Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-05-27

Zone OF the men saw me, and promptly
directed the others attention in the same
| direction -
swhether it was the liquor they had
taken, ] have no means Of knowing; but
they made no attempt 10 approach, but
stood consultingin low tones. 81
Il could not understand it,; but even this
was better than downright discovery. and
l stood still, strniIiing my sense Of hearing
Il heard the word Major pass between
them several times, and thinking they took
me for the gentleman whose clothes wore,
| i was about to walk in without noticing
them, when one OF the rascals shouted an
oath, and, raising his rifle, discharged il at
my head.
II felt stinging sensation Immediately
above my left ear, and my brain whirled.
l must have thought myself dead, for /
fell forward at full length, my face down
ward,
II recovered my senses almost ins 'antly,
and as the rascals We're running toward me,
/ lay perfectly quiet.
"'Youve killed him, Hank said one, in.
a shrill whisper.
He stood over me, but did not attempt
TO touch my person.
BLANK him! growled the other, Il don't
|
me- to her day
s'For killing the old woman's cow?'
Yes lanother blank; and if shooting
O COW is to git man thrashed don't want
| to stay here no more
What are You goin' to do? You didn't
speak 10 him fore you fred, and everybody
knows you hate him. You'll be shot your
self g3f ~fE&J
$50 will you eaf
"I didn't do the shootingr
e" 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 ro2ues rifed my pockets. But
was not yet clear, for they concluded 10
hide the body, otherwise it would be found
too soon, and they should be stopped.
Il imagined at one time that they would
attempt to cut me in pieces, that l 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 i 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 n
point further from the camp.
Reaching, what they considered a con-
yenient point, l was dropped upon the
ground, and my murderers began to pile
rubbish, brushwood, and, at last logs
upon me.
AaT ,-os =, ,,, o,,,,;ol>Io ,,os;t;o,, u :, -
the ill-fortune 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
it ir.npo,siblo that snuuIu release my
self.
Besides l felt that l should be suffo-
Gated; great log, heavy with water, lay
upon my breast, and every limb was
weighted down as close as though l 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 L
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 inteIpose to save my life. The only
persons who could know my situation were
far away by this time.
II endearvored to compose my mind, and
die like stole, but miserably failed. We
all must die, 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.
"I bore all the pains of the most terrible
death; but relief came at last. Over
stretched nature could sustain no more,
and tainted.
"How long 1 remained unconscious /
know not, and it matters little. wakened
at last, and found number of men around
me.
"Major B was kneeling at my side; a
bottle of liquor in his hand, which, as 1
opened my eyes with a groan, he held to
my lips.
| "As revived, my friend helped me up,
and, looking around, found myself in the
midst Of Confe derate soldiers.
What is it, Major? / asked, weakly,
for 1 was still thinking. How came l
here?'
"Dont you know, old fellow, he re-
sponded, looking compassionately in my
face. Il found you under the brush heap
there. The scoundrels thought they had
murdered you.
zone 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 yet. 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 :,
the men stood suspicipsly by, n ~
al don't understand you, returned. :.
"'Trock captured one of the would-be
assassins, and forced a confession from
| him. He is ..,.-. 10,
"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.
"I felt considerably relieved to breathe
again in the clear air, but still my danger
was nearly as great.
Captain Trock was sour, naughty
man, and there was no sign of relenting
disposition in his countenance.
my friend told me in whispers as we
walked along that he had been drawn into
a dispute with the Captain, in which the
latters vanity had been joined, and that
since that time he had pursued him with
great vindictiveness.