The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1888-06-16
expre.sion OF Che deadliest hatrad.

determined face and set teeth OF the mad
man may have deferred me.
Suddenly / remembered having heard
that a mailman could be appeascd, some
times by falling in with his humor, when
he could not be coaxed or driven. 1t was
a last desperate hope that moved me, but
still a hope. / mustered all my self posses.
sion for the effort, and speaking to Jim in
as steady a voice as / could acknowledge
ed that l deserved death at his hand. but
that before he took my life l should like to
have the privilege OF writing a line to my
mother, telling her where to find the mon
ey l had saved up, that she might receive
it and he comforted in her old age. / knew
that Jim thought the world OF my mother,
who had always been so kind to him, and
/ judged that | could best reach his
feelings in that way than any other.
And l was right about it. for although he
hesitated, yet when l had promised him l
would not attempt to escape. but that il
he would allow me to go over to the desk,
which stood in one corner OF the room,
when l had finished the letter / would re-
turn to the hammer and allow him to
rebind me as was. he seemed satisfied.
STOPPING. he cut the rope which bound me
and lifted me to my feet. But he still held
me with a strong grip, and, brandishing a
short iron bar about my head, threatened
to end my life the moment l made an
effort to escape. Leading me to the desk
he placed pen and paper before me and
with the iron bar still held in a threaten
ing attitude commanded me to write
quickly. The cords had been bound so
tightly about my wrists that they had cut
the flesh, and as / grasped the pen the
blood from my wounds trickled down and
stained the paper with it's crimson drops.
l was still daZed from the effects OF the
blow upon my head and the suddenness OF
it all, and my brain whirIed so that scarce
ly knew what l was doing. could not think
OF a word 10 write, but the dreaded voice
of the mailman at my side telling me, in
nervous, impatient tones, to "hurry up"
chilled me through with thoughts of my
situation and hat was to follow the com.
pietion OF my letter. Weakened as 1 was,
L was no match for the strong man beside
me, o doubly strong with a madman's
strength. But I had always been more
agile tina Jim, and L knew that behind me
a short distance there was a horizontal
fixed bar OF wood. just below the ceiling,
which had been used as a storage rack, but
was now unoccupied. In our noontime
athletics 1 had often sprang and grasped
1T with my hands, swinging there and
"skinning the cat" as we called it, be-
Death it. But Jim, with his heavier body,
never was able to spring high enough to
reach it, although he had frequently tried
to do so. Just above this bar there was
an opening in the fioor of the upper story,
made years ago for the passage Of a large
belt. now unused. Ii L could elude the
madman for a moment and reach that bar
L might gain a respite, at least, but his
grip upon my arm was as tight sever and
hls tones were now so fierce that | knew |
could keep him from violence but a little
while longer.
A thought came to me. I stopped my
pen on a downward stroke, and looking
up into his face l said as coolly as 1
thought it was q matter OF the least inter-
est i'll the world to me, Jim. who is that
coming up the stairway" The ruse sue.
ceeded. Thrown off his guard he released
his hold on my arm, stepped a few PAGES
toward the stairway and bent his head to
listen. Like a flash l made a rush for the
bar, lodging the piece OF iron which the
mailman in his fury threw at me and
which buried itself in the opposite wall.
Quick, nowl L just had time to grasp the
bar and draw myself above it when Jim
sprang at me, narrowly missing my feet
with his fingers; then up through the hole.
out OF breath but at liberty. But it
seemed as though my liberty must end in
a very short time, for there was no sufi-
Gent hiding place in the room, and ]
could already hear the madrran's feet up.
on the stairway which he was ascending
three steps at a time. | must think rapid |.
ly. Where was l to look for help? What
was | to do? The floor upon which |
stood was tine uppermost one in the
mill. From it a ladder led to
the roof by means OF a trap-door. But
this door was Il heavy one, and long be.
fore ! could lift IFS ponderous weight sutfi-
GENTLY to get upon the roof | would be
overtaken by my pursuer.
Suddenly l remembered that a stout
lightning rod ran to the ground, fastened
to the wall near q window. opposite
where l was standing. The window was
open. l darted. rather han ran, to it,
and stepping upon the sill | stretched my
arm along the outside wall. Yes, thank
God! l could reach it. l wrapped my fin
gers about the rod and swung my body
from the window. was not a moment
too soon, however, for | could hear my
pursuer spring to the upper floor and be-
gin his search for me. | was swinging high
above the ground and if my hold slipped |
must be dashed to pieces by the fall. /
must be quiet, too, for the rod ratified in
its glass insulators at every movement |
made. Slowly. and with superhuman ef-
forts, | descended, but just as I reached
within ten or twelve feet OF the ground the
rod broke with my weight, at d defective
plac and / fell with a crash upon a pile
OF boards. The noise brought Jim to
the window and at once he realized how 1
had given him the slip. With dreadful
curses on his lips-more dreadful because
they were the first | had ever heard him
saw him reach out for the rod,
and then l got upon my feet and III to-
ward the town whose houses looked so
dark and dim and far away.
1t wa a wild race for life across those
meadows, either imaginary or real, for l
never new whether he climbed down the
and followed me or not. 1t seemed as
l-.l -l 1+
when my strength was well nigh exhausted
I sank down upon the doorstep OF the
first house | came to and succeeded in
arousing the family within. In as few
words as possible | told them what had
and in a short while all that por-
ton OF the town was notified and a large
party formed for the purpose Of searching
for Jim. Weak as | was, l insisted upon &C
campaigning them. Just as we turned the
corner OF the village church. which had shut
the view across the meadow. some one
exclaimed: MY Godl the mill is on fire."
And true enough there was the mill before
us with "a tall shalt OF fire springing from
it's roof. The mailman had fired the mill!
Sending one man back to alarm the town,
hurried Onward. By the time we reach
ed the mill the whole upper story was on
fire. while the flames were breaking out
through a d )zen places in the roof. Upon
the tallest point of the roof, hedged about
fire stood Jim, his form appearing
in size as it was outlined against
the lark clouds of the sky. Seeing us he
danced Economically in his rage u~ttering
curses upon me for having stolen his bride
and only pausing in his imprecations to
send out the wild. ringing laugh OF a mani
&C upon the night air. We did everything
We could to reach and save him, but all in
vain.
In a very few minutes after our arrival
the iame-wrapped roof fell in, and the
mill was a furnace OF fire. Poor Jim-a
ending to the bright dreams OF his
life! AS the result OF that awful night, l
taken down with brain fever and lay
Lor weeks hoYering between this world and