Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1900-05-03
HAUNTED BY H
TELEGRAPH DISPATCH.
A Murderer's Touch on
II the Instrument Betray-
IN ed Him.
=L-TIILILIIIlNIIIILILIIIIIIIIII-IIIIIIIIII

make our fortunes. What that means
none but an eastern boy who has tried
it can tell.
We roughed it together sometimes
faring well when we happened to fall
into the camp Of Il hosptable western
er. but more often tramping it from
village to village looking for the work
which was never found and wondering
when we should strike our streak Of
luck
Finally we separated, Dick to take
the position of station agent at Lake
vile. new settlement, and | to 90 on
to Riverdale ten miles beyond, to hold
n similar position. We could talk by
wire. but we found that further com
munication would be impossible, for
we were well tied down and after our
separation did not see each other
again.
Dick was Il gentle sort of fellow, one
of those dreamcrs who never get on in
worldly way. but the dearest com
paniun imaginable | missed him ter
ribly for awhile. but his occasional
talk ut the wire told me he was alive
and we'll
One afternoon there came Il frantic
call at the wire. and | hurried to the
instrument to hear Dick tapping off
the words that the express train had
been delayed and to hold the ''runa-
way" due at the station ten minutes
later until | heard from him. Direct
~ after the message came the line:
Express train in sight. Something
wrong Stand by" | waited a full
minute; then calhe Dicks familiar tap
tap: Express is being run by strange
hands. They have stopped at this sta
ton. Send relief"
There was a seconds silence; then,
before l could flash the alarm along
the line, the tapping began again 1t
ran: Everything al right. Goodby."
| sgnaled for him to repeat the mes
sage, and again came the words: "Ey-
erything all right Goodby."
| held the instrument in my hand
and debated with myself upon my
course Of conduct. | did not want TO
necdlCsSly send the alarm along the
line On the other hand, why had Dick
sent his first message? | touched the
instrument and asked. rs everything
all right. DickF" And the answer
came back, Everything is all right"
1t did not seem ut all like Dicks
touch, but laid it to nervousness and
quoted my fears while | waited for
the runaway"
recalled that Dick had told me over
the wire the previous evening that the
runaway" would have a large sum of
money aboard which it was TO trans
fer to the express mt his station.
When the runaway" came up, noti-
fed the engineer that the express was
waiting for him at Lakeville and l
also casually mentioned that the alarm
had come from there, but that after
ward / had received Il message that all
was we'll
He seemed disturbed and advised me
to repeat the story to the United States
marshal aboard, which ! did, with the
result that the train pulled ont of the
station prepared for emergencies,
though neither they nor thought any
thing of the hasty message that had
been flashed to me
Ten minutes later the message came
over the wires from Lakeyillc; Found
train in charge Of highwaymen. Dick
Ramsey murdered AT instrument OBJ
iect was to rob the runaway but we
oyerpowered them after a desperate
struggle Notify the stations along the
line TO send relief"
This, in brief, was the story Of the
death OF Dick Ramsey. and after
had seen him laid away in the grave
yard at Lakoyille ! packed up my
goods and iourneyed farther on, for
could not remain so near the scene OF
my old friends death.
Well. strange things happen. and
after l had found a position with the
same company 30 miles away | was as
signed back 10 Lakeyille.
! found the village grown into set
Element of very fair size and the sim
pie little station replaced by very pre-
teutiouS one. while the humble little
churehyard where they bad buried
poor Dick Ramsey was gay with Cow
criug shrubs aud spires Of marble lift
va themselves here and there among
the trees. Dick S grave was still mark
81 by the rude cross lad placed over
it,
Wen. in the duties Of m. new posi-
tion l am afraid ] forgot Dica. ana Tor
weeks at a time / never thought Of the
mound behind the church aud the poor
fellow who had come with ME from
home and whose joys and SORROWS bad
been mine for so long
In Dicks place AT the instrument
there sat an honest little chap, ana as
sisting him was another lad. for the
altion at Lakeyiue now boosted hal
q dozen employees.