Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-09-22
ms GUARDIAN ANGEL
Z STRANGE SECRET 4 TRAVELLER
kEpT FROM his WIFE.

:. Aprerisiea kept Hi1 rrea fak-
- . rrsan ANA sAvsa nts Iass-A cs.r
....,.~ ssase Rela " and che fasssn-
-ss.s murdered
..Thers are some things a man never .e''s
II. wife, said John as he gave we w !"
his half smoked cigar nip with ais n's'e
finger. - IL. xs,.,,,
with sarcasm.
mean things Of innocent nature.
why didn't you say 50 them -.
After pause John began 70 ven n's
,,,-r II WAS trae. he said. and the sober
mess with which he told 1t and tue Stern
ss,l an his fac, forhade further levity;
- want in 1870 TO Prescott, A. I. know
NOW went to make jsekass of myself,
mt thought then Twas coming hacS with
slathers OF money. There were three kinds
N business done there then, ranehing. MN
inc and gambling, and wasn't good for
any 81 these, 20 concluded to come home.
There was fellow named Berry troal
cleveland who had been in the territory
I'm, enough TO get about $4,000 saiied
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 fhes.
nix 70 Maricopa, riding for two days aud
one night
I'VE got tn Marioopa about $50 In tue
afternoon. There were two ways OF getting
a., irom here. Oae was to 90 through 10
san Francisco, and then take the Central
and J'rion Pacific. The other way WAS to
leave Naricopa by train, go to Demins,
then take stage there and ride ABOUT ~
miles. striking q railroad there. saving
probably $50 in money and four days ia
time, OF course Berry and l chose the
ouicker route We bought our tickets anu
GOT cur trunks checked by way OF peming.
The telegraph operator told me there was
trouble sometimes on the stage route AFTER
leaving Deming, passengers getting 'heiu
IN. bat there had never been any one hart.
Tho train lay there ut Maricopa half an
hour for supper. Berry and were walk,
on the platform smoking. Our trunks had
been nut aboard aud 50 Berry said, Let's
o,,t aboard, Jack | threw away my ei'
gar. 1t was just twilight, and the lights
were Ii shtel ou the train Berry told mo
to 80 aboard, that he was going TO get a
glass Of beer. So he went out OF sight. IL
lacked 10 minutes Of starting time l
went toward the car, and luss before ! got
| 10 the .,ers saw standing on the second
step my little girl! Ny Godl | can ~
member how felt nowl | thuught--just
as "A man will before reason stops him
that she had core out west TO get me, and
that her mother was in the car waiting Tor
me 10 come in. But when Lot rid OF that
thought, realizing that they were AT home
In Rhode Island. shiyered from head To
feet aad grew icy cold.
There ON that step stood little En-. She
hadn't any hat oil. The lights frem the
station lamps shone across her yellow curis
and lighted up her face. She was deathiy
white and, oh. 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 1t bare. !
looked at her AID smiled sadly, but she
never smiled back. She raised her little
arm aud pointed down the track, which
curved little igst ahead of the station,
and slowly shoo. her head from side TO
side, her face growing awful in its solem
nifty.
Just then IA man went toward the steps
| mounted them, went through the place
where my child stood, and whcn he dsap-
peared inside the ear sha was not there
Berry eunIe out of the dining room and
| said: 'Hcllol Thought you was aboard'
Then added. W hats the matteri' kindly
and in concern.
I'm ,ich, Berry | said i can't 20 Oh
tonight He took me into the dining room
and got mo u scat and u drink OF brandy,
and then like "a first rate fellow, just rs he
was, had our trunks taken of. and by re
quest our tickets were taken hack aud
money returned, We staid all N CHIT mt the
hotel, rs they called it. 1t would be u
shanty in the cast
Before we went to bed telegraphed to
New York, asking if my wife and child
were well, saying, Wire me at once to Los
Angeles
The next day we left Maricopa at .
o'clock and got into Los Angeles the fol
lowing day Ia the late afternoon. | got Il
telegram there saying they were all we'll ut
home.
The newsboy was crying his papers. ]
heard his sbrill little voice saying Awful
massacre ! bought n paper. and when ]
saw the big headline was SO sick aud faint
had to sit Iowa aud wait moment.
That traiu which | didn't take ~ Mari
cupa bad carried its eastern passengers to
m awful doom The stage had been
stopped when it, was Is miles out from
Deniing, aI.d ever soul WAS murdered
The bodies were all nutilatca; some were
bound to the stage wheels with wire and
burned. There were two women and a
baby among the passengers. The baby lay
dead with its pitiful little wide open eyes
staring MP al the implying, bright blue
sky, aud in tho mothers hand WAS cliuched
piece OF les white dress. Didn't that tell
u storyf
The driver of the stage was shot, the
four horses killed, aud the sight was one to
horrity thote who found the eight mangled
and cbarred bodies.
Indians did you say' No, people didn't
think 50. Indians are dirty. indecent, foul
ly immoral, but its takes Mexican to get
IN the uicetics OF atrocity.
When got back, my wife said, John,
what did you sand that Telegram from
Maricopa fori' said: What do you sup
poser just wanted to know if You were
both well. that's all
Il never told her word of what I've told
you, and if Berry is living now and secs
i. ~