Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1889-11-21

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ried digging 1t the bricks sgain /
heard the chink Of money; then the
door was opened and somsthing was
dragged down the stairs. / beard the
front door jar on its Images, knew
from sounds on the gravel path that
it was Barclays body that was drag
gsd away. Then came rattle and Q
plunge 10 the old well. and all was
still.
recovered my power Of move
nent as if an electric shock had pass
ed through me and, though / do not
know how | got out Of the house. I
found myself in the road, and ran to
town as if for life. The clock struck
two as / entered my door.
In the morning / went to q police
station. though with some inward
misgiving. and reported what I had
seen. The sergeant summoned de-
tective and directed him to accompany
ms to the Barclay house. but | saw
that he smiled as we went out. We
walked at rapid pace. and l enter
ed the door with ahrdder, bat pro
ceeded at once to the room where
had seen that fearful sight. To my
surprise there were no signs of a
struggle. My own footprints were
visible in the dust Of the floor, but no
others, and the stain that I had ex-
smined was old and brown. The
box that l had eat upon and my dark
lantern were in the corner. The de.
tective looked at noe little sharply
and said: You've been dreaming,
young feller,"
felt foolish enough at this outcome
Of my story, but related explicitly
what ! had seen.
How do You know it was Barclay
who came in with the candle ?" asked
the officer.
Because I saw him two or three
times the last year he was living here
OR was supposed to be living here"
I added, by way of correction.
"Now, look here" resumed the de-
tective. Barclay was seventy four
years old in that year. II he's alive
now he's-let ses-this is lS84-he's
ninety-one years old. Now, a man
of that age isn't able to live alone by
himself, / should think: he'd starve.
And you say he was dressed? Much
less would man Of that age be able
to get up and dress himself and tod.
die upstairs here within half an hour
of the time that he heard the noise.
Besides, where did he sleep? Where
did the thieves get in ? The rooms
are all empty, and there's no foot.
marks except yours. As for them
bricks, they amt been touched in the
last ten years" And stepping 10 the
fireplace he carelessly kicked aside
two or three of them. When he had
done SO he exclaimed, "Hullo what's
this2 A ten-dOllar gold piece? And
this looks like-yes, by George it
is-the tip of knife. This beats
me. You've been seeing ghosts, young
Teller. if you haven't been asleep"
The vindication of my story was
complete, OF nearly SO. Even had !
seen the murder with the inner eve
OF consciousness instead of the actual
organs Of sig t, its revelation had
been not less true. Barclay, the mi
ser, had been killed by men who had
discovered or suspected the hiding
place of his gold. Whether fate had
avenged their crime by violence can
never be known, but that they are
dead l have no doubt. The actors in
the drama that | saw that night were
not men of flesh and blood.
The well was ordered to be cleared
soon after, and skeleton and broken.
pointed knife were found there. An
item in an old newspaper showed that
Barclay was last seen on the evening
OF September 9Th. 1867, seventeen
years, to night before vision re.
vealed to me the manner of his death.
Charles M Skinner in BelEarGs Ma0.
astne, Beyard Co., Publishers, 22 Eas
18th Street, Nee York.