The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-01-31
WHERE THE EAR CAME FROM.
Veteran Accounted for II by Circnm-
stance Of an Unusual Call at His Cabin

stance Of an lnuSual tall ~ III ~ N""'"
Il WAS with the engineer corps that
was surveying for a railroad IN tna up
Nor anthracite coal fields last summer
said william Emet Of this city ana
came across a curious character In the
vyoods named Lewis David. he was
criuplod veteran OF the civil war; dli"
lived six miles from the nearest 'Hiaso
I'm a lonely place In the mountains ii''
shelter was "A rude log cabin which DE
had built without any aid. and IN VINCE
he lived alone lie never leit MS $50
lated home I'm the wilderness except that
once every three months he trdnped tie
six miles into MoOsic village To- draw MS
uension. which trip he had made regu-
larlv for years on these occasions ne
purchased frugally OF supplies and re-
turned at once 10 his cabin IN the noun
tains. As his purchases had rarely
amounted TO more than two or three
dollars ut time IL was believed that
the rscluse veteran had no small amount
of money secreted IN his cabin.
zone day my recOnn0itring brought
me near to- Davids cabin. and / went
over 20 see him. lie sat az the door
smoking.
Look what found right here in
front OF my door last night said he
holding up something between his fin
gers.
81 stepped ND TO see what IL was. and
when / saw il { was little startled. IL
was a mans ear, Before ] could recover
sufficiently from my surprise TO say
ANYTHING the eccentric veteran said.
I'm tell YOU how ] think IL must have
come 10 DE on my doorstep. Some time
during last night ] kind o. woke mp. /
heard noises That sounded Ike some one
talking I'm a smother,d sort o way /
listened. aud 10y and by made up my
mind that the voices came from that
cmmp % bushes over yOnder. knew
there couldn't bee voices unless there was
somebody with EN-, and ! says To my
self:
NOW. whoever owns them voices
amt l0okn' for an ice-crcam festival
nor "a prayer meeting. ] think I'll watch
out"
%. 50 ] got mp and peeked ont OF the
window. The moon was shining bright
and / hadn't watched long before 7 saw
two men crawl out Of the bushes and
up toward my door. By and by they
got To- the door. and they began % try
10 force 10 open Then 7 says 20 myself.
D." 'Darnad 90 them fellows don't want
20 cit ia here"
"I didn't have any accommodation
FOR 'em So 7 went and threw myself
against the door to keep EN- from COM
ing and being disappointed
"'G1en that door" one Of the men
honered "Op,u that door or Wen blow
your head on"
1--WE got a sword that I brought
home with me when I lett the army and
that's an the weapon I've got J reached
.NH % ID
showed until they forced the door open
a crack. and one Of EN- pushed his head
through the crack. Seeing Thar they
couldn't take the hint that didn't want
'em I'm my house. ] thought I'D impress
II on 'em little stronger. so 7 fetched
the old sword edgeways down ou that
mans head as hard as could. The man
dropped as n he'd been shot. and lay
eroaning ON the SILL T'other man drag
red him out o. the way Just IN time 20
save him from getting another clip with
the sword and ! shut the door and put
A table and a grindstone and half bar
rel o. pork against n, while the one man
was trying 10 discover what bad hap
pened 10 his comrade. I hadn't more
than barricaded the door when [ he ard
the report OF a gun. and a bullet cams
clear through the door. which amt very
thick and whzzed by my ear. Then
there came a crash against the door and
II was forced partially open. In spite Of
the harricade. I saw part Of the body
of a man edging IT'S way in. and made
a slash at Il with my sword.
1.-The man grabbed the blade, but ar
te- a struggle l yanked II away from
him and gave another slash with the
sword and "a hard one. ] heard a yell,
and then some one holered;
"My God I'm stabbed
"I got the door shut again and bar
ricaded IT, There we're means and groans
a-plenty outside. I went 10 the window
aud looked out. and what do you think
saw? one Of the chaps making for
the woods. carrying tother one on his
back ] felt pretty sure that they had
made MP their minds that didn't want
ON In nv house. and that they wouldn't
return. so Z went 10 bed. When I got
up this morning ! found tins ear on the
doorsm. and I shouldn't wonder 4 bit
but what Il belongs 20 on % them chaps
that were foollng around here last night.
II YOU run up against any one who has
lost an ear said the veteran. grinnlng.
tell him 20 come up here and maybe he
can find it,
Il heard a few days later that two no
torious men from the Panther Creek
neishborhood had NOT BEEN seen IN their
usual haunts since the night Veteran
Davids cabin was sssailed, and that
thew were reported very sick al the