Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-01-30
KING SOLOMON's TOMB.
Continued fron. page seven.l

PN5N 1S'NhsJ
When the boy q, length stood in tho
upper world of light and liberty he knew
not where he was. He was at the bottom
OF natural caldron nclosed by wall of
rock ana overarched 10y the sky.
AS he stood there vaguely wondering
What ms next move would be, loud Shrek
lolIowed by u groan and ending in peal of
demonlacal laughter broke upon his ear
An, surely he recos nized that soundl 1t
was the rush of the wind through the
watercourse from which he had lust
emerged
Yes, and heard from without he knew it
to be the noise which had given a spot not
far from his uncles cabin the name of the
DEVILS Patch.
Guided by his discovery, the boy clam
bered over the edge of the caldron and
saw near at hand the dwellings of his
friends.
The air was fresh and balmy: the sun
was rising; he had spent the night under
ground.
With all the speed his exhausted condi-
tion would permit, ne made his way to his
uncle's door.
A chorus of shrieks greeted his appear
ance. 1t was not until they had laid hands
upon him that the family would believe he
was not an apparition. The villagers had
sought for his body all the night long, be-
llevlng that he had met with a fatal acct
dent
Franks knees trrmbled under him and
he sank TO the floor, crying: Il have found
him! / have found himr'
When he regained consciousness he found
himself lying upon a bed surrounded by
his friends.
Who have you found, Frank:" inquired
his uncle
Jasper karch,' replied the boy, draw
ing from his pock ct the articles which he
had taken from the body in the cave.
The most intense excitement now pre-
vailed, a thousand questions were show
cred upon the Lao, but exhausted nature
would bear no more-Frank relapsed into
insensibility.
The news was carried to Sedrwick the
trial was suspended, and the coroner and
other officers of the law came down to in
Nesugate this new phase of the case
Ii was not until the following day that
Frank could bear the strain of a formal
examination: then the facts discovered in
his treasure hunting expedition were fully
revealed
The various ar icles belonging to Jasper
karch were iden fled, and in further con
flrmatiOn of his rory Frank was taken to
the DEVILS PG,Cu. where he pointed ont
the crevice from hich he had emerged. A
handsome reward was offered to anv one
who would max. the descent, but no one
was found sufficiently stouthearted TO ven
ture
The sun shorr titfully that morning
Dark masses of cloud swept in unendinc
procession across the sky. The old men
gravely couned the signs and predicted
dirty weather.
That evening the storm came on. At
first quicken ne land breeze, which in
creased in violence until it blew with the
force of tornado. The rain fell in tor
rents, singing the flesh of the unfortu-
mates exposed to the fury of the storm like
halstones.
For twenty-four hours the war of the
elements ragged, and it was not until the
morning of the third day that the clear
sky was seen again.
Few OF the 1ishermen's cabins had es-
capped damage, while many of their boats
had been blown into the sea and carried
away.
Under the combined influence of the high
wind and the eb5 tide the sea had retired
farther than the Oldest inhabitant remem-
bered to have seen it. A broad belt of
sand appeared. .'retching as far as the eve
could reach al, - the shore
Frank Brysuu had sauntered down to
the beach, walking unconsciously in the
direction of King Solomon's tomb. when
he was startled by observing that the en-
trance stood high and dry above the water.
He called to the fishermen and pointed
to the dark opening in the rocks 4 party
was quickly organized for the purpose of
recovering the body of Jasper Karch.
Under the leadership of the bov the task
was an easy one, the men returning in an
hour with the body of the old man resting
upon rudely constructed litter.
The corpse was carried into the nearest
cabin and the coroner summoned. The cx-
element in the village was intense 1t was
believed, without a doubt, that evidence
was about to he produced which would
make Jack Hastings free man.
Polly Anderson flung her arms about the
neck of her cousin, overv hclmia. him
with her graft udr
When the coroner and his physician ar
rived it was with difficulty that he inquest
could be inau guratcd.
At length jury was secured and sworn.
The body WIS identified as that of the
missing man. Jasper Karch
The outer pockets of the garments of the
dead man were empty, their contents hav-
ing been brought to the village by Frank.
But when his vest was unbuttoned a
pocketbook of oiled canvas was discovered
1t contained etters, papers and bank notes.
1t had stains of blood upon it, and one
paper hastily folded was particularly
marked with the imprint of bloody fingers
An examination of the body revealed a
crushed and broken leg, from the lacerated
arteries of which it was evident that the
life blood had oozed away
Another Unexpected light was thrown
upon the affair by the presentation of the
anchor of Jasper Karch's boat, which had
been found st to the rocks in front of the
cave by the party who had gone in search
of his body.
When the anchor was held up before the
jury for examination fisherman pushed
himself to the front and asked to be sworn.
His request being complied with, he testi-
fled that he had seen Jasper Karch in his
boat sailing in the direction of King Solo
Dc go.