Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1893-08-18

ou'pAASSU w SIC - AiklIu III Uno UdIlOT,
when I had left the gas turned low.
The front door was Eolted anu could
| not be opened with our night key,
neither was there any response to cul
repeated ringing of the bell, which
we could distinctly hear reverberat,
ing through the house. We waited
several minutes in breathless sus.
Ecnse, and Is nc response came tc
Harry's last frantic efforts, which
fairly pulled the bell out by the roots,
We went around to the back door ia
see If we could gain an entrance
tharc.
1t stood open. AS we came UP the
steps we could see the interior of the
kitchen at a glance. Everything was
in confusion, chairs we're overturned.
Mary's work basket and its contents
strcwcd over the floor, and Mary her.
self, Hound hand and foot and
gagged, lying in IL helpless heap under
tine kitchen table.
She turned her besceching eyes to
us, hearing steps approaching. and
VIC flew to her ass stance. My hus-
band carried her into the sitting
room. while | "a for camphor and
ammonia, for she was quite hystcrical
and for some time could not tell us u
connected story. What we finally
gathered was this: AS the evening
was warm, Mary SAT- in the kitchen
with her work, leaving the outside
door open to catch the breeze from
the west. She was sewing Quietly.
eve thinking of harm, when she
Eea,d stcalthy steps and looking up
saw two masked figures on the very
threshold. In a moment they had
seized and gagged her, and with u
pistol at her head compelled her to
show them where the silver and my
jewclry were kept. Not content with
what they found, they made up large
bundles of Ilarry's and my hest
cioJncs, then binding her hand and
foot, so she could not give the alarm,
they had left her in the pitlable state
in which we found her. She showed
us her poor bruised wrists, where the
rope had been pulled so tight the
flesh was cut and swollen.
Our sympathy for poor Mary was
so great that we hardly realized our
loss, but in looking through the house
we found that the burglars had made
8 pretty clean sweep of everything of
value. They took such odd things,
for besides the basket of silver my
choicest tablecloths and napkins had
been taken, underclothcs, linen sheets
and pilIowcases, and several of my
best dresses and Harry's wardrobe had
also suffered. They had not secured
much OF my icwelry, as most of it 1
kept in a small safe which weighed
200 pounds, and was too heavy for
n man to lift alone.
Mary could give no description of
the men, as they were closely masked.
My husband telegraphed to Philadel-
phia for detectives and two were sent
up. After spending several days in
shadowing innocent people they re-
turned to the city, leaving us no
wiser than before their visit, but with
our purses considerably lighter. The
chest of silver in the attic I now
opened to supply the place of what
had been taken. / called Mary to
help me carry it down stairs. How
her eyes danced when she saw the
rich contents of the chest, and how
fcrvent were her thanks that the
burglars had not known of this extra
amount.
We felt very grateful to Mary and
cared tendcrly for her until she was
quite strong again. She said she suf-
fered greatly with her teeth. The
gag had been put in her mouth so
roughly that it had loosened some of
them, and she now made frequent
visits to the dentists. Often she was
gone the entire afternoon. She al
ways took a bundle with her. Once
l questioned her about it. she said
that she wrapped up the waist Of an
old dress to wear in the dentists
chair to keep her dress fresh, and 1
could but commend her prudence and
careful forethought.
One evening at dusk. when Mary
was out, 4 went tor u stroll with my
husband. AS we were ascending a
steep hill on the outskirts of the town
we saw two figures at the top. clearly
outlined against the evening sky. My
husband hastily drew me into a
thicket ut the side of the road. AS
the figures approached, 1 saw in the
faint light that one was Mary and an
evil-looking man was with her. They
stopped near US, ard Mary handed
him the bundle she carried, said
something about s'meltlng." 1
thought she was referring to the very
warm day just over; then hastily sep
arating, as a carriage was seen com.
ing up the hill, she called out; 81
will be here next week at the same
hour" and walked rapidly away. My
confidence in Mary was somewhat
shaken in finding that she did have
acquaintances in the place. when she
had told me she knew no one: but ]
did not refer to the meeting we had
witnessed when l went to the kitchen
to give her the order for breakfast.
Harry looked unusually grave the
next few days. and he would not let
me share his thoughts. His only
answer to my questions was a bright
smile and the vague remark: II have