Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-10-16

|A" iS"ViiOi SaSO CONTAINING VIOLIN.
No one had heard him play this in
strument, however, and its existence
had slipped from the memory of the
few idle, curious miners who were
lounging about the entrance of the
tavern when he had alighted from the
stage two weeks before. The red
headed boy, before alluded to as the
assistant dispenser at the bar, had
asked our hero why he didn't "bring
his fiddle out and play" bat the answer
had been:
"My violin is lady; this place is not
fit for her."
That refusal to work on the occa-
sion referred to at the opening of this
story should come from the musician
proved complete surprise to Sanford
There was an ominous look in his eyes,
and when the statement was repeated
he drew q revolver and putting it to
Heimers head said with an oath: "You
will play if say So"
1t was no time for argument and the
performance passed off as usual. But
the pianist looked gloomy, and anyone
with an ear for the music must have
felt that smothering volcano was
next the instrument. Business re-
vived little that evening and when
the place was cleared Sanford invited
his assistants to "come up and have
something" The two vocalists did not
need second bidding, but Heimer,
pleading illness, retired to his room.
The something" amounted to a
great deal. The two actors and mine
| host became hilarious, and an hour
after the close of the performance in
the hall one would have supposed a
German saengerfest was being held
there. All three were singing and
shouting, and to those who had wit
messed the disturbance in the ''green-
room" early in the evening it appeared
that the matter had been amicably
settled. This, in fact, was the impress
sion Sanford most desired to give, and
was really his object in effecting a
temporary reconciliation,
There was great uproar in camp
the next morning. Sanford had been
found dead with knife in his heart,
and, though the man, was little liked,
still, on the frontier murder does not
go unpublished. The fundamental law,
"a life for life" is always enforced
So the first question the excited men
asked each other was: "Who did it?"
A coroner's jury was hurriedly organ
lied, with old Jim Reeves at the head.
That morning when the bartender had
opened the shutters of the room he
had found Sanford's body lying out on
the floor in a pool of blood He testi-
fled that he had left the barroom late
the night before, but didn't know the
exact time. Everyone had gone to bed
but Sanford, himself and the two actors,
as he termed the man and woman who
had amused the crowd the previous
evening He had thought that Sanford
was trying to make up with them
after the quarrel that had occurred, and
he said that all three were intoxicated.
This testimony cast suspicion on one of
the two, and forthwith posse of men
went in search of the husband to learn
what he had to say for himself.
The knife on the body was one nc
one in the camp had seen before. II
was of curious workmanship, and evil
IDENTIFY of foreign manufacture, having
the mark of a Vienna cutlery firm en-
craven on the blade. Our comic man
was brought in between his two captor:
in very pitiable plight Not yet sob
cred from the nights debauch, he
looked about the crowd of men in q
dazed sort of way Questions were put
to him several times before he coult
answer them, and even then his replies
were sententious and inuendoic. After
much questioning and beating about il
was learned that the knife belonged tC
''the Dutchman," which turned the
search in the direction of the violinist
Two minutes later the self-appointeC
officers rushed in with the news tina
the German had skipped with all his
belongings" No proof of mans
guilt could be more convincing.
jim detailed three or four men t.
keep an eye on the other suspect, anC
five minutes afterward he with dozer
others were searching the whole coun
try round for the missing man. Tht
few men left in camp gathered il
groups and discussed the exciting
: event. AS the afternoon advanced, on,
by one of the searching party returned
bearing no news, and it was not unit
the beams of the western sun lay lik,
5 ribbon of yellow gold on the ridge o
! hills skirting the town, that jim
r Reeves and his followers at last Dor,
: their prisoner in triumph into tn
} camp. Jim said they had found thei
5 man at @ unconcernedly talking t,
| q hotel man there with whom he hat
: made arrangements to pass the night
"He was a cool one" they said, no
a nerve quivcred when they shove,
him the knife, although he prompt,
acknowledged its ownership. Upol
learning that he was wanted" for tn
murder of Sanford he had paled
little, but had strongly protested hi
innocence To be surrounded as h
was then by crowd of excited, roug
men accusing him of murder wa
certainly not calculated to make an
man cheerful, however innocent h
might feel himself to be. Tallin
their prisoner to the dance hall, whic
on this evening was made to do servic
as justice court, they gave him a
opportunity to tell his story. He had
he said, packed his valise the night be
fore and Immediately after the pei
Torrance left place in which he ha
been compelled to work at the risk c
his life. He had missed his knife
which he had treasured as mement
of his native land, but as he couldn
q account for IL being ont of his noSSe,