The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-04-08

~ was dWdhc. uJSlCdlly, l. was
asleep. I was fully conscious of the
stir and hustle made by those who were
getting on and off the train; but could
not move muscle.
With all my might I endeavored to
throw off the trance-like spell which
held me, but all to no purpose. The
train moved on and took me with it.
Cold perspiration oozed out through
every pore, and think 1 would have
gone mad, then and there, had not ut
ter unconsciousness mercifully come to
my rescue.
1t was more than an hour before l
regained possession of my senses.
By that time it was impossible to get
back to the junction in time to catch
the homebound train on the brauch
line.
Springing up, the moment I was
conscious, l explained things to the
conductor, offering him any price he
chose to demand if he would run his
train back to the junction and take me
home.
That was out of the question. He
could only do such thing on the order
of the general superintendent, and that
parsonage could not be reached, be-
cause storm the day before had blown
so many wires down that all tele-
graphic communication was cut off.
All could do, then, was to remain
on board the train seven hours more,
when by tramping twelve or fifteen
miles over a craggy, roadless noun
tain, I could probably get home by
noon.
Though the probably" discouraged
me, thanked the conductor for his
advice, shut my teeth hard on my
misery and tried to make the best of it.
That was the longest night of my life.
1t seemed to me that it would never
end.
Day was just breaking when we
reached the station where l was to
leave the train and begin my foot
journey over the mountain.
Hard as was the ascent of that track
less, precipitous mountain side, it was
a vast improvement on the train. I was
in motion myself now, doing something
whether it would avail me anything or
not.
Soon the sun was up. Altogether too
soon it had accomplished half its jour-
ney from horizon to zenith.
tain top, with a good seven miles of
rough walking still before me.
Duke was to be hanged at noon, un-
less l was on time.
At 10 o'clock l was but two miles
away from him, and with all the hor-
rors of my journey presumably behind
me, 1 smiled self-gratulatively at the
thought of how easy the rest would be,
and of how would disappoint those
who were even then gathering to see
my client hanged.
A vine caught my foot and threw me.
Falling, sprained my ankle, and the
pain was so intense that had to exert
every atom of my will to keep from
going into dead faint.
Breaking forked stick from a sap
ling presently I extemporized it into a
crutch and hobbled on as best could
At the end of an hour l had made
but half mile, and was so exhausted
that I knew another fifteen minutes
would bring my locomotive powers to
full stop.
Poor old Duke must die, after all.
There was no help for it, and with an
outcry of utter despair settled on the
ground in a heap.
The mental anguish I suffered in the
half hour which followed was enough
to unseat a mans reason.
Watch in hand I counted the feeting
seconds.
In twenty-five minutes more nv
client would hang, for want of the re-
prieve in my pocket.
And then, joyful sound, 1 heard ap-
preaching feet!
A moment later a negro appeared.
He was old, dirty and stupid-entirely
unable to understand me until men
toned money. When 1 said: II will
give you hundred dollars if you get
this paper in the hands of the sheriff
before II o'clock" with a yell like a
fend he snatched the reprieve out of
my hand and darted away.
Again sought my watch.
My messenger had twenty-five min
utes in which to cover mile and a
half, portion of his route being
through thick underbrush. 1t was
doubtful if he would make it.
The hour which passed before he re-
turned with help seemed hundred
years to me.
Il done got dar," he gasped, nearly
out of breath, 'an' de gemmen am all
safe"
Probably it was unmanly, but I wept
for joy.
They tried to make hero of me for
that exploit, but am too commonplace
and stolid for that. had simply done
my duty. I had saved my client. That
was all.
However, 1 was. rewarded more
gloriously yet.
Before Dukes reprieve expired his
butler was taken seriously i'll. just
before he died he made startling con-
fession.
1t was he who killed Mrs. Duke.
She caught him in the act of stealing
her jewels and he killed her to escape
punishment. Returning a moment
later to make. sure that his victim was
dead, he saw Duke beside the dead
woman with the bloody knife, and so
made capital out of this circumstance
by swearing away his employers life
to save his Chicago Herald.