The Press., 1899-09-28
KlPT THE SKELETON.
QUIER REVENGE OF A MAN WHOSE
FRIEND WAS MURDERED.

FRIEND WAS MURDERED.
He Took the Bones of the Murderer
Ftom the Grave and Hung Them ON
TIP Wall of His Outhouse-A Trag-
etS of the Civil War.
Morning, colonel
Morning, sir, " replied the man who
waI leaning over the fence.
Te was a short, thickset man, with
a5cear and piercing eye, his face shaved
smpth, with not the suggestion Of q
wrinkle; yet his hair was as white az
sndv. He had slight southern accent,
ani his hearty manner of inviting the
visitors in and his cordial hospitality
WEE wholly southern. One Of the visit
orsknew him and had told the other
tha there was asman with bona fide
skeeton in his closet and that the skele-
tonIhad story. 1t did not require any
peryuasion to obtain glimpse of the
skeeton. The owner presently led the
wal to an outhouse, and. opening the
dof, displayed the skeleton Of man,
badly fastened together and hanging
to t.ewall by the neck. The Missourian
didInot object to telling the story.
GThat fellow" he said, motioning
with his thumb to the skeleton, twas
one an acquaintance of mines and ]
liked him SO well'-this with laugh
"tlat have kept him by me ever since,
SO that can come out and stir him up
whsnever feel disposed. and he gave
theIskeleton dig in the ribs.
ut was this way" he continued,
closing the door on his acquaintance.
''During the war l lived in one of the
southern states, where was about the
only northern man. They took nearly
everything that had as time went on,
killed my stock, killed some Of my peo-
pie and finally announced that they
were going to kill me. Nearly all the
country was terrorized at that time by
good for nothing chap whom we will
call j i'm Conner; that was not his name,
but it will do-one name is as good az
another now.
';When the war broke out. he started
in as sort of independent guerrilla and
began system Of looting and killing.
I knew him well, and he sent me word
that he was coming my way and was
going to burn my house and hang me
to a tree in the yard. sept word
back that was ready for him. We
heard of him all around-men shot,
niggers killed, houses burned-so thai
the name of Jim Conner became thing
to scare children, not to speak of men.
I was always trying to help northern
men, and one time had two or three
with me. passing them on as occasion
offered.
''I had not heard from Conner or hi
raids for some weeks, when one day ht
rode into the yard and swore that b.
was going to burn the house. We ha6
no means of protecting ourselves ex
cept by using rife, and with that
trisd to pick him off from the top story
but he had picked up one of my friends
who had been in the field, and they put
him on horse and stood behind him ant
shot at the windows of the house, al
the same time gathering brush with
which, they said, to burn the house.
"But no one dared to approach tn,
house, as was sure shot. I supposed
that they would wait until night anG
then creep up and burn me out. I KEEP
out of sight and could not believe thai
they would murder a man in cold blood
But, hearing a shout, I glanced through
bullet hole in the shutter and saw
them driving my friends horse up to {
tree-a fine old tree that had planted
as boy. One of the limbs crossed thu
drive, and to this they fastened tht
rope and drove the horse away, leaving
my friend dangling there, and watch
ing the operation totally helpless, while
they were looking on.
"Some United States troops finally
came along and drove them off and cut
the body down, and we Joined in the
chase. I hunted the gang for weeks,
then gave it up, as it was evident thai
they had given us the slip. After tht
war I moved to California and came
here. soon heard of curious char
acter who lived up in one Of the can
yons the life of hermit. I never con
nected his name with Conner, it being
more or less common. But when h
died one day the story was that he hat
had bad record back in Missouri; thai
he had been a murderer, etc.. and il
occurred to me that it might be my ole
enemy, the man had been after for st
many years.
II can't say that I have a particu
larly revengeful disposition, said tn
skeleton owner, "but he had murdered
my friend, and I had never given al
the hope of finding him and was Away
on the lookout. The old fellow wa
alone and homeless, it seems, with NJ
friends, and they had buried him by th'
side of his hut. heard of it a few day
later and employed some, men to ait
me in the investigation.
Conner had bad saber wount
across the face, by which no one coult
ever fail to recognize him. and whel
we opened the grave there was thu
man, while rapers which he left showed
that he was Conner. had found hin
too late to turn him over to the law
So proposed to hang him. where
gould keep an eye on him for the res
of my life, and in my will propose t.
leave instructions that he shall be lef
hanging, dangling in the wind. jus
as he had hanged my friend I had hi
skeleton prepared, as no one claimed
him. and hung him up as warning t.
any of his seed that might follow in hi
footsteps Chicago Inter Ocean.
Largest Emerald In the World.
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