Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-12-31

presently told him all. The white man
slept in a lott over the kitchen. and the
negro in the stable. Yhe plnn was for
the former to descend from the loft
during the night ard ulifasten the
Kitchen door and admit the negro. TIE
coiorca woman would be asleep OH a
lounge. and as it was feared h would
neither run away with them nor share
their guilt. the white man was TO kHl
her while the negro attacked Mr. Ia
Wis. When the story IA been toid.
Saunders planned with my grindfa-
Tier to beat tho villains Mt their game.
The colored woman was locked up III Il
store room off the kitchen. and a log
Of wood laid on the lounge and cox
cred ND, to resemble Il human figure.
Another log was placed in my grand
fathers bed, and then the two men,
each armed with a rifle. took up their
stations belind n cupboard standing
across a corner OF the kitchen.
Half an hour before midnight the
white man softly descended the ladder
and opened the door for the negro. via
had a couple of sharp axes In bis
hands. The lair whispered together
for a moment. and then the white man
took one OF the axes and moved over
to the lounge, while the negro slipped
into the sitting room and through 1t
into the bed room. At a whistle from
the white man both brought down
their axes, and ut the same instant the
two men in hiding Sprang u The
wlite man was Killed by a bullet from
Saunders rifle, ard as the negro came
rushing out my grandfather gave him
4 mortal wannd. He lived until mid
afternoon OF the next day. and before
dying made u full confession. He laid
the blame on the white man, and,
probably, with just reasons; but II
was clear that he had been n willing
tool and was Il bad man at heart.
There YVES ctiil another adventure in
store for my grandfather. Six or sew
on years after the attempted double
murder. and when he had sold the saw
mill and became a country merchant,
he started for Muhlcnburg on the last
day OF December. with a team, to dis
pose of a lot OF furs. bceswax. hides.
feathers and other things. and bring
back goods for his trade. He intended
to drive until about 10 o'clock at night
Il reach a certain tavern; but just after
dark that sane little OH nan suddenly
appeared beside the wagon and called
out:
"Ha. Mr.. Davis-giad to see you
agalni / was right in my last warn
ing.eh? You must stop at the next tay-
ern. If you drive over the long
way you will be shot down and robbed
by men living there in ambush"
My grandfather pulled up his horses
and jumped down, but. as before, the
man had vanished and left mo rae
behind. A mile ahead was Il roadside
tavern. and q milo beyond that, a long
caIseway across Il swamp Nj. Davis
put up at the tavern for the night and
said not Il word to anybody. Next
morning. as he "a ready 10 60, a man
ON horseback brought the news that Il
traveller had been killed and robbed ut
the far end of the tauseway by men
who had doubtless been lying in pm
bush. That was the fourth and last
warning. and the little old man never
appeared again. Was 1t Il mar or a
wrath? You must answer that ques-
ton yourself. | hive given you Il
chapter from the family records, add
ing nothing and taking nothing away.
Ny gIanfather was a Christian man,
and IA man of honor in every sepse.
That which he wrote down in his jour
nal he believed To be trite goes without
dispute. He was no believer in the su-
pernatural. and yet l do not think he
ever reached the conclusion that his
strange friend was n fellow man. He
couldn't believe that and furnish a
reasonable explanation Of his sudden
disappcarances. You may ask if the
little old man warned others of dan
ger? l never heard that he did. In
deed. nearly every one who ever heard
of the incidents as above related pooh
poohed them, and sarcaStically OBJ
served that my grandfather must have
taken a drop too much i'm honor OF the
nearby New Year. But it is my firm
belief that things happened exactly as
he said. and without the slightest *
aggeration of details. Detroit Free
Press.