The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-05-01

heaQDonru was an immense AFFAIR MADE o.
oak, and was covered over with carvings
of ancient and odd designs. At the points
| against which the pillows OF the bed
should rest had been carved the heads CT
two hideous looking dragons. with opef;
| mouths and eyes Of blood red beads
81 am afraid of them, take It awayr'
cried the young wife. when she saw the
carved dragon heads On the hczdboard Of
her bed.
81 brought it over for you," said her
husband, while strange, cruel looking
smile played about his thin lips, "But we
can set it up in the little square room in
the west wing of the house. IL you are
afraid of it."
Mrs Brewer started at the mention OF
the little square room Her husband no
ticed it, and again that strange smile came
to his lips,
"You can see that the servants put it
there he said, and then his wife looked
relieved
''She is hiding him in that roomp' Thur
ston heard the master say to himself as he
turned away.
The day after the bed was put in the
room one of the slaves went there for sorne
purpose She had scarcely crossed the
threshold when, with a scream Of terror
that aroused the household, she turned
and fed.
Thurstcn and his master reached the
room at the same time, but before they
could enter Mrs Brewer, with a white face
and a look of terror in her eyes ran By
them. They followed close behind her and,
lying full length on the old Norman bed,
they found the handsome young stranger
dead.
My brother! Oh, my brother, speak to
mel" cried Mrs. Brewer, as she threw her
self on the bed and placed her arms about
the neck of the dead man.
At these words guilty, startled look
passed over the face Of her husband, but
only Thprston noticed it.
Startling disclosures followed close on
the heels of one another that day. The
dead man had been murdered. A small,
sharp pointed dagger had been plunged
into the top of his head and had entered
the BRAIN causing instant death. The
man was Mrs. Brewers brother, who had
been compelled to leave England because
he was accused of a grave crime, of which
he was innocent, but owing to the death Of
witness he could not clearly establish his
innocence.
Who committed the murder? There the
mystery began in earnest. The officers Of
the law came but found no clew, not even
the dagger.
Two days after the funeral of her brother
Mrs. Brewer went to the room where he
had been killed and threw herself down ON
the bed, weeping bitterly. A few hours
later a servant found her there dead, with
the tears scarcely dry On her cheeks and
the same mysterious dagger wound in the
top of her head.
When the husband came and looked at
the face of his murdered wife, Thurston,
who was watching, saw him tremble and
turn pale, while look of horror came into
his eyes The old servant said nothing,
but from that moment he believed the
master held the key to the mystery.
Again the officers of the law were bsffied,
and when week later old NJ tin Brewer
was found lying dead on the orman bed
of his ancestors. with the same strange
wound in the head, they declared that
human hands had not welded the instru-
ment of death.
Then the big stone house was closed.
Relatives Of Brewer came from England to
take possession of the property, but when
wife appeared they went away and re-
turned no more.
Such was the story of the tragedy of the
haunted house.
What became of the old Norman bed?"
/ asked of Donald Thurston when had
read the story to the end.
1T is rotting there with the old house,
unless the ghosts have carried it away"
Then I am going to have look at it."
answered.
The old man finally agreed to go with
me and help me find the oom that was
called the chamber of death. We found
it after short search through the crum-
bling ruins, and there was the bed in q
fair state of preservation because it had
been sheltered. The dragon heas were
still intact, and hideous looking things
they were. | inspected closely, and look
ing into the open mouth | saw something
that resembled the point Of a dagger.
Bring an ak, and | think we will clear
up this mystery" l said to Thurston, and
he brought it without word
y few blows on the rotting wood and the
mystery of the haunted house was re-
vealed In the mouths of the wooden
dragons, carved on the headboard of the
bed, were concealed two long, slender dag
gers. They were attached TO snring that
was arranged so that the weigh f per
son lying down on the bed hrGst q
dagger into his brain.
In his mad jealousy old Martin Brewer
had planned strange instrument of death.
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