The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-11-29

| liproeo over 10 rne table, looked around
to see that everything was all right, stop.
| ped moment as II to listen to my
heavy breathing, indicating that l was
sound asleep, as she supposed. Then
she slipped out again, softly closing the
door after her.
INSTANTLY the corpse sat mp listening,
and could see that it was a well built
| man, not much emaciated for dead
man, thought and on the whole not a
bad looking or unintelligent appearing
fellow. listened, too, and could hear
the couple In the next room talking as
before, but finally, after a few minutes,
they went into the far room from the
other side of the main apartment, In the
center of the house, where We could not
even hear their voices.
'"Then the man on the table turned his
attention to me, having thrown aside the
sheet and sat up. He was attired in his
best clothes for the funeral, but was in
his stocking feet. He asked ME 10 get
his boots out Of the corner, which l did.
He then went on to tell me. hurriedly
and scarcely above whisper, that he
had heard me come in and knew I was
stranger, and he wanted me to stand by
him in case he needed assistance.
""He said that the woman was his wife,
and that tho man with her was a neigh.
Dor, who wanted to marry her, and that
they had conniyed together to poison
him.
1.-THE poison had worked all right up to
q certain point, but in the "a hours he
had been laying out 1t had lost it's grip
some way, and he wasn't as dead as they
thought he was. He wasn't feeling
especially strong and healthy just then,
he said, but thought he was able to have
little settlement with the guilty couple
that would afford him considerable graft
ication, if his plans worked out without
a hitch.
"After having explained this much to
me, he asked me to wait until he came
back or called for me, and, taking an AK
that stood in the corner by the fireplace,
he went out Of the room. What happen
ed during the next ten minutes do not
know, but ut the end Of that time the
man came back without the ak and, tell
ing me that everything was all right,
asked me to join him in the main room
while he got something to eat and espe-
cially something to drink.
"He asked me to drink with him, which
did, and also asked me to hold open his
-carpetbag while he filed it with such
articles as he might need for journey.
He suggested at the same time that 1t
might perhaps be just as well if didn't
ask any questions. which hint carefully
followed The strain was beginning to
tell on me, and was getting anxious to
be somewhere else, didn't really care
where.
"In few minutes my friend was ready
for his next move, and, inviting me to fol-
low him, we went out to the vehicle we
had heard driven up an hour or so before,
and. getting in, he drove us away as fast
as the darkness and condition of the road
would admit. He said nothing for two
hours, when he stopped suddenly and told
me we were to part company there. -.
"He said it was the forks Of the road,
and off to the left ! would find a store
and half way house, where could find
bed till morning. As for himself, he
would go in another direction, and, with
many thanks and cordial good night, he
rapidly disappeared in the darkness.
Il found the, inn all right and got bed,
but didn't sleep much. was too busy
thinking. When morning came, ! said
nothing to my host, for had made up
my mind that whatever my companion
. of the night before had done he had had
good reason for doing, and l would not
be instrumental in having him suffer more
than he had already suffered.
Il asked few casual questions at the
breakfast table, but the man and his wife
both appeared to be afraid of counterfeit
ers or moonshincrs and would scarcely
say word.
"A year and half afterward-I had
reached Ohio then--the newspapers, not
as entcrprising as they are now nor by
any means as numerous, contained the
story of the finding Of u couple of skele-
tons in lonely house in a remote section
of western Pennsylvania and near them
an ak with rusty blood stains upon it.
II have often wondered why that man
did not set the house on fire when he
left it, and l can account for his not do
ing so only upon the ground that he did
not wish to make me witness to any
criminal act on his part.
"a thousand times since ! have won
dered whatever became of that man, IL
he ever went back to the scene Of his
crime and where he located after leaving
that lonely house in the woods. "-Phila.
Je)phia Press