The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-29
JUAN PEREA's AvENGER.
How the Murderer, Although Undis-
covered, Died.
From the San Francisco Call.


An awful crime had lust been commit
ted at Ortiz. The wealthy Juan Perea,
he whom everybody liked, had been found
dead at his own door, and there was no
trace of the murderer.
1t was old Manuel, the Indian, who
found the body, and when he gave the
alarm great superstitious fear seized all
the people as they fiocked from the doors
of their low adobe houses into the streets
Of the Mexican village Where was the
murderer, and who could he be that
would kill such a good old MANI And
| rob him, too. That was the worst of it,
! And the people made up their minds that
no punishment was too severe to be in
tiicted on the murderer-when they
| found him.
Yes, when they found him 1t looked
as if they never would. There had been
no strangers seen in the village, and
everybody who lived there loved the dead
man too much to even hurt hair on his
head. AS for old Manuel, nobody thought
for moment of suspecting him
There was no clue by which they could
work, and the officers who came up from
Guaymas went home again at the end of
week, weary of their useless task.
The good padre, who buried the muir
dered man out in the desolate graveyard
of sand and cactus where the sun was so
hot it cracked all the wooden crosses, said
prayer that the william might be brought
TO justice. But he had little hope that it
would be.
He has disappeared so completely the
devil must be protecting him, >" said the
old women as they filed out through a
broken space in the crumbling wall that
did duty as a gate. ''Poor old Juan is
dead, and he who murdered him is en-
loying the bloodstained gold he took from
his pockets, " is what they thought as
they slowly walked home after the last
sad words had been said. They passed
the house where the dead man had lived
for so many years and shuddered when
they saw the dark spot on the ground
stained with the blood of Juan that flowed
from the CHASTITY knife wound in his
back
A month passed and poor old Juan was
almost forgotten. His house was still
untenanted. The padre had taken charge
of it and regularly fed the many animal
pets that Juan had taken such an interest
in. They seemed to mourn the loss of
their master more than the people to
whom he had been so good. The muir
derer was still unknown.
Far away from Ortiz, in a beautiful viii
lage of the Sierre Madre, young man
had been trying for weeks to forget some
thlng-Jrylng TO convince himself that he
had not committed a great crime.
He had plenty Of gold and the love of a
beautiful maiden, if he could only forget
Yes, forget that he had killed his father
He could forget il were not for that
strange whirring sound like the tapping
of wings that constantly haunted him
He first heard it Just as he struck the
fatal blow, and since then it has over
ceased, day or night
What was that Surely not the wind,
And II 1t was not why should Leonard
Perea be afraid of a souud2 He who had
faced wild beasts and fought Indians.
But he turned over in bed and pulled the
clothes over his head to keep away the
sound. That awful sound, that first
whirred like flock of pigeons and then
died away like an infants wall.
I'm sure it has nothing to do with the
killing of the old man. said Leonard to
himself, but somehow the whole scene
would come up before him. Again he
was riding along the road TO see the
father he had deserted years ago. He
was not going because he wanted to see
the good old man, but because he wanted
money. Money he must have at any cost
IL was long past midnight when he
knocked at the door, and his father came
out 10 greet him. His father was glad TO
see him, Leonard remembers distinctly,
and when he asked for money took out
bag and gave him a good quantity Of gold
But IL was not enough. He must have IL
all. 10 was such an easy thing 20 do
Only thrust with the knife as the old
man turned 10 go back into the house
after bidding him farewell. and the gold
was his. But what was that whirring
sound The village WAS in darkness, but
10 followed him as hesped down the street
20 his horse, and kept near him as he hew
over the country, farther and farther
away from his crime No, he never got
away from IL. The sound was always
with him.
Ugh There II was again, and Leonard
pulled the blankets over bis head
Morning came. But the whirring sound
came with a. A. night it was nearer