The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1899-12-23

One balmy June evening not long
after their engagement had taken place
Charlie found himself quite distance
from his native city, in a small, pic
turesque village. He was looking for a
place to locate. He took room at the
village inn, and after supper he started
out 20 inspect the town. His fancy
took him to the village graveyard. and,
finding the gate open, he strayed in and
was 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
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
constituent.
Charlie had great love for anatomy,
and, observing what the old man was
doing, was at once interested; and, ap-
preaching the spot, inquired: my good
man, why are you disturbing the
dead?" To which the good man re-
ferred to responded: ''Can't help it
sometimes. This here ground is quite
valuable. This is not the paupers' field.
That is it over there" indicating diff
ferent portion of the cemetery by a
shake of his head. Then he continued:
This is curious case, and by disturb
ing him nobody's feelings will be
hurt"
"Why, how's that?" asked DIR.
''Was he 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 a 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 deed of the lot then, and can
rot 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, "he
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-
entity, but the next morning, when the
went up to his room himself to
call hfm to breakfast, he found him as
lead as door nail. Old DIR. Jones, he
was living then, and the landlord sent
for him, and when he got there he said
The gentleman had died of a fit in the
night. But doctors don't know every
hing. However, as no papers or any
hing could be found to identify him
he landlord paid for his coffin and he
vas put in here"
'What became of his watch?" asked |
he young doctor.
"Oh! the landlord kept that, for he |
vas put to good deal of trouble just |
because poor stranger happened to
lie on his hands"
'Poor fellow!" murmured DIR.
,harlie. Ills was a melancholy fate"
lie reached out and picked up the skull,
or there was something about skull
hat always fascinated Charlie. Upon
lose examination he discovered that
nail had been driven into it and was
till clinging there. This greatly ex-
tied his curiosity, but he thought best
o say nothing about - to the grave
MUSICIAN and was anxious to obtain
ones and parts of skeletons for his
rivate study, and that he would give
i'm a dollar for the skull. Ii
To this little financial scheme the
rave digger promptly consented, and
'r. Charlie, paying him the dollar, |;
trapped his purchase up in the even
lg paper and quickly sought his room I
the inn. Alone there he very care
ally examined the skull and found
lat long, coarse nail had been art /,
lily driven into it from the back of
lie head, and must have penetrated II
he brain, causing instantaneous q
cath. The man had been murdered. (
e recalled the old grave digger's /,
ords: Doctors don't know every i
ling." 'But some doctors do know e
thing or two," chuckled Charlie to r
mself. This shall be investigated" III
nd he bent over the skull with great f
lthusiasm.
Satisfying himself that the man was Id
murdered, Charlie was O.
'nvinced that he was murdered for
of course 1t was a !,