The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-06-19

town and inquired for Garland's
house. He rode good looking horse
and led another, upon which was
strapped his pack. 1t was evident
that he had travelled from a distance.
he was tall and well made, with black
hair and beard and dark eyes.
Upon the house being pointed
out, he rode up to the door; it was
opened by Luenshy, whose black face
took on a look of surprise when the
stranger spoke. She ushered him in,
however, and the door closed on
them. After some delay it was again
opened and Garland and the stranger
appeared, and proceeded to the barn.
The horses were stalled, and Garland
and his guest walked back toward
| the house.
Once they stopped, and the old
man with bent brows, seemed to be
saying something unpleasant, but a
reply from the other seemed to stop
him suddenly, and they moved on.
The door closed on them, and that
was the last seen of Jacob Garland.
1.-THE next morning Bronxville re-
ceived a shock, and a severe one. At
about seven in the morning the door
of Jacob Garland's house was sud
denly thrown open, and Luenshy, her
eyes protruding, hurried to the sher-
ifs house. She found that official
engaged in the simple but useful
occupation of chopping wood in the
backyard, but her news brought his
work to a sudden end, and hastily
donning his coat to emphasize his
official status, as it was not a gar
ment he usually wore, he accompan-
led Luenshy on her return to the
Garland home. From her excited
words he gathered the following
facts:
THE stranger who had arrived the
Gay before was distant relative of
Jacob Garland's, she understood, but
belonged to a branch of the family
with which he had quarreled. He
had supped with Garland and his
wife, and then the two men had re-
paired to a room used by the old man
as den, where he shut himself up
at times, and was not disturbed eX-
cept for meals.
THAT evening the door closed on
the two and the smell of tobacco
made itself apparent later. Garland
did not smoke, so il was evident that
the relative was making himself as
comfortable as circumstances would
permit.
Mrs. Garland and Luenshy retired
at their usual hour, and at that time
voices were still to be heard in the
room and apparently in amicable
conversation. The next morning
Luenshy was aroused by her mis-
tress, who said that the old man
had not slept in his bed. Together
the two women went down stairs, and
finding the door of the room closed,
knocked timidly at first, then loudly,
but without response. Summoning
up courage, they opened the door,
and there in the dim light, sat Jacob
Garland dead, stone dead, with one
hand on the table, the other hanging
by his side.
mo marks of violence were on the
body, but on the table were two
tumblers which smelled of whisky,
the only difference being that the
one next to Garland had, with it's
smell of spirit, another odor of some
foreign substance.
This was the first real case of
mystery which had occurred since
Sheriff McGowan's Inauguration into
office, so he proceeded with as much
state and dignity as he could sum-
mon upon such short notice. AS few
people lived in that part of the town,
no one had noticed the hurried de-
parture of the colored woman, nor
did they meet anyone upon their re-
turn.
CLOSING the door after him and
turning the key solemnly-a quite
unnecessary precaution, as no one
would have thought of entering the
house-he asked to be shown into
the room where the body was. The
hall into which the front door led
ran the entire length of the house.
and contained the stairs, hat rack,
on which hung a dilapidated coat and
hat, Garland's. outdoor apparel, two
plain chairs, a long sofa and a small
mirror
son either side Of the hall doors
led to four rooms, and it was to the
first on the left that Luenshy ush-
cred MCGOWAN. There sat Jacob
Garland, eyes staring, jaw dropped,
one hand on the table, the other by
his side. A small Undiscovered trunk
was on the table, of the kind used
in the eighteenth century, highly
studded with brass nails, the lid
open, the contents gone. On a slip
of paper in front of the trunk, pinned
to the table with a small, beautiful
ly made and highly-engraved dagger
were the following words in a clear,
bold hand:
"'The contents of this trunk will
be returned to the person from
whom they were taken by force, and