The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-11-23
Highest Of all in Leavenng Power-Lates u S. Govt Report
RE!a!:'!:!! e! BskiRS Bs%asSz
ABSOLUTELY PURE

/ has. With the knife in his hand he went
| back into the mine alone. There was, he
| explained to the eager and bloodthirsty
| Bates, only room for two to fight in that
mine.
| often wish that Crater had been a
more expansive man. 1t would be inter
esting to know something of the thoughts
of that man sitting there alone IN Coun-
! termine b, 10 the dark, moppIng his face
| for the atmosphere was stifling), waiting
while his enemy picked his way through
the soft, powdery earth. Whether, for
| instance, he was surprised at this sign OF
an unexpected science in the savage war
fare waged against US, or whether it was
no more than he had anticipated. He
certainly was strangely persistent abou t
those two countermines-now that I
think oft. Moreover, be was Il man of
jealously guarded theories-I never pay
| much attention to men whose theories
are always hanging out to the air.
Crater always objected to initiating up
country native labor in the art of mining
and blasting for the construction Of
roads.
He sat in Countermine B for nearly an
hour, and then the soft, powdery earth
began to fall upon his head. The other
miner was working at a higher level
Suddenly there was a larger fall of debrls,
and two men were fighting for their lives
in the dark. They rolled over each other
half-choked by earth and the stltiing
heat. George Crater had dropped his
knife, and he had no hand to spare to
look for it. Every second he expected to
feel the grlsly touch of cold steel. But
the wild Joy of mortal combat-the great
est JOY that I, for one, have ever tasted
was upon him. He remembered old
schoolboy tricks, and wrestled as If the
other man was unarmed. To the half
forgotten science of the gymnasium he
added the sterner schooling of his later
life, and spared not his unseen foe. Then
he felt his adversary's fingers at his eyes,
and with fierce joyhe gripped the pal
pirating throat.
For second it was a mere trial of
strength, and then George Crater seemed
to come back to life from some dim land
betwixt life and death. Tie blood was
trickiil from his lips. He felt as If he
had fallen from some great height. He
stumbled to his knees, and, cropping
touched The face of man-his adversary
dead.
He took the body beneath the arms and
dragged it backward to the mouth OF the
tunnel. 1t was essential that the mine
be cleared for the passage Of the. men who
had TO occupy and hold it.
was awakened from half slumber
by Georges voice; and l remember still
the singular breakin IN it which brought
me to my senses like cry of pain.
You chaps" he said, Il have killed
Bird"
We stood looking at him in silent hor-
rQr. He was covered from head to foot
with red, powdery earth. His clothes
was torn; his face, scratched and bleed
ing, had more of anguish in it than have
ever seen in a human countenance.
We went out with him, and it was my
duty to certify that Bird had been killed
by strangulation. l have never seen the
body of a hanged man, but 1 imagine that
George Crafer's strong fingers had the
same effect as a rope and drop. The
spinal column was severed.
Crater told US his story then, and he
has never altered it II the smallest par
| ticular since. for one (and I can lay
my hand on another half DOZEN am ready
to swear by all that is highest and holiest
that Crafer's story was true and is true.
But what does that count in the worlds
estimation? Nothing. The world judges
| for itself from newspaper reporter S
secondhand opinion, done into better
| English by night editor who wants to
get home to bed.
| The whole thing was n mystery, and
one of the questions / should like an
swered in the hereafter is. What was
Bird, of the Guides, doing in that mine?
A singular item of evidence was the fact
! that he was dressed IN his paiamas. He
had actually gone TO bed before he crept
out past our sentlr els The enemy had
abandoned their earthworks. Had Bird
discovered this? We knew that he was
| ambitious. He WIS anxious to distin-
gulsh himself by hook or crook. Had he
discovered that the Hilmen were leaving
and with foolhardy courage had con.
ceived the idea of creeping out to their
lines where he actually discovered the
! mouth Of the mine which George Crater
had suspected? I cannot say. Various
opinions were put forth. Some held tha,
Bird had walked in his sleep. Others
were silent. l disllked that silence. Mrs
Tangler held this faction. 1t is woman'c
trick to be silent before ones face anC
very talkative behind ones back.
"It is wonderful" said Crater to me
, that same night, ''how easily mans lif,
may be ruined"
, And that was all he said. 1t was use
: less to pretend that did not understand
, We. both knew that his career was finish
ed.
We got away from that fatal Dakbun
: galow, and in due time reached civlliza
ton. Almost before we were in safety
, was called away to Europe, and thus
z missed the trial and that other trial b,