Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-05-21

IL, black IN the face and swollen. Near
by the Lody lay big bundle. The dead
man had on the stolen Claudlus Smiths
boot. Young Pierson pulled off the
boots. On the mans right ankle was
u little purplish-red puncture.
"a rattlcsn~';e had struck him, as
sure as fate.' exclaimed young Person
"The bundle contained the things
stolen from the Person family. George
backed them home, and brought the
boots along. Then he spread the news
Scout finding therobbero SevenSprings
mountain, dead from rattlesnake's
bite.
"And the haunted boots?' folks
asked.
ale had 'em on, said young George.
"Claudius Smith might just as we'll
be living and prowling and butchering
along old Schunnemunk again. they
said. If we're going to keep them
haunted boots Of his working for him!
"But still the Pierson folks couldn't
see what Claudius Smiths boots had to
do with rattlesnakes biting people, and
they kept the boots. No one rknew
who the dead robber was, and they
buried him on the mountain.
"'secms queer, too folks said, that
If Claudus Smith is haunting the boots
he'd turn 'em against a robber.'
Several years went by again before
anyone else wore the haunted boots.
Then relation of the Pierson folks,
who lived down in the Ringwood valley,
came visiting them. He saw the boots,
and took great fancy to 'em. He
wanted to buy EN-, although he knew
the fate of the only two persons who
had worn 'em in years.
"'There amt any rattlesnakes in our
section said he. I'll risk the haunt
"The pierson folks wouldn't sell him
the boots, but they made him a present
of EN-. He took 'em home with 'em.
Some folks say that he didn't tell his
father-in-aw the story of the boots
when he made him a present of 'em
after he got home, and some say he
did. At any rate, the father-in-law
had good deal of property which
would go to this Pierson relations wife
when her father died, and her father
was in the best of health. The son-in-
law made him present of Brainard
Persons haunted boots. The father
in-law put 'em on one day and went
for a walk Not long afterward he
came staggering back home.
HE was a dead man an hour later,
with black swollen face and body.
On his right ankle was the mark of a
rattlesnake bite, as there had been on
Brainard Persons and on the dead rob-
bers And there was not a rattlesnake
in all that country The father-in-law
of the Pierson relation was dead before
the doctor could get there. The doc
tor was told the story of the haunted
boots. Selling the right boot, he slashed
it down to the ankle with his lnifa.
Something white fell from it to the
floor The doctor picked it up. He
examined it for moment.
ga rattlesnakes fang, said he. And
there's poison enough yet in its channel
to kill another mani
at was the missing fang Of the snake
that had bitten Brainard Pierson. 1t
had been pulled from its socket by the
firm hold the leather of the boot had
taken of it. Held fast thus, with its
point on the inside, contact with it had
been of sufficient force to puncture the
ankles of the persons who had since
worn the boot. The venom, though
dry, was still potent, and its work as
deadly as when it lay in its sack in the
rattlesnake's jaw. That was what the
doctor said.
"'S'posin' he does say so? Schunne.
munk folks said. If Brainard Pierson
hadn't worn Claudius Smiths boots the
rattlesnake wouldn't left his fang In
'em, would it? So it was Brainard
Persons haunted boots that done 1t,
and that's all there is to til
"And a good many Schunnemunk
folks think so to this day."-N. Y. Sun.
BILL WEST LOCATED.