The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1893-10-24
HIS GUARDIAN ANGEL
A STRANGE SECRET A TRAVELLER
KEPT FROM HIS WIFE.
How an Apparition Kept Him From TAX
ing a Train and Saved His Life-A Con-
Meeting Stage Held Up and the Passon-
gers Murdered.

How an Apparition Kept Him From TAX
ing a Train and Saved His Life--A Con-
Meeting Stage Held Up and the Passen-
gers Murdered.
"There are some things man never tells
his wife" said John as he gave the tip of
his half smoked cigar flip with his little
finger.
''The ayes have it." replied his friend,
with sarcasm.
81 don't mean it in the sense you do. I
mean things of innocent nature"
why didn't you say so them"
After a pause John began to tell his
story. 1t was true he said, and the sober
ness with which he told it and the stern
look on his face forbade further levity:
II went in 1880 to Prescott, A. T. know
now went to make jackass of myself,
but / thought then was coming back with
slathers of money. There were three kinds
of business done there then, ranching, min
ing and gambling, and 1 wasn't good for
any of these, so | concluded to come home.
There was a fellow named Berry from
Cleveland who had been in the territory
long enough to get about $4,000 sailed
down, and he said he would come to the
States with me. There was no railroad
then, so we took the stage by way of Phoe-
nix to Maricopa, riding for two days and
one night
1--WE got to Maricopa about $3.50 In the
afternoon. There were two ways of getting
east from here. One was to go through to
San Francisco, and then take the Central
and Union Pacific The other way was to
leave Maricopa by train, go to Deming,
then take stage there and ride about 40
miles, striking railroad there, saving
probably $50 in money and four days in
time OF course Berry and l chose the
quicker route We bought our tickets and
got our trunks checked by way Of Deming
The telegraph operator told me there was
trouble sometimes on the stage route after
leaving Deming, passengers getting held
up, but there had never been any one hurt
1.-THE train lay there at Maricopa half an
hour for supper. Berry and were walk
on the platform smoking Our trunks had
been put aboard, and so Berry said, Let's
get aboard, Jack threw away my CT
gar 1t was just twilight, and the lights
were lighted on the train. Berry told me
to go aboard, that he was going to get
glass of beer So he went out of sight. 1t
lacked 10 minutes of starting time. I
" OAlb OOnhI ehC SesAt 1hA loSV DCAOAC 4 6Oe
to the steps saw standing on the second
step my little grill Ny Godi can re-
member how felt nowl / thought-just
as a man will before reason stops him
that she had come out west to get me, and
that her mother was In the car waiting for
me to come in. But when got rid of that
thought, realizing that they were at home
in Rhode Island, shivered from head to
feet and grew 10y cold.
There ON that step stood little EN-. She
hadn't any hat on. The lights from the
station lamps shone across her yellow curls
and lighted up her face. She was deathly
white and, obi looked so strangely sad.
Her arm was thrown out, barring the way
into the car The sleeve of her little dress
had slipped up her arm and left it bare. |
looked at her and smiled sadly, but she
never smiled back. She raised her little
arm and pointed down the track, which
curved little just ahead of the station,
and slowly shook her head from side to
side, her face growing awful in It's solem-
nifty.
Just then man went toward the steps,
mounted them, went through the place
where my child stood, and when he disap-
peared inside the car she was not there
Berry came out of the dining room and
said: 'Hellol Thought you was aboardp
Then added What's the matterr kindly
and in concern.
"'Tm sick, Berry said. / can't go on
tonight He took me into the dining room
and got me a seat and a drink of brandy,
and then, like a first rate fellow, just as he
was, had our trunks taken off, and by re-
quest our tickets were taken back and
money returned. We staid all night at the
hotel as they called it. 1t would be a
shanty in the east.
Before we went to bed / telegraphed to
New York, asking IL my wife and child
were well, saying, Wire me at once to Los
Angeles
1.-THE next day we left Maricopa at o
o'clock and got into Los Angeles the fol-
lowing day in the late afternoon. / got
telegram there saying they were all well at
home.
THE newsboy was crying his papers. |
heard his shrill little voice saying, Awful
massacre. / bought paper, and when
saw the big headline l was so sick and faint
had to sit down and wait moment.
THAT train which didn't take at Mari
copa had carried its eastern passengers to
an awful doom. The stage had been
stopped when it was 10 miles out from
Deming, and every soul was murdered
The bodies were all mutilated; some were
bound to the stage wheels with wire and
burned. There were two women and
baby among the passengers. The baby lay
dead with its pitiful little wide open eyes
staring up at the IMPLYING, bright blue
sky, and in the mothers hand was clinched
piece of its white dress. Didn't that tell
a story
1.-THE driver of the stage was shot, the
four horses killed, and the sight was one to
horrify those who found the eight mangled
and oharred bodies.
Indians, did you say4 No, people didn't
think so. Indians are dirty, indecent, foul
iy immoral, but its takes Mexican to get
in the niceties Of atrocity.
when got back. INV wife said. John