The Portland daily press., 1901-01-14

its cold, siIvery light. As this light In.
CREASED and the
MOON ROSE STEADILY
over the hills Mrs MoshIer tremblingly
got ont of bed. She could not listen.
Her inilrmity deprived her of this way OF
telling when danger was near or when
the path for escape was clear. She peeped
cut OF the window which looks out into
the road but could see no one. She be-
gan to believe she had after all escaped
the fury OF these men who had turned her
home into a slaughter house.
Suddenly she thought that Clifford
must be- lying around the house some.
where desperately hurt and possibly
gagged and bound. Perhaps these men
hsd thrown him out into the snow to
perish of the cold. She must do some
thing at once and this thought gave her
COURAGE and strength. She wrapped
around her some whits bed spreads. she
believed that should the men be still
about and see her In these that they
might think she was ghost, and she
thought, too, that the white bed spreads
would be so much ike the snow that they
would serve to hide her from sight when
she was once out In the bright glare OF
the moon. This IL why she put on the
bed spreads so she told the Newspaper
men.
Then as quietly as she was able she
opened the door OF this front room, open
ing into the front hall and crept down
the front stairs, passing, though she did
not know it, within touch almost Of the
body OF
HER MURDERED SON,
who lay with his head near to the door
opening into this hallway and with
only the thickness OF the door between
Then shs opened the front door Of the
house and looked out into the road. No
one was In sight. She WAS not clad for
this tramp through the snow, nor was
her strength great enough for suoh an
undertaking. but she courageously set
forth.
The snow had ceased to fall about IL
O'Clock, and it was now about II. Every
step the lame woman took was q terribls
effort for her. Again and again she fell
headlong into the snow. Every step she
took could be traced by the newspaper
men when they came to look for them by
drops of red and here and there large
splashes of blood from the bruise on her
head. Mrs. Mosher told the PRESS re-
porter that she fell down she could not
remember how Inany times, and each
time 1t seemed as though she never
could get up again, but the thought of
her boy who might be Needing assistance
nerved her to the task. Once she stag.
gered up against a tree to which she
chung for support until she had strength
enough to go on. Ali OF this time she
feared pursuit. and never expected to
reach that nsighbor's house not a quarter
OF a mile away.
But she saw no one and of course
heard nothing. She struggled On and on
1t took her, she thought on Sunday.
fully half an hour to make this journey.
How she did 1t she does not know, and
IL was the wonder OF all who knew her
and her condition.
At last she reached the door yard of Mr..
Freeman Richardson. She began to
CRY OUT FOR HELP.
Her screams brought the help she re-
ouired. Mr. Arthur Richardson hurried
out into the yard to where the woman
was lying. He picked her up and bore
her into the house. There she told her
story. 1t was of course somewhat disoon-
nected, But 1t was understood. The
richardson's were horror stricken by
the story. Mr. Arthur Richardson at onoe
set of to visit the Mosher place. He was
alons and having heard the tais that had
been told him he was not to be blamed
for not wanting to go through this dark
dwelling at such an hour alone. But
he looked around the house for signs OF
clifford Mosher. put of course found
none. The cid farm house was as quiet
as the grave. About 1t, In the snow, he
saw
THE TRACKS OF MEN,
two men as he could tell. Examining
them a little closer he could see these
tracks had been made while 1t was still
showing. Those with the toes pointing
toward the house where they left the
highway were covered with about an
half inch of snow. These had been made
TO CURE A COLD IN ONE DAY