The Portland daily press., 1901-01-14

smaller room adjoining the room used by
Clifford as his store room was also en-
tereo, but the robbers did not do much
damage there, though they pulled out ths
drawer Of small stand and overhauIed
It's contents, throwing everything on TO
| the floor. The drawers Of the bureau
were also gone through and apparently
no place was left without being looked
into carefully. An alarm clock In Cir
ford's sleeping room had been knocked TO
the floor and had stopped at e.3) O'Clock.
It is thought by some thai this wss the
time the men knocked this clock oil from
lite shelf but by others the stopping OF the
clock at this time is not believed 10 be Of
any significance, although IL would seem
that this must have been about the time
that the men were going through the
house.
Having gone through CIiff ord's room
the men took q peep into the front
chamber as the
/ BLOODY FINGER MARKS
on the door show. hut saw nothing In
there which they thought might conceal
valuables. They then went mp into the
attic where they pried around good deal
but found little TO reward them, though
they smashed open lot Of boxes and
tipped over everything they came across.
In fact it was thorough job which these
men did. They got from Clinord's room
his gold watch heavy chain and compass
charm and presumably some money, as
money was foun on the negro when he
was arrested. How much they secured is
not known, but 1t must have bsen some
where In the neighborhood of $50, as the
negro had half of this sum on his per-
son when taken.
The search OF these rooms occu pied q
long time. Then the men returned to the
ground floor, had some more lunch,
hunted around In the parior aud Kitchen
for money and the woman who was
watching them through the crack In the
door saw them as she thought going
away.
Suddenly the negro came back into the
room with the lantern and with the big
club In his hand smashed at the door OF
the bed room behind which Mrs. Moshier
| was hiding. She saw him coming,
thought that her last moment had come
and sank back on the side OF the bed with
her bloody apron about her wounded
head.
Smash went the door OF the bed room
and in the door way, illuminated by the
yellow glare OF the blood stained lantern
stood the negro. His hands were covered
with blood as were his clothes. while the
bIudgeon he carried In bis hand was also
bloody.
The negro stood there q moment look
ing at the aged woman. She was crying
pltiably. She pleaded for her life and
called upon the Lord to protect her.
~ want your money" demanded the
negro.
II have no money. l have no money.
Only a few trinkets In these bureau
drawers which 1 am keeping for my
grand children. See,' and with that the
terror stricken woman pulled out a few
small drawers in the bureau showing the
trinkets she had referred to.
~ want your money" said the negro.
81 have no money. Heavenly Father
protect me-" moaned the aged woman.
What was 1t that made the negro hesi-
| tate? No one knows. He had the oppor-
tunity to kill the woman and leave no
witnesses. He had participated In the
mu rdering of her son; to remove this
woman would have been but one more
cowardly act. Whatever 1t was
The NEGRO HESITATED.
He dropped his lantern by the side OF
the door and with a spring leaped from
the blood stained house OF the tragedy
through the broken window and disap-
pearsd. Presumably his companion had
already left the house and the negro
fastened to join him. The negro was
panic stricken and would no longer stay
| alone in this house OF horrible scenes.
Now 1t must he remembered that the
only witness to all of this outside OF the
two men who committed the crime was
hard OF hearing and dependent alone up
on the senss or sight, which Is keen, to
warn her OF danger or to inform her Of
what was taking place around her. How
much was she spared OF the awful sounds
which must have followed the death
| struggle Of her youngest boy In the room
next to her own only the Imagination
can picture. When the negro disappeared
from her sight leaving the lantern behind
him the woman stood there for q tina
trembling with fear and expecting that
with every second the white man would
return with his oolored partner and wipe
from the face OF the earth the deadly wit
ness left behind. Suddenly Mrs. Mosher
was seized with an inspiration. She
could escape If she were quick about 1t.
She thought that Clifford must be uD
stairs in his room and II She could only
join him perhaps together they could de-
fend themselves against another attack.
She did not know that
CLIFFORD WAS DEAD
at that time. Selling she lantern, stained
by the blood OF her son, Mrs. Mosher ran
for the porch at the end OF the Kitchen.
She gained the narrow doorway TO the