo-
Gated; great log, heavy with water, lay
upoa my breast, and every limb was
weighted down as close as though / had
been in my grave.
AT last the men were leaving, and the
horror of being left to perish helplessly
alone came upon me. With an effort
essayed to call them back but my voice
was nearly pressed out of my lungs, and
they returned not.
"The extreme horror or the next hour is
scarcely TO be told. l felt myself slowly,
but inevitably, dying. Nothing, it seemed,
could inteTpose to save my life. The only
persons who could know my situation were
far away by this time.
Il endearvored to compose my mind, and
die like stoic but miserably failed. We
all must die, l told myself; why this fas-
| tidiousness as to the manner? This horrible
pain cannot continue always; and then l
thought of my wife and children, who
would look in vain for my return.
Il bore all the pains of the most terrible
death; but relief came mt last. Over
stretched nature could sustain no more
and tainted.
"How long l remained unconscious
know not, and it matters little. L Weakened
at last, and found number of men around
me.
Major B was kneeling at my side, n
bottle of liquor in his hand, which, as l
opened my eyes with q groan, he held TO
my lips.
'As l revived, my friend helped me up,
and, looking around, found myself in the
midst Of Confederate soldiers.
What is it, Major / asked, weakly.
for l was still thinking. How came /
here?'
Don't You know, old fellow, he re-
sponded, looking compassionately in my
face. i found you under the brush heap
there. The scoundrels thought they had
murdered you.
lone of the officers standing near coughed
slightly.
THE Major understood its meaning, for,
with glance at the gentleman he turned
again to me, saying, in a troubled tone:
"'You are not out of trouble vet. That's
Captain Trock. He discovered that You
had been at my residence, and trailed you
afterward. You owe him your life indi-
rectly, but he seems determined to resume
the gift
"All this was given in whisper, while
the men stood suspiciously by.
az don't understand you,' l returned.
"'Trock captured one of the would-be
assassins, and forced q confession from
him. He is
AT that instant the Captain, who was
too impatient to withhold longer, touched
my arm.
"'You must TO the commandant, he said,
harshly.
"The soldiers closed in around me land
the Major was included in the circle, and
seemed 10 fully share me ignomony), and
we marched slowly off through the wood.