River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1893-01-12
THE sHApowIn THE MOONLIGHT
4 Weird story About Blind and Demon
alfred Miner.


You couldn't stop man from stalking
out claim If the ground was not al
ready covered, and 50, though meme of
us liked the looks OF this new chap who
came in on US at Strawberry Hill, we
couldn't gainsay his stalking out and
putting up rude shanty. We soon dis
covered that his locks did not belle him
You'd expect to find some bad men in
the mines. but this man, whom we soon
nicxnamed Satan. was worse than any
dozen of them put together.
The way he would curse God and man
was something awful to hear. and we
sometimes wondered why the wrath of
Heaven was not visited upon him. We
ostracized and outlawed him. but he
would not go away. Only the fear
that we would string him up kept him
from doing murder, for he had tenn
per like wild beast.
One day, after dinner. and after
spell at cursing and reviling, he went
down into his claim and fired blast
which blinded him forever. Then he
became worse than before. His ours
ing and raving became so constant
that we built him shanty on
the rocks half a mile away and led
him into ii. Three times day
man was sent up with his meals, and
this continued for weeks and weeks
For long time there was no change in
his health or disposition. Then he
began to show thin and wan and to
cease cursing, and one evening he asked
of the man who brought his meals:
''JiIu, IS thar trail leading up here
from campo"
NO was the reply.
IF anybody was comm down the
trail from Top Notch how could they
hit me?"
"Why, strike across about forty rods
above camp"
"And the door faces that way?"
Eyes"
slows the nights now, Jim?"
Full moon and bright as day."
That was about all that was said. but
wish to tell you here that when Satan
was blinded his eyelds were closed
fast. He could never open them after
except he used his fingers There was
an injury to the muscles controlling
them as well as to his vision. Day and
1 nlgnb were at1ke TO Nun
On that very night, about half an
hour err midnight, a prowling wolf
distu ed our camp and routed out
three or four of our men. They were
driving the beast away when they
looked up and saw shadow on the Top
Notch trail 1t was as light as day. and
there was no question in their minds
II was queer shadow. 1t had the
shape of little old woman, bent over
with age. and it floated about i'm an I'M
certain way. The three or four men
passed from tent to tent and before
| long sixty or seventy of us were out
and had our eyes fastened on the queer
thing. BY and by it foated over the
rocks and shrubs towards Satan's shan
! ty, and every man OF us followed it to
the door and beyond with his eyes.
Its a woman-an old woman =
whispered score of men.
but what can woman be doing
here?"
One or two suggested that somebody
go up to the shanty, but no one volun.
teered. There was something so queer
and uucanny that nobody felt like max
ing closer investigation. 1t was per
haps ten minutes after the figure entered
the shanty before it reappeared. 1t
passed over the same ground in the
same peculiar way. and as il reached
the trail it halted for moment, as il
looking back. Our eyes followed it up
the plain. broad trail until it grew
fair ter and finally dissolved.
what did it look like to your asked
one man of another.
"A little old woman, bent and feeble"
was the reply.
All lad seen alike You may ask why
some one didn't pursue No man had
ever seen a live woman on that trail, or
expected to- This was a woman, and
yet it was not It's presence east an
awe upon every body. Some OF the men
returned to bed, and others gathered in
groups and talked in whispers until
daylight came. There were fifty men
who went up in crowd to Satan's
shanty.
They found him fully dressed an6
seated in the door, and he had beer
dead for hours. Perhaps you expected
that, but let me tell you his eyes were
| wide open, his vision seemed to have
returned, and he was looking across tc
Top Notch trail just as living mar
would-aye, looking and looking. anC
his face had softened and smile hac
crept over it and been held there by the
| fingers of Death.
'It was the spirit of his mother
whispered the men, as they looked intc
the face of the dead man, and SO we
| have oven. believed N " SIM