Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1899-02-18
He earnestly protested that he

was innocent. he admitted, how.
ever, that be had a pretty earnest
discussion with the old man, and
tnst some hot words had been ex.
changed, but he said that the dispute
had been amicably settled, and that
Granger had iniimated consent to
the daughters marriage.
/ But Reeds words were not gener-
ally believed.
The next day Nellie Granger
came to me. her face pale with grief
and anxiety.
/ "Oh, Mr.. Stevensln size said.
"You are q lawyer, and Aliens
friend. Won't you help him out OF
his trouble?'
I assured her of my interest in
the matter, and of my earnest de-
sire to be Of aid, adding:
Nov, first of all, Miss Nellie, |
would like to 60 to your home and
make thorough examination Of the
premises. Is anything changed?n
mo, sir. Some of the men
prepared poor father for burial, and
old Granny Green is watching him
now. But l told her to let every
thing remain as it was until ! came
home. I wouldn't have ventured
out, only was SO fearful that they
would-would-lynch, Allen, you
knowp' shuddering. "Some OF the
men are SO rough and-snd may
as well tell you-one or two are jeal-
Gus of him."
Nellie and I went over to the
Granger cabin. It's cheeriness had
all departed. Frost-bitten vines
hung like swaths OF Grape upon the
outer walls, and the flowers in the
garden were a black sodden mass.
Inside the feeling was the same
gloomy and oppressive.
In the front room lay the stiff,
gaunt form OF the murdered man,
and beside him sat withered old
crone.
Nellie stepped softly in, and laid
bunch of late flowers upon her
fathers breast-6owers scarcely
whittier than her own pale cheeks.
Then he went into the other room
where the murder had been COM
mitted.
The ashes upon the hearth we're
cold, gray and dead, like the master
of the house. The stand on which
the lamp had stood was overturned
so was the easy chair. Books and
papers lay in scattered mass upon
| the floor, and close beside them was
an ugly, black stain. Granger had
been twice stabbed, and much blood
had oozed from his wounds.
Nellie brushed up the hearth, and
l brought in some wood, and we
soon had cherry fire burning.
Then we raised the fallen chair
and stand; and took up the broken
lamp and scattered books; all the
while striving to discover some
trace of the murderer.
"Oh, who could have done III"
Nellie exclaimed, over and over
again. "Poor papa! Here is his
pipe. He must have been smoking
when tit happened. He used to
enjoy his evenings so much, Mr..
Stevensl He would sit and smoke,
and I would read to him That last
night he must have tried to read for
himself. for see, here beside the pipe
is his-newspaper, and
Suddenly my heart gave wild
bound.
"Give me the paperl" I cried, ex-
citedly.
"What is it?" she asked, 10 fright.
ened tones.
With fingers that trembled with
excitement, / pointed to the inner
margin of the paper.
There, in scrawling yet legible
hand, with pin for pen and his
own blood for ink, Giles Granger
had written these words:
SIT was the two Indians, Tiger
Tail and Short jim, who stabbed
| me. They came in after young Reed
went away. They were mad because
I had got the better of them at the
horse trade. l guess they have
| about made an end of mel Tell my
little Nell not to take it too much at
heart. I've been kinder rough to
her sometimes-hope she'll forget
it. I'm willing she should marry
young Reed-guess he will be good
to her. Tell her | leave her my
bless"
Here Granger's strength must
have given out, for the sentence was
left unfinished.
Allen Reed was acquitted, OF
course. His Innocence had been
proven-proyen in letters of redl-
Saturday Night.
Cupid breaks bis bow at the sight