The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-01-01
PART III.

| vILLAINY FoILED AND VIRTUE TRIUM-
PLANT.
New Years. morning dawned bright
and G ear at the Corners. Down at the
store an excited group was discussing
the robbery of Will Eckhort. the night
before, which by this time, had become
widely circulated 1 Ok Z kAOJ (,
Presently Old Benson came In and
joined the group. He was sober a ID
dressed up, and bis appearance created
some surprise. Then some one said:
Here's the old man come to claim
the bet."
A roar of laughter greeted this re-
Did you see the ghosts, Benson 2"
asked another.
'.Neighbors, said Benson In an i'm
pressive tone voice, Il saw the ghosts.
II don't expect to be believed, anil say
no more about 1t. But do say / saw
them ghosts as true as Pm a hvin'
man"
A short silence, and then Benson was
pressed to tell his experience, and,
needless to say, be soon complied, fret
refusing something to take"
After Benson hadafnished his stery, a
young man, friend of Wits who had
no. said much, got up and whispered TO
two other young men, and the three
started Oft up the road and eni directly
to the haunted tree." What they did
there it is unnect ssary to state. But in
the course OF an hour or so they came
back to the Corners and proceeded
directly to Will Eckhort's home. There
they held private conference with Will
and gave to him large pockethook ahd
tine silk handk erchief with the initials
"R L." in one corner.
Well, the wedding guests arrived, the
ceremoRy proceeded and just as every
one was seated at SUD there came a
loud kiosk at the !. nd Rup,rt
Langdon snd q constable Tered.
I've come for the mo. you eve
nae, Eckhort;' he said without cere-
moay, aRd then added sneerlngly, II
suppose yeu We get it ready?"
Yes, Rupert Langdon." said Will,
handing him roll of bills, there is
your money. And" headed in a
louder voice. sheriff, here is your
The door OF another room opened,
and the sheriff, accompanied by the |
three young men mentioned before, and |
two others, upon whose wrists slittsred |
bhs iron shackIes of the Law, entered, |
and Rupert Langdon, with the money
u his hand was arrested for highway
'osbery and lodged In jail with bis e.a-
ederates. And jov reignsd supreme at
'he home of VIII Eekt ott.s
The explapssion is simple. The /
1oung man had heard Old Benson q
,hest story, and putting on thing with
went out to the "haHnted
rec" fetlnd where the pscketbook had
,een buried. and found the handkerchief
which Rupert Lsngdon had dropped.
raeH they got the sner.f and proceeded
D Langdon' 9 house 10 put Rupert under
rrest on suspicion. Passing one of
supert's farm hands On the way. the
heriff started toward him to ask where
rupert was, when the man started To
IN away. 49,
The-s sheriff. being pretty quick witted,
Immediately gave chase, caught him,
nd then the man, to save himself,
lade q statement which implicated
rupert and companion. The rest is
nown.
Well. there was trial, of course, and
Id Benson was one of the witnesses.
at was ruled out because he would
e-sist in calling the defendants 1.-The
hosts" in describing what he saw. And
. was dressed Rp at the trial in q CON-
lete new suit of clothes, present from
Fill, who always said that he owed all
is happiness for one day to Old Ben
,n's New Year.