Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-10-08
eLooD.weePlN0 ROSES
4 spoohish Tale OF Love. Mystery AT
Ctsme from Texas

| town, STANDS uliapludteu oiu House'
| the history of which no one knows,
| but il dates back TO the time when this
was but frontier military post With
Ia few rods OF the deserted house
lies a grave, on which not sprig OF
grass grows, although the ground
about il is overrun with vegetation.
But at the head a rose-bush until
lately spread its untrimmcd. uncared-
for branches. These branches, sum
mer and winter were covered with
roses OF such . burning. vivid red as
to even offend by their raw. unshaded
color. These roses. on being plucked,
fade and fall to pieces almost instan-
taneously. am an enthusiast about
roses, devotiug much time to the cult
ure OF them. and am thoroughly ac-
9uaintcd with all varieties. But the
one growing on that nameless
grave was unknown to me, and
although have tried again aud
again To grow IL from cut
tings. have never succeeded After
planting. the sprig would Invariably
be found dead the following morning.
and blackened with dull, smooty
satin. which was not TO be explained
by any peculiarly OF soil or atmos-
pheric influence. But the most singu-
tar thing In connection with these
bowers was not discovered by me until
fex days ago. had occasion to
drive out on the River Road early one
morning, and ms passed the grave the
unnatural crimson hue OF the roses
strack mo more forcibly than ever.
They hung heavy and full. with the
dew dripping from their large, curved
petals. Fascinated BY their strange
beauty. dismounted and took one OF
them In my hand without plucking it.
The moisture shaken from it fell upon
my fingers and 10 m: great wonder,
! saw il was thick, viscid fluid that
eesembled fresh blood too much to be
pleasant. lnvoluniarily | carried my
hand 10 my nose aud the sickly tleshy
odor OF new-drawn blood was unmis-
taxable. | shook the horrid drops
hiNA manu- ANN haN taiftA NtitN Ntit
thickly exuding from all the roses and
dripping heavily TO the grave beneath.
AS II from fresh. gaping wound. |
took my knife and made an incision in
the main stem and the bloodlike san
eozed freely out Struck by what |
deemed ouly freak OF nature. cnt a
good-six d branch from the bush and
shook the roses over my handkerchief
10 catch the crimson dew. The branch
withered in my hand in n very few
minutes, the sap becoming so foul with
an oder of animal corruption as to be
unbearabl so | was obliged to throw
it away; but carried the stained
handkerchief to DIR. N. IA promi.
nent physician of this city, who is also
"a fine chemist, and asked him to de-
tormine the nature OF the fluid. told
him all knew concerning the roses.
and WAS. OF course, believed by him.
but upon calling for the handkerchief
the next morning was accused by the
doctor OF trying to hoax hun.
What made you tell me that cock
and-bull story about that rose bush?
Why. man, you knew it was blood on
that handkerchief My microscope
revealed it at once, although there is
something about il can not under
stand ia the least--a corruption and
yet life. However. il is only blood,
and human blood at that!"
assured him | had only told him
The truth about the rosc-bush on that
lonely grave extraordinary as that
truth might seem. On hearing this
he hurried me off 10 the spot. Ii was
still early enough Tor the dew to yet
remain ON the grass, and the roses to
be heavy with that h t'rible moisture
DIR. N examined it closely. and
cane to the same conclusion that
had. that some deed Of blood was thus
revealed, aud that the victim of the
deed slept Ia the grave beneath. This
we believed, although both of us had
hitherto b en- scoiIers OF all belief in
supernatural occurrences. We re-
turned to town and procured couple
of men 10 assist us in opening the
grave, which We did at once. Judging
by the absence of remains of wood or
metal, without coffin, and beneath a
shallow covering OF earth. lay two
skeletons. one that Of woman-a
young one, DIR, N said and the
other that of a few moaths' old child.
long, tapering knife. such as "a
Mexican bravado carries, pierced the
temples Of the infant, and from its
position must have pinned it to the
Bosom Of the mother No eiew was
found rs 10 the race. name. or aught
else, SO wc reinforced the pitiful re-
mains aud burned that bleeding bush.
Fort WORTH treN IGOR. Globe Demo-
crat