The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-31

common in crime, because so easy OBJ
tanned from ordinary matches. Back to
our room! We must get away from here
rs quickly as possible"
We stole back to our allotted chamber.
The storm was rising again. One of the
sudden gusts Of wind had blown out our
candle, end we looked in each others
faces by the pale CLEANS of the light
ming.
After a brief pause, to make certain
that all was quiet in the house, we
clambered down one of the rough hewn
pillars of the porch, and, making our
way to the shed, we unfaStcned the
horse and waited till long roll of
thunder came to cover the noise OF the
wheels. Then we started, turning our
horses head. not towards Claynor, but
in the direction of New Nineveh, trust
ing to the animals instinct to find his
way home through the woods. AS we
plunged into the forest, shout in the
distance, followed by riie-shot, were
audible.
"They have found out that we are
gone" muttered the doctor between his
teeth. Now, Paul. for drive for life. :"
He whipped up the horse as he spoke,
and we dashed, along at breakneck
speed. The road lay down hill, and il
we were pursued, we were soon out OF
reach of the pursuers. We saw and
heard nothing farther of the brothers.
In fact, the tempest, which had broken
forth again in redoubled fury, was
enough to check the p: ogress of any one
who had striven to follow us. Amid the
continuous blaze of the lightning, the
violent gusts of wind, and the binding
rain, we made our way, thankful when,
at last, we emerged from the forest. AS
we did so red light shone on oul
path, reflected from the lurid clouds
overhead the light of distant con-
fugration. :,
It was not till we were comfortably
established in the best room of the hotel
at New Nineveh, our wet clothes ex-
changed for dry garments, and wine
and cigars on the table before us, that
Dr.. Melfort told me one of the causes OF
his sudden flight. In the brief aterca,
tion between the brothers, held outside
the kitchen while we wee finishing our
supper, he had heard Ludwig essayin9
to pacify the other by promise that we
should never GUT the premises alive.
When we were nearing New York, on
the early express train the following day,
my friend, without a word, passed to
me the paper he had just purchased,
pointing as he did so to particular
paragraph which ran as follows: "Ter-
rible Catastrophe. "A House Struck by
Lightning and Consumed-A Whole
Family Perish in the Flames.-Durlng
thu great thunderstorm of Thursday
night, the house of Mr.. Jacob Grubcr, on
the road between New Nineveh and
Claynor, was struck by lightning and
entirely consumed. Four persons,
namely, Mr.. Gruber, his wife, and
Johann and Ludwig Schultz the two
soru of Mrs. Gruber by former mar
riage), inhabited the house at the time,
and all lost their lives in the flames.
The building was constructed of wood,
and must have burned with great
rapidity, thus entirely cutting of the es-
care of the inmates 1t is probable that
the brothers Schultz, who were we'll
known in the neighborhood as hard
drinkers, were intoxicated when the fire
broke out, and so were unable either to
take measures to extinguish it or to make
their escape. Be this as it may, the re-
mains of four human bodies were found
amongst the ruins, thus proving con.
clusively that the whole family had
shared the fate of their home"
Thrice, therefore, in the space OF a
single day had sudden death-by rail-
road disaster, by lightning, and by mid
night observation-disclosures close to our
path, and had passed US by. And on
Sunday morning, when, with bowed
head, listened to the petitions OF the
Litany, my heart responded with an
unwonted thrill to those well-known but
newly impressive words, "From sudden
death, good Lord, deliver us!"-F'unh
Leslie's.