Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-03-05
For The snndnv Gnzelsl

iue huuuoWN OF evening were tiuHluk
darkly IN upon the steep bushgOwn
slopes Of Dead Mans klo0f
High above these slopes eliminated
in rugged overhanging cliffs of red
iroustouc which IN the still, uncertain
twilight assumed bro0dinH lurid hue
as of blood. At the foot of the rayiue
the abrupt, broken face OF the mountain
rose in grim BARRIER This indie
scrbably gloomy and dosolntc ravinc
was 'cul-dc-sac."
II brauchcd latorally ont Of long
winding 'poort' on dehle, hardly less
wild aud forbidlipg. Through ths ran
very rough and seldom frequcntcd
wagon rond. From one point of this
road the roof Of the old house was just
visible standing back in the klout some
zoo or 800 yards.
Those wIio thup sighted it seldom
earcd 10 push their investigations fur
lhcr On The contrary they wore apt 20
uuckcn their pace and widen tlc dis
lance between themselves and the re-
doubted object with nll possible dis
patch. And among those known thus 20
act wore numbered softly Doe IL wills
pepd strong men Of tried courage,
whose cool bravery iu the h1ur OF peril,
and when confronted with uycrWhchn-
Ing odds was q household word even
beyond their Immediate circles. Yet
wliut ON earth was there that was SO
terrifying In so commonplace uu OBJ
1ect as an old matched roof
The house was of hricl, and plus.
Ter and had at most consisted of
but three rooms. 10 was Just Huch
house as might be- found upon the
roughcr kinds OF Bocr stoclIarms iu
the surrounding district. There were
traces Of old sheep l,luuls behind To-
now broken down and thict'y Ovcr-
grown with coarse and tangled herb
nge. About half the structure had Fallen
in, but the rest still dehpd che rayages
of time aud decay Ii stood In uut-
row, open space In the dense bush,
the very picture of forlorn dcsolntidn.
the worm-oateu shutters closed the
door gaping wide open. No smoke rose
from It's chimney. no human voice woke
It's echoes, alone il stood In TO- solitude
The wild dog and the iaclal hnyod 30
The midnight moon beneath los very wallis
and the loud. sOnorous bark of the srn-
linei bnbOOn reverberated In hOHrsg
rumble among the glooming "krant-
Ees."
Those dwelling in the nclghborhood-
the nearest Il mnttor OF twelve miles or
80 dlsAnt-could not remember time
when the house Ia Dead Mans kloof
was inhabited. The mere circumstance
Of Il being thus abandoned to decay aud
dCsolntiOn was sufficient in itself 10 east
pm uncanny hAlo about the plucc. iiut
In point Of fact there was more. There
were hints of mn awful blood curse over
hanging 10, traditions of n terrible trlgc-
dy whereby the locality had gained it's
ll-omenrd name.
But these traditions were very old
Did enough for the occurrence in Which
thcy had taken their rise 10 Ice outside
The memory of the oldest dwclipr u the
neighbOrhOod Tho last inhuhtnnt of
The place In ht of delrum tremens or
Jealousy report wuyorcd as 90 which
had blown away thc head of his young
hftln With NIr tunlUNN uUI INHu
ing the weapon against hiWsrlt bad
taken his own life. Tradition added
that the woman was sriklngly bcnut-
ful
OF late, owing 10 The efforts of The
new rOnd inspector m athletic mud
proportionatcly skcpucal young English
man, attempts had been made to accom-
modate the ruins 60 the usc of the road
parties engaged from time TO time la rec
pairing the wagon track % which we
have alluded az running through tho
adjacent 'po0rt But the natives COM
posing these gangs. eventhough strun-
gers mailing from u distance, soon got
an inlling OF the eyll odor ia which the
place was held, and hauy refused 20
pass another night in H. or anywhere
near It. so the attempts were discou-
tinued. Indeed gn occurrence which
beiell on the worry last Occasion OF the
place being so used WAS suiliriont to sct-
ue the matter once and for all
The men, mostly iloticntots and half
cnstes, had been spending the evening n
Joliication after their won't joking,
concerinu playing and singing Rn-
lions were or d liberal scale, and having
thoroughly eioyed themselves they loy
down To- sleep. Towards the small hours
the whole gang was 0wnkend 10y q series
OF the most frightfu shrnks ever enit-
ted from human throat one of their
number was IN wild commissions, while
nnother lay SO petriHed with terror that
he was perfectly spcechless.
Fortunately thore were bold spirits
among them, who succeeded In a mea-
sure IN ullaying the panic-strickcn tu-
mutt that ensued and altcr u WHILE the
Faculties OF the lenat frightened of the
pair being partially restored, this nan
solemnly stated that while lying acci-
dontally awake he had been startled hy
seeing q figure appear 40 the open door,
The moon was shinlng brightly and hc
made ont the figure 10 be Tint of q
Roman-a White woman too, judging
BY the attire, He lay In q cold sweat OF
Tear, nowerlesa 10 moye watching IL as
plided nearer and nearer Within a
couple of yards of the door II halted the
moon full unon L., and God help him.
he spoke every word Of the truth he
was standing there n thing without q
head -only a pair 81 red aud bleeding
Jaws above tAe headless trunk. champ
ing at him In the moonlight, This
was enough With wild yels of terror
the whole gang straamed forth into the
night, the-pnly idea present ID the mind
OF each frenzied, panie-stricken wretch
being 20 Zee from the neighh1rhoOd
Of the acsursed dwelling as fast as
his legs could carry him In the morn.
ing the oxasperatod road Inspector found
his lahorers scattered 20 the four winds
OF heaven, and an Investigation OF their
quarters Of the night heforc Disclosed
the presence Of no one bua n mounting.
gibberlng idiot on whom the light 81
reason was destined never 20 dawn
again. Not until afterwards lid the
circumstances become fully known.
Up the rugged and lonely road which
bound through the ''poort' Charlton Pua
was urging his lame aud Tired horse
Tic twilight shades we've fRst deeDeninp
into night and the road more narrow.
dusty iibaud between Tie great slopes
Of sOmbge BUSH bogan 90 look vague
and indhtlnct The footballs Of the sfeed
eoulded loud and ehvsuy in the still.
scse seeming to reproduce themselves III
Nntifnie az hcfc and thcgO sOule large
Nutlr nlntfitis at. fha lnnfl ilnuNt lui.lt d