Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-09
CHAPTER III.
A STROKE OF LIGHTNING.

STROKE OF LIGHTNING.
The first man to 20 to work at Overlook
in the morning was Jim Wilson, because he
had to rouse the fire under boiler early
enough to provide steam for score of rock
drills. The nightwatchman awakened him
at daybreak, according to custom, and then
got into bunk as the other got out of one.
Everything all right?" Jim asked.
sI guess So" the other replied. But 1
haint seen your boiler sence afore midnight.
Eph was disturbin' Mary Mite, and so 1
hung round her cabin pretty much the last
halt Of the night"
Jim went to his post at the boiler. and at
an unaccustomed pace, from the point where
he first saw and heard steam kissing upward
from the safety valve. On quitting the.
night previous he had banked the fire as
usual, and this morning he should have
found it burning so slowly that an hour of
raking, replenishing and open draughts
would no more than start the machinery at
Z o'clock. Going nearer he found that open
hampers and fresh supply of coal had set
the furnace raging.
What was that which protruded from the
Optu UOUI, duO SO ulltu buc dp6TbuI6
that the draught was not impaired?
A glance gave the answer. 1t was the legs
ana half the body of man, whose head and
shoulders were thoroughly charred, as Jim
was Mortified to see when be pulled the re-
mains out upon the ground.
Jim ran to tell the superintendent, and
within few minutes knot of excited men
surrounded the body. The gathering grew
in numbers rapidly. By means Of the
clothing, the dead and partially burned man
was identified at once as Tonic Ravelli.
That he had been murdered was an equally
easy conclusion. The murderer had ap-
parently sought to cremate the corpse.
Whether he had found it physically impos-
sible or had been frightened away, could
only be conjectured.
"Who can have done it!' was the ques-
tion asked by Superintendent Brainerd, the
autocrat of Overlook.
There was minute of silence, with all
staring intently at the body, as though half
expecting it to somehow disclose the truth.
The night watchman was first to speak.
"Eph might have done it." he said.
Then he told of The monomaniac's visit
to the telegraphic station, and of the acute
stage which his malady had reached. No
body else present had seen him since the
previous evening. Superintendent Brain
erd ordered search of the lodgings. Ten
minutes we're sufficient for round of the
different quarters. Eph was in none of
them. The searchers returned to the furn-
ace, and with them came Gerald Heath.
81 met Eph yonder where the path crosses,
not hundred yards from here, little past
midnight" Gerald said, HE was terribly
excited. That was after he had tried in
vain to telegraph crazy message. Evil
IDENTIFY his delusion, that his whole life was
condensed into briefspace, had driven him
to frenzy. He spoke of walking to Dim
mersville, but I tried to quiet him, and he
disappeared"
Dimmersville was town about ten miles
distant, in direction opposite 10 that from
which the railroad had worked its way
through the mountains. No wire connected
it with Overlook, and there was no public
road for the nearest third of the way, al
though faint trail showed the course that
few persons had taken on foot or horse
back.
Every likely Eph has gone toward DIM
mersville," Brainerd argued, sand we must
try to catch him."
Before the order could be specifically
given. horse and rider arose over the
edge of the level ground, and came into the
midst of the assemblage. The man in the
saddle had professional aspect, impaired
chiefly by his smoothly shaven face. In
this era Of mustaches. hairless visage is
apt to be assigned to a clergyman, who
shaves thus from motive Of propriety, Rn
actor, who does it from necessity, or SOME
body who aims at facial destruction With