The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-02-12
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 APP
parcntly listless Indifference, and vet
their hearts were moved, not SO much
from sympathy for the dead man as
real human pity for the young thing,
who for hours had lain almost as an inn
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
cOniings 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 SYrcrStaI a hrrl-ou h,art oil
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 and morose, and by his manner
seemed to repel the sympathy or hospi-
taiity which would have been so freely
extended by the people of the camp.
After a 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 rudely refused by
Thurston. That winter was a 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
darklv limited, by the cruel treatment of
her husband. At all events, Just as the
snow was leaving the mountain sides
and the mountain lilies and flcur delilis
were peeping up with their modest
bloom Caroline Thurston laid down the
burdens of her life and she was buried
at the edge of the timber, where the
colnmbines 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 Lena
was absolutely alone. 1t was upon hi
return from these mysterious visits,
which were sometimes of weeks dura-
ton. that Thurstons manner was, if
anything. more fierce and forbidding
then at other times. Then came pc
riod of horror in the camp. News came
one morning that shortly after the day
shift had gone on duty some of the tim
berS in the main drift of the Gnlconda,
between the breast where the men were
at work and the entrance. had given
way. and five men were entombed fated
apparently for a horrible death. Vol
unteerS from the two night shifts were
quickly on the ground, one of the first
being Charles ThurstOn, who, seemingly
endowed with the strength of ten men,
inspired the others by his deeds of he
rOism TO anheard of bravery. After
several hours of unremitting labor the
immense pile of debris was removed and
the men released from their living
tomb with but Sigh. injuries. Thurston
was the last one to leave the mine. and
upon starting out other timbers which
supported the roof having been weak
ened by the digging operations of the
reScuers, gave way and caught and
held him under mass of earth and
timber. He was quickly released by
the others; but it was found that both
his legs were broken, and that he had
sustained serious and perhaps fatal in
juries. He fingered along for weeks.
and finally died, and the great burden
of his life was lifted from him. He was
buried by the side of his wife, and beau
tiful mountain flowers soon covered
both graves with their bloom. As soon
as the funeral was over Lena, despite
all the persuasions of the people in
town, who pitied her forlorn and lonely
condition, returned TO the cabin which
had been her home for several years.
Ii was about a week after the funeral
that a singular thing happened. A fine
looking stranger landed one day from
the stage at the one little hotel in town,
and, scarcely stopping for refreshments,
inquired the way to the cabin of the
Thursiohs. The curious hangers-on
around the door watched him as he
climbed the hill with feelings of the most
intense curiosity. The long hours to-
ward noon came and went, and still the
stranger fingered, and the sun had gone
behind the western mountains, leaving
only the trace of his glory in the mag
nificent crimson sky, when two figures
were seen coming down the hill in the
fast gathering darkness. Upon coming
nearer they were recognized as the
visitor of the morning and Lena Thurs
a., fy,,ap tba f,ca of the 1atror flrava