The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-12-29

Dayis planned to spring upon nm
sholba he turn away as abruptly as
on former occasions.
.sGo over to the saw-mill, contlhueu
the old man. Made your approach
very softly. You will find two men
seated on a log and talking ABOUT you.
Go at once-gOod night
NJ ygrandfather made a spring allu
grasp at him. but, to his terror the III.
tie cid man vanished from slgnt. as u
dissolved in air. Not the sllghtest
noise betrayed his going. one instant
ne was there-the next he was gone.
TO make sure that he had not peeh
dreaming. MY granfather called TO tue
colored woman.
She declared that she had heard the
voice of an old man, but had not looheu
out to see who the caller was Al
though greatly upset by the clrcuih-
stance. Mr.. Davis soon started Tor Tue
mill to see what the men were ABOUT
Sure enough, he found them sitting On
a log on the carriage, and, after some
careful lnaneuyering, he got clcse
enough to cyerhear their conversation.
1t appeared that the white man was
tired Of work. and the negro was anN-
iOuS to run away tC the North. Ihelf
plan was to kill and rob my GRANDPA
Their. and that very night. he made
good his retreat to the house. where he
found Il neighbor named Saunders. ana
presently told him all. The white man
slept in n loft over the kitchen, and the
negro in the stable. The plan was for
the former to descend from the lott
during the night and unfastcn the
kitchen door and admit the negro. Ine
colored woman would be asleep oh a
lounge. and as it was feared she would
neither run away with them nor share
their guilt. the white man was to Kill
her while the negro attacked MI. Da-
Wis When the story had been told,
Saunders planned with my GRANDPA
Their to beat the villains at their game.
The colored woman was locked up III a
store room off the kitchen, and log
of wood laid OH the lounge and COW
cred up, to resemble a human Inquire.
Another log was placed in my grand
fathers bed, and then the two men,
each armed with a rifle, took UP their
stations behind 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, who
hands. The pair 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 it
into the bed ROOM At whistle from
the white man both brought down
their axes, and at the same instant the
two men in hiding sprang out. The
white man was killed by a bullet from
Saunders rifle, and as the negro came
rushing out my grandfather gave him
Il mortal wound. He lived until mid
afternoon of the next day, and before
dying made full confession. He laid
the blame OH the white man, and,
probably, with just reasons; but it
was clear that he had been willing
tool and was bad man at heart.
There was still another adventure i'll
store for my grandfather. Six or sew
en- years after the attempted double
murder. and when he had sold the saw
mill and became a country merchant,
he started for Muhlenburg on the last
day of December, with a team, to dis
pose of lot of furS. beeSWaX. hides,
feathers and other things, and bring
back goods for his trade. He intended
to drive until about 10 o'clock at night
to reach certain tavern; but just after
dark that same little old nan suddenly
appeared beside the wagon and called
out:
''Ha! Mr.. Davis-glad to see you
again! / was right in my last warn
ing,eh? You must stop at the next tav-
ern If you drive over the long cause
way you will be shot down and robbed
by men lying there in ambush
My grandfather pulled up his horses
and jumped down, but. as before, the
man had vanished and left no trace
behind. A mile ahead was roadside