Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1889-10-30

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~ teu1enA s tAs examination %
1oeS0W-oamnnunod N Batterwurtha
nan, q Spsfa-snd T bot here tOo lats
~ eSeAtvom Nithe STOVE ID II, and,
Wocss sllll. I must take ) room with
hnc1koe Nd 81 il, and with y stranger
Tor eDmp4ny. And NJ may I lust warn
my fingers and toes by your Are, and
leAyH my carpet bar under your bed r
He laughed whsn he spoke III the
carpet bAg; but yHks he did mot know
whet sort VI i faculty his strange,
rconynate might have for getting ur
AMI walking of in the night.
Of course 1 granted him his request,
and he put his carpet bag under my
bed, and then sat down by fny stove,
and We chAtted socially enough fol
half m hour Or m3re without once
nlludfng 10 the business which had
brought the pair Of us to Wiltonburg.
His conversation was pleasant, and
really come to like tho fellow: and ]
thought TO myself that / had been
p~retndiced against him without cause.
AT length he arose, and babe me good.
night, and went away, and shortly af
terward / retired.
/ had been in bed but a little while,
when another rap uron my door dis.
turbed me; and to my demand Of what
was wanted / received answer from
Laban Shaw. He babe me not tc
light a lamp. He had only come 70,
his nightgown. He could get it in the
dark. / arose and unlocked my door,
and his apologies e many and earn.
est. He always slept, in winter, in q
flannel nightgown, and he had thought.
lessly left it IN his carpet-bag. He was
sorry--very sorry. He had thought te
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 fnmbled over his bag, / went
to the stove to make double assurance
that the fire was all right. / offered
to light q match for him, but he said
he had got his dress and all was right,
He then went out, and ! closed and
locked the door after him, and then 20,
back into bed.
But ] was not to sleep. / had been
very sleepy when Shaw disturbed me
but an entirely different feeling pos
sessed me now. First came a nervous
twitehing in my limbs "A @craw'
~ feeling. rs some express
it-that sensation which induces gap.
ing and yawning, but which nc
amount Of yawning could 10Y subdue.
By-and-by q sense OF nightmare stole
upon me; and, though perfectly awake,
. n IS Of impending danger pos.
sessed me. At length, so uncomforta.
BILE did / become in my recumbent
position, that / arose and lighted my
lamp, resolved to replenish my fire,
and dress myself, and see il l could
read away my nervous fit.
My lamp was lighted, and rs l 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. |
stopped to examine it, and found ii fas.
ct both ends. / brought the lamp and
took q more careful survey. The string
was q 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 l was suspicious OF evil, and my
senses were painfully keen. Raising
the hanging edge of the coverlel
l 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 il mean? Had the mar
accidentally carried the end Of the line
away with his Dight-dress without no.
ticing it? drew the bag out from be.
meath the bed, and as | held its jaws
apart / saw, within, q 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 / saw that the muzzles of the pts.
tol barrels were inserted into the end
Of an oblong box, or case, Of galvan-
lied iron. And I comprehendcd, too,
that a very slight pull upon that string
might have discharged the pistols
and, furthern ore, that a man outside oi
my door might have done that thing
For q little time my hands trembled
so that / dared not touch the inferna,
contrivance; but ut length / composed
myself, and went at work. First, / cu1
the string with my knife; and then, a.
carefully as possible, / eased down The
hammers Of the pistol, after which
| drew il from the iron case. I had iust
done this when l heard a step in tn.
hall outside my door. Quick as though
! sprang up, and turned the key, ant
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 an aspen. / was stronger than h.
at any time, and now he was as a chile
in my hands. I grasred him by th,
collar, and dragged him into my room
and / pointed the double arrelet
| pistol at his breast; and / told him
would shoot him as / would shoot
dog Il he gave me occasion.
He WAS abiect and terrified. Like
whipped cur he crawled at my feet
and begged for mercy. His mastel
had hired him to do it with promise O
great reward. 1t had ~transpired tina
my testimony before the jury would b,
conclusive OF Butterworth's guilt, ana
Butterworth had taken this means I,
get lid OF me. In his great terror
the poor accomplice made . full con
fessicn; and when he had told all
released my grasp. He begged that
would let him go; but / dared not
my duty would not allow it. / RAM
my bell, and in time the hostler, VIII,
slept in the Office, answered my sum
mons. | sent him for an officer, and q
length had the satisfaction Of seeing
my prisoner led safely away.
On the following day the carpet-baf
was taken before the Grand Jury ant
the iron case examined by an experi
| unno6 chamis< essistod NV an old NJ