The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-11-24


zyas soon amusing himself by reading
the various epitaphs upon the tombs
and noting the ages of the departed.
This, he thought, would give him an
idea Of the healthfulness of the town.
Upon one Of the very old tombstones he
read the following:
Here lies a man who did no good;
If he had lived he never would
Where he has gone and how he fares
Nobody knows nor nobody cares. !"
/ This ridiculous epitaph struck the
| young doctor as so comical that he burst
into peals OF laughter, which attracted
the attention Of an aged grave digger
4 who was at work in one corner of the
yard removing skeleton from an old
grave. The young mans hearty mirth
had startled him, and he dropped his
spade and gazed at the doctor with as
tonishment. @.&. Zs'
Charlie had great love for anatomy,
and, observing what the old man was
doing, was at once interested: and, al,
preaching the spot, Inquired: "My good
man, why are you disturbing the
dead?" To which the good man re-
ferred to responded: Cant help it
sometimes. This here ground is quite
valuable. This is not the paupers' field.
That is it over there" Indicating a diff
ferent portion of the cemetery by a
shake of his head. Then he continued:
t''This is curious case, and by disturb
ing him nobody's feelings will be
hurt" -,
"Why, how's that?" asked DR..
Charlie. twas he a pauper?"
''Oh!" replied the grave digger, mo
body knows who he was. These are the
bones of a stranger who died here one
night at the tavern, and as nobody
knew where he came from or where he
was going, and there, was no one to
claim his watch and little money that
was found upon him, the landlord OF
the tavern took charge of the body and
had him buried here. AS he neglected
to get a deed of the lot then, and can
not do so now, why have got to move
him to the paupers' ground" :,
"What did he die Off" asked Charlie.
"W-e-l-l;" drawled the old man, che
come along here about dark some Is
years ago, said nothing to nobody, took
a. room at the tavern, eat his supper and
went upstairs to bed all right appar-
emily, but the next morning, when the
landlord went up to his room himself to
call him to breakfast, he found him as
dead as door nail. Old DR.. Jones, he
was living then, and the landlord sent
for him, and when he got there he said
the gentleman had died of fit in the
night. But doctors don't know every
thing. However, as no papers or any
thing could be found to identify him
the landlord paid for his coffin and he
was put in here"
"What became of his watch?" asked
the young doctor. \
ooh! the landlord kept that. for he
was put to good deal of trouble just
because poor stranger happened to
die on his hands"
"Poor fellow!" murmured Dr.
Charlie. Ellis was a melancholy fate. y
He reached out and picked up the skull,
for there was something about skull
that always fascinated Charlie. Upon
close examination he discovered that
a nail had been driven into it and was
still clinging there. This greatly ex-
cited his curiosity, but he thought best
to say nothing about it to the grave
digger. He told him that he was a
physician and was anxious to obtain
bones and parts of skeletons for his
nt, fhof no xun1111 eriv
him q dollar for the skull. -
To this, little financial scheme the
grave digger promptly consented, and
DR.. Charlie, paying him the dollar,
wrapped his purchase up in the even
ing paper and quickly sought his room
at the inn. Alone there he very care
fully examined the skull and found
that long, coarse nail had been art
fully driven into it from the back OF
the head, and must have penetrated
the brain, causing instantaneous
death. The man had been murdered
He recalled the old grave digger's
words: doctors don't know every.
thing" "But some doctors do know
thing or two," chuckled Charlie to
himself. ''This shall be investigated
and he bent over the skull with great
enthusiasm.
Satisfying himself that the man was
undoubtedly murdered, Charlie was
convinced that he was murdered for a
purpose-money, of course. 1t was a
curious case. After bordering over it
long time he went down to the bar
room and began conversation with
the landlord, who seemed like an hon
est, genial fellow, and Charlie asked
him:
''How long have you been master
here?" and was glad when he replied
"About ten years. I bought out jim
Kelley when he retired. 1 think bust
ness must have been better in those
days than it ever has been since, else
Jim struck luck somewhere
DR.. Charlie soon ascertained that jim
Kelley was the former landlord who
was in possession of the tavern some
Is years previous. In the course of the
evening he mentioned his visit to the
cemetery and spoke of what the old
grave digger had told him. The land
lord corroborated the story without
the slightest suspicion that the young
doctor had any particular motive fol
inquiring.
DR.. Charlie was wise. He told no one
that he possessed the skull, or of his
curious discovery. Strolling about the