The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-10-13
Saved Two Lives
By a Light Laugh
Thrilling "reminiscences of the Old
Mining Days on the Coast.
ONE OF THEN SHE MURDERED
She Relates Narrative of Mingled Mis-.
fortune and Depravity Which Is
Almost Without a Parallel in
the Annals of Modern Crime.

OOAhO AZ yCdAo akOt WhCh hy dAodAAO AAAA7
ing was greater industry in the northern
part of California than now, all the big
mines had watchmen armed with shot
guns and navy revolvers. 1t was their
business not to ask the thieves to surren-
der and then to shoot them il they did
not, but to shoot them first and argue the
points of the case afterward. AS an in
centlve many mining superintendents Of
fered their watchmen $50 for every Chi
nese robber killed.
Ten years ago, when was an employee
of hydraulic mining company, says a
San Francisco Chronicle writer, was in
vited to spend o night with the regular
watchman and accepted. 1t was hazy
night. There was quarter moon, but
the sky was covered by a stratum of misty
clouds We crept into the shadow Of
huge overhanging bowlder, and, our guns
beside us, began our long silent watch.
Stretching away for hundred yards above
and below us was the sluice with its treas
ure laden rifles All about us were piles
of bowlders, deep cuts and the irregular
surface Of the bedrock.
1t was nearly midnight when the watch
man uttered nerve thrilling "Shp'
His trained ear had caught familiar
sound, and he whispered to me:
"Somebody's coming!"
A minute later we saw shadowy form
stealing down the rough, dangerous path
that led into the mine from the top of
'"HA IA c chinamsn, him. man. said le watohman.
"By the Lord, there's anotherr'
Sure enough, there were two of them.
They were still too far away to be seen
plainly. They appeared to suspect moth
ing of our presence for they came on rath
er carelessly, and now and then we heard
them speak. Their feet crunched the dry
gravel. The watchman said:
81 don't sabe this. They must be after
the sluices, but somehow they seem too
reckless. Let's wait q bit, and they'll
come right up to us. Then we can finish
'em off. :"
1t was as he said. They came very near
us, and we discovered that they were not
Chinese. The discovery was made just in
the nick Of time. Two shotguns, heavily
loaded with buckshot, were leveled upon
them, and q moment later the triggers
would have been pressed, but just then
there came to us girls light laughter and
a mans deeper chuckle. The guns were
lowered.
"Well," gasped the watchman, "that
was little near"
We sat very still. The man and his
sweetheart walked near us and sat down
upon another big rock. We recognized
them both. The man was schoolteacher,
and the girl was-well, she was his sweet
heart.
They sat there for an hour with their
arms about each other and talked. He told
her that old story in the old way, and she
dropped her head over against his shoulder
as she listened. Her lips were temptingly
upturned, and he kissed her now and then
just to punctuate his sentences. He strok-
ed her hair and asked her If she was sure
she had always loved him. She said she
had
And We've sat there listening. The
watchman's face was white, and his hands
kept fondling his gun. L I did not like
eavesdropping, and wht pcred to him to
that effect, but he only hook his head.
So we sat and heard it all My companion
was the regular watch1 hn. 1t was his
duty to be there. II
Presently the schoolte4cher said some
thing did not catch, but the girls an
swer was plain enough.
Fred" she cried, with laugh, Fired!
Oh, you goose! You know I was only
playing with Fred. The great fool Why,
was just using him for poodle. You
pat him on the head, and he'd have fit.
You dear old muggin, How could you
imagine was soft on Fred-the idiot"
She was talking of my companion, the
watchman. looked at his face, which
CLEANED pale In the moonlight, at his
grimly SET lips and then at the hammers Of
his gun drawn back to full cock. The look
Of bitterness and hate passed quickly into
one of scorn. The watchman, who had
been the girls poodle" actually smiled.
Quick as was, he was quicker. There
was burst Of flame, q deafening double