The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1894-01-16

the shelter of the huge pillars of tn,
porch, she regained her room ant
bod. But as she slipped off hel
wooden cloak she heard from tn,
window
Yes, it is in a safe place"
"And Harper and Freer and Ur
VIM"
"They have crossed the river anC
are flying toward the border"
my horse ready2 Goodby. Yot
shall hear from me-"
When the Shannons descended il
the morning, it was to find the place
deserted Every man, woman and
child had fitted during the night
OF the hundred slaves not one was
left. All had been transferred across
the river and were far on their way
with their master in his fight from
justice They had gone so silently
that the Shannons' servants had not
even been aroused. After an hour OF
so the officers from Jackson arrived.
They had lost their way during the
gloom of the night and came now to
find their birds flown, and though
Fredericks led the way to the spot
where the treasure had laid that,
too, was gone, and none might say
where it now was
Years passed away, the war was
over, the south lay PROSTATE, suffer
ing for her sublime folly, and Mary
Shannon was a widow, with poverty
staring her in the face. Too delicate
ly nurtured to understand how to
work proftably, she had won bare
livelihood with her needle, when, one
day, musing over her past life and
the memory of that awful night in
that robbers den, came to her like
an inspiration-the treasured None
could claim it, or if she should find
an owner for the stolen articles she
had heard mentioned she would of
course restore them, but the great
mass would be impossible of identi-
6cation.
With her last coin she bought a
ticket back to the old Kenneth plan
tation. to find it lying ruined, the
fields overrun with blackberry vines,
weeds and rank vegetation, in which
the bob whites" made merry and
the nimble bares skipped fearlessly.
Recalling every incident of that
night, she sole once more across the
open yard ind soon found the tree
under which she waited to see the
fearful tragedy on the water. She
knew it by the great gnarled branch
that reached out over her head like
a menaciIg arm, and ON the line of
her vision as she looked toward the
river she beheld a small islet and
knew thtt there hidden lay the
treasure. purchased by crime and
dyed with blood and sealed by
treachery.
Murrel had been taken that very
night and brought to prison, where
he never told his secret, but suffered
it to die with him. The rest of the
gang had scattered to the four cor
ners of The globe, or venturing back
had looked in vain for the hiding
place, the story of which had never
been told them.
Hiring a small boat and accom-.
panied by four negroes from the near
est village to whom she told of the
family plate concealed there during
the wal, Mary Shannon had the islet
thoroughly searched, but nothing
was fond of the box, and she was
about TO conclude that the whole
scene bad been but phantom seen
in dream, when she remembered to
have seen the boat bend nearly to the
waters edge by the weight of the
four men on that eventful night as
if they lowered something into the
river to give it to the keeping of the
river god himself -.
She noted stump that leaned far
out over the water, and though the
men warned her that her hand might
come into contact with water moe
casin she passed it over the wood,
following its end under the murky
tide, and thrilled as she felt a chain
tightly bound about it.
She tried then to pull the chain up,
but it was weighted heavily at the
other end, and it took the united
strength of all four of her crew to
raise it. The sit" was stout chest
of cedar bound about with iron and
clasped with large paddock. ~
Once in her room in the hotel of
the little town which she made her
headquarters, she opened this box to
gaze down with amazement at the
handfuls of golden coins, cleaning
jewels and massive plate, in value
amounting to nearly 81, 100000.
For much of the last she found |
as it was marked with
names illustrious in the state and ad |
joining ones, but with the money
and jewels she restored her family |
home, so that at last heavens bless
ing rested on the robber Murrel's ill |
gotten gains. Philadelphia Times.
New YOrk's Dog Parade.