The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1889-11-01

thought to myself that / had been
prejudiced against him without cause.
At length he arose, and babe me good
night, and vent away, and shortly az.
terward l retired.
Ihad been in bed but q little while,
when another rap upon my door dis
turbed me; and to my demand of what
was wanted l received answer from
Laban Shaw. He bade me not to
light a lamp. He had only come for
his nightgown. He could get it in tho
dark. I arose and unlocked my dgor,
and his apologies were many and earn
est. He always slept, in winter, in a
flannel nightgown, and he had thought-
lessly left it in his carpet-bag. He was
sorry-vcry sorry. He had thought to
try to sleep without it rather than dis
turb me-, . but his room was cold,
and
/ cut him short, and told him there
was no need of further apology; and
while he fumbled over his bag, / went
to the stove to make double assurance
that the fire was all right. / offered
to light a match for him, but he said.
lie had got his dress and oil was right.
He then went out, and I closed and.
locked the door after him, and then got
back into bed.
But 1 was not to sleep. / had been
very sleepy when Shaw disturbed mo:
hut an entirely different feeling pos
sessed me now. First came a nervous
twitching in my limbs "a "craw-
!y feeling. as some express
it-that sensation which induces gap
ing and yawning, but which no
amount of yawning could now suDdue.
upon me; and, though perfectly awake,
n n as of impending danger pos
sessed me. At length, so uncomforta-
bile did L become in my recuml,ent
position, that 1 arose and lighted my
lamp, resolved to replenish my fire,
and dress myself, and see if i could
read away my nervous fit.
My lamp was lighted, and as 1 re-
turned to the bedside for my slippers,
my attention was attracted by a string
which lay upon the carpet-a string
leading from the bed to the door. 1
stopped to examine it. and found it fast
ut both ends. 1 brought the lamp and
took a more careful survey. The string
vas a fine silken trout line, new and
strong, one end of which disappeared
beneath the bed and the other beneath
the door. In my then present condi-
ton 1 was suspicious of evil, and my
enses were painfully keen. Raising
the hanging edge of the ceverlef
1 looked under the bed. The
carpet bag which Laban Shaw had
left lay there, partly open, with
the silken line leading out from it.
What could it mean? Had the man
accidentally carried the end of the line
away with his night-dress without no.
ticing it? drew the bag out from be-
meath the bed, and as I held it's jaws
apart 1 saw, within, o double-barreled
pistol, both hammers cooked, bright
percussion caps cleaning upon the
tubes, while the silken line, with dou-
BILE end, was made fast to the triggers!
And 1 saw that the muzzles of the piss
toll barrels were inserted into the end
of an oblong box, or case, of galvan-
lied iron. And I comprehended, too,
that a very slight pull upon that string
might have discharged the pistols
and, furthermore, that a man outside
of my door might have done that
thing!
For a little time my hands trembled
SO that 1 dared not touch the Internal
continuance; but at length I composed
myself, and went ut work. First, I cut
the string with my knife; and then, as
carefully as possible, I eased down the
hammers of the pistol, after which I
drew it from the iron case. 1 had just
done this when I heard a step in the
hall outside my door. Quick as thought
1 sprang up, and turned the key. and
threw the door open; and before me,
revealed by the light of my lamp,
stood Laban Shaw. He was fright
ened when he saw me, and trembled
like on aspen. 1 was stronger than he
at any time, and now he was as a child
in my hands. / grasped him by the
collar, and dragged him into my room;
and l pointed the double -barreled
pistol at his breast; and I told him 1
would shoot him as I would shoot o
dog if he gave me occasion.
He was abject and terrified. Like o
whipped cur he crawled at my feet,
and begged for mercy. His MASTER
had hired him to do it with promise of
great reward. 1t had TRANSFERRED that
my testimony before the jury would be
conclusive of Butterworth's guilt, and
Butterworth had taken this means to
get rid Of me. In his great terror,
the poor accomplice made q full con-
fession; and when he had told all I
released my grasp. He begged that /
would let him go; but 1 dared not
my duty would not allow it. 1 rang
my bell, and in time the hostler, who
slept in the office, answered my sum-
mons. 1 sent him for an officer, and ct
length had the satisfaction of seeing
my prisoner led safely away.
On the following day the carpet-bag
was taken before the Grand Jury and
the iron case examined by an expert
enced chemist, assisted by an old ar
morer from the arsenal. Il was found
to contain a illuminate of mercury,
mixed with bits of iron; and it was the
opinion of both the chemist and the
armorer that the power of the explo-
sive agent, had it been ignited as it
was placed, beneath my bed, would not
only have been sufficient to blow me to
atoms, but that it would also have lit
orally stripped and shivered to frag-
ments all of the house above it!
And q single pull of that silken
string would have been sufficient to
this horrible end! And but for. my
nervous waking-my incubus of fore
boiling = the destroyer would have
come; the fatal cord would have been
touched. the mine sprung, and I .hould