River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-07-01
TOLD THE PEDDLER.

the diGEl, not only 10 preserve ilic COLI
tents of my pack, but to defend my life.
My line of trade has been Yankee
notions, with jewelry added. ! have
had with me at one time as much as
$4,000 worth of gold and silver watches
earrings, finger-rings, etc. l have sat
on log beside a highwayman in Kan
sas, and sold $500 worth of stock to
three or four men, and | have disposed
of $50 worth Of ladies jewelry at pio-
neer cabin which had neither floors or
partitions. On two different occasions
| ate dinner at the cabin of old Bender,
the Kansas fiend. On the first occa-
sion the old mar was away, and saw
only two women about the place. Six
months later, when | called again, il
was about IL clock in the forenoon.
Then | saw old Bender for the first
time. | have heard him described as
q pleasnt-faced old man whom no one
would suspect, but tell YOU the very
first look at him put me on my guard.
For the first time in a year | felt that
my life was in danger. The same two
ana there was young man whom |
took to be old Bender son.
This young man disappeared soon
after arrived, but whether he hid in
the house or rode off across the prairie
| never knew. Bender women pur-
chased about 3 worth of notions. and
the old man dickered with me for an
hour over gold watch 1t seems he
had but a small stock of cash, but he
offered me personal property in ex-
change. He had three or four silver
watches, all of which had been carried.
two or three revolvers, two bosom-pins,
made of Jumps of pure gold, three or
four cuif-buttons. We had nearly cf-
fected an exchange when he suddenly
decided to leave the matter open until
after dinner
Months afterward, when the discov-
cry of his crimes came out, | thought
the matter over, and could remember
how nicely he had played me. With
out seeming to interrogate me for in
formation, he asked how long a trip !
had made, what success l had met
with, where lived, and whom | knew
in that locality. The old murderer was
missed in case he put an end to me.
And he had curiosity to know before
hand what the harvest would be. While
told YOU that | did not like his looks.
and that had creepy feeling in his
presence. | had no idea of an attempt
To murder by daylight and in the man
ner he was planning for. | had a truSty
revolver, and | had the courage to de-
fend myself. Had | met him out on
the prairie, or had we been jogging to-
getLer along some lonely highway, l
should have been prepared TO pull my
pistol at his first movement.
Dinner was announced soon after
y O'Clock. l took my pack with ne
into the dining-room, where ! found
the table set for one There We're three
rooms in the house. The front room
was a general sitting room and office
combined. Bender kept sort Of tay-
ern, YOU know, aud travellers had this
front room. The next room back was
the dining-rOom and family room COM
bined. There was bedroom leading
OF. On the walls of this family room
Were a few old fashioned prints in old
fashioned frames, shelf on which
stood clock, and a few scant eviden-
ces of women's presence. The back
room was the kitchen. | had nv eyes
wide open when entered that dining
room, and the very first thing | noticed
was that the table was set lengthwise of
the room and that my chair and plate
had been so placed that ray back would
be toward the kitch3n door, which was
not over five or six feet away Had ii
been al the other end my back would
have been toward The Office door. The
first move | made was to turn the chair
around to the side aud sit down |
now faced the bedroom door and had
the other doors TO my right and left.
while there was no window behind me.
The younger woman was in the room,
aud she looked at me in n queer,
strange way as | upset the arrange
ments she had perfected. Bender
did not look into the room for
two or three minutes, and
then retired without speaking
A minute later he passed around the
house and entered the kitchen BY the
back door. While | could not see him.
heard him and the oman whispering
together, aud caughS the words a.
spoken by her: Il tell you he did it
himself.
- coBid not catch word from him.
and directly he went out and abe came
in with the rest Of the eatables. Her
face was flushed and her manner very
nervous. She put on plate of bread
and platter of meat. and then went
out for the coffee. As she sat the cup
and saucer on the board she partly up
set the cup and spilled half its con
tents on the table Excuse me, I'm
sorry, she said, as | showed back to
keep the hot liquid from dropping on
my legs. Never mind, no harm done,
! replied. 1T was so careless IT ne,
You had better change your seat TO the
eud while / SOP It up ''Oh, don't
mind, I'm not hungry, and shall eat
but a few mouthfuls anyway. l forgot
to tell you TO tell you that l preferred
water to coffee. 'But-yOu-you--
i m all right She gave me one of the
queerest looks ! ever got, first flushing
up and then turning pale. Splitting
that coffee was a put-up job to get my
back to the kitchen door. | suspected
it then. A few moments later / had
plenty of horrible proofs.
Before the neal was finished, Pen
er looked in fro4a tie eitcuen doGI
and drew back and when / showed
away and entered the office he was not
there and did not show up for five
minutes When l went to dinner, a
double arreled shotgun stood in a
corner in the office. When | came out
it was gone. The old man came in
after awhile, and it was easy 20 see he
had 10 force himself to converse.
paid him for the meal and was ready
10 90. Il was lonely road / had 10
travel. with 10 other house for miles,
and il suddenly struck me that the
younger man had gone on 70 =. "a ann
bush and shoot me la case escaped
assassination at the house. For a min
ute or two quite lost my sand. and
you can Judge what a relief it was 10
me to see team drive up with SARGE
men in the vehicle ma foom for one
more TAey stopped TO water their
horses an Z chat a few moments and
readily give me lift on my way. / did
not impart my suspicious to them, and
il was rot until he horrible stories
came uaf that I felt sure in my own
mind what a close cali had had.
DO you know what become of old