The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-21

came from the interior of the stage, where
the darkness was dense.
He is numbering me-" yelled Harper.
"Save me, save meP'
A scene of the widest confusion i'm
mediately ensued. The driver pulled up
his horses so rapidly as to throw the lead
ers back upon the wheelers. Those on top
of the stage tumbled off and rushed to the
doors, both of which were open. One with
more presence of mind than the others
struck match and lit a candle which he
carried, and then a horrible picture was
disclosed. Harper was lying on the bot
tom of the stage bleeding profusely from
an awful wound in his side. He had only
time to gasp out, THAT man George MUIR
dered and robbed me-" before he expired.
George was gone and with him the valise
containing the coin of the cattle-trainer.
Gentlemen" said the stage-driver, 1T is
no use, as you will understand, to chase
that villain through the darkness of this
forest. We will push on to Last Chance,
where Dan Burns, the Sheriff of Caribou,
is, and put the matter in his hands,"
When an hour or SO afterward the stage
drew UP at Last Chance, twenty miles
from Barkerville, another discovery was
made. Percy lilly, as well as George, the
murderer, was missing. No mining country
could boast of more orderly community
than Barkerville. Unlike California min
ing camps, the knife and the pistol as
weapons of offense were unknown. There
fore this foul and treacherous murder ex-
cited the people to the utmost. A mass
meeting was held, over which the Sheriff
presided, to organize a search party for the
capture of the murderers. In that wild
and unsettled country, where he would
have to seek the settlements for provisions,
there did not seem to be much difficulty
about running him down. The testimony
OF the passengers all pointed to the fact
George at the forks of the Quesnal was
the thief and the assassin. The disap-
pearance of the boy Percy lilly was hardly
noticed among the grim surroundings of
the tragedy. He might or might not have
laid over at their last stopping place, and
there was so little interest taken in him
that he ceased to be feature in the his
tory of the crime.
The inn at Last Chance, twenty miles
from Barkerville, was carefully watched.
A sort of a picket line was spread along the
road from there to the Forks. But two
weeks passed over and no intelligence was
received. Poor Harper had been buried
and his estate passed into the hands OF
his brothers. 1t was found by his accounts
that the stolen wallet contained between
eight and nine thousand dollars in gold
and bills. There were also some letters oil
credit on banks of Victoria, which were not
considered negotiable. Three weeks
passed without any trace of the assassin
being found, and the search was consid.
cred as hopeless. Harper's business was
conducted by his brothers, and but for the
dark stain on the bottom of the stage
coach, the fearful murder of the forest
might be considered but as a fitful dream.
A party of miners sat down one evening
some three weeks after the tragedy at Dave
Quartz, to sociable game of cards III the
course of the game stranger wandered in
from the street and called for drink. AS