The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-08-26
EBENsBURG. PA. FRIDAY. AUGUST 26. Is

my pillow. l strove To grasp them, but
my hand seemed paralyzed.
He entered, closed the door noiseless-
ly, and crept on tlptoc toward me,
keeping the knife still firmly clutched.
Heavens, was / to be murdered in my
bed, with revolver and knife under
INV pillow? But he did not give me
much time for delibcratiOn. With
cat-lille tread. my visitor neared my
bed He was now bending over me
with the knife appraised ready to strike
the blow which would deprive me of life.
/ could feel his hot breath scorch my
check, but | feigned to sleep soundly.
Suddenly puff of wind snapped
limb of one of the trees outside the
cabin and hurled it against the door.
He lowered the upraised hand and
turned quickly about to ascertain the
cause of the noise.
Now was my chance. Far better to
die fighting than he murdered without
raising hand in my own defense.
With a weapon in my hand / would
have "A chance for life, otLer,viS l
would have none. Quick as thought 1
plunged my hand under the pillow. l
had no time to make a choice of the
weapons but took the first one / got
my hand on, long, glittering knife, as
large if not larger than the one he held
in his hand.
Startled by the noise, the villain
turned quickly about. With veil Of
defiance jumped out of the bed and
rushed upon him knife in hand. Nut
tering a curse, he dropped the lantern
and rushed forward 10 meet me.
The knives clashed together with ter
nerve To break the others guard and
drive his knife into the others bosom
II vas q fight for life now. Each of Us
knew that one or the other must die.
My antagonist was tall, muscular fel-
low, while l was mere boy; but what
l lacked in strength l made up III
agility.
After several vain efforts to force
my knife from my hand he began to
lose all control of himself. BY quick
! movement on my part l succeeded in
turning his knife aside and infiicting
deep wound in his shoulder.
With Il yell of rage he sprang upon
me, and before ! had time to leap aside
and evade him he had struck my knife
from my grasp and hurled it 20 the
other side of the cabin, far beyond my
reach.
With almost herculean strength he
bore me TO the floor, and, placing his
knee upon my breast, he held me down
SO that / was powerless- His repulsive
face glowed with dcvIiiSu cxu,tation as
he bent over me, knife in hand.
II guess yer hain't 10 got Wolfang,
have yer?' he said, taUntingly. I'm
goin' TO serve yer the same way.
Won't yer partner ramp and tear when
he finds yer here dead, with this yer
knife in yer carcass and all his dust
gone. Dead men tell no talesr'
! shuddered as he raised the knife
high above his head, ready to plunge it
into my breast, and began to think of
the past. l tried to utter the prayers
my mother taught me when boy, but
l could not.
The knife began to descend, and shut
my eyes TO hide from sight the horrible
! spectacle.
Ah! what was that? The doorway
was darkened for a moment. Then
there was a fash, a report, and the
man with the knife upraised above me
| fell lifeless to the floor ard tainted.
When i returned to Consciousness
Bill Sutton and half dozen sturdy
| miners were bending over me. Bid
J was bathing my forehead. When l re-
( covered sufficiently he related to me
! the circumstances of my narrow escape.
When about fifteen miles from the
/ cabin he had met the supply wagon on
h. slc way to the mines, and, as he h-l
no other business in Stubville but to OBJ
ain supplies, he returned with the
wagon to the miners headquarters,
about 4 quarter of n mile distant After
leaving it he at once hastened to the
:2bi1 and arrived just as the villains
knife was about to pierce my breast
. without a moments hesitation he
brought his rife to his shoulder and
ireG, with the results already known
20 the readcr.-Thomas Charles Levy,
in y. Y. Weekly.