The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-12-16


his affairs in town. Martin took two o.
three drinks OF whiskey with acquain-
tances at the village bar room, and
supplied himself with a quart OF the
liquor to tai home He occasionally
got on a little. to use a mild express
ton. but II could not be charged that
he was addicted to strong drink Jus.
as he was hitchinE up his mule for hts
return n was sCcosted by an agent,
taking subscriptions for a large weekly
newspap-r published In a southern city.
CHANGING over a sample copy he saw
that ie was well worth the price, and
he subscribed for a year in advance.
AS ne rode on home. the whisky he
had drunk had effected him Just
enough 70 produce a craving for mor.,
and he applied himself to his quart
bottle more than once; and, IN short.
he soon realized that he was more in
toxicated than he had been in many
years. Turning of into the woods he
drove his mule behind a clump OF sma /
trees. to be on OF sight OF the road.
and Law back in his cart to sober up.
opening the sample copy of the paper
for which he had subscrI bed, TO VILE
away the time. But his o-a:n wa tho
nue. befuddled 10 take IN anything.
and he was still laundering through
IN advertisement, offerIn.: n large re-
!" ~ " IOcN NCCN. me Hc lSAl
asleep 1t was nearly dark when he
awoke, pretty we'll sobered, gathered up
the lines and drove on home.
It. was just daylight when Edward
Martin awoke next morning, with his
head aching a little, but clear. In n
flash the advertisement which he had
been reading in a confused way when
ne fell asleep the afternoon before.
came into his mind with vivid dis
rinHtnPSS Haf6rRSSa6 himself hurried
ly, looked up the paper, procured the
deed of the swamp from behind the
clock, and again read the notice, COM
pairing the two Papers as he went on.
The deed in his possession was the
Identical n for which a magnificent
reward was offered!
The advertisement, which was very
long, occupying half a column in non
pareil type in the paper narrated a
strange story. 1t old that in the fail
of 1864 u company of federal cavalry
from an Ohio regiment had made a
raid on a little town in a southern state
during which some of the men had
looted the residence OF a citizen on the
outskirts and had broken open a desk.
From hat day to the publication of
the advertisement. nothing had been
seen Of the deed. though the most dill
igent search had beer made. The news
paper called on three other papers n
cities in Ohio to copy the. notice, and
send bill to that office. The ADVERTISE
ment went o. to promise that anyone
having in their possession UGH a deed
and surrendering it by such a time in
the little southern town mentioned, or
making known at what point he could
be met to make the surrender, would
ecure as reward one-half the lands
conveyed by the deed, or the equiva-
lent of their value in cash. The notice
concluded with the statement hat this
was the sixth advertisement published
since the close of the a
Now the strong, decisive character Of
Edward Martin came out, and with t
was developed the worst and predomi-
nant feature of his nature-lust for
gain. Before the day had closed he
had mapped out his whole plan of ac-
ton, which he proceeded to execute
promptly. First, he went to a neigh
Dor, who had long been tempting his
needs with the offer for the only good
piece of land that he owned, and clos
ed the trade with him, which put him
in possession of a considerable sum of
ready money. Then he wrote to the
colonel Of the regiment and the captain
of the company in which he had served
as a Confederate soldier, asking for
certificates as to his whereabouts dur
ing the whole summer and fall of 1864,
that he was a faithful southern SOL
der, and had never left his command
during all that time. Lastly he wrote
to the advertiser in the southern town,
to the effect that on a certain day he
would appear there, to surrender the
deed advertised for, and notifying him
that he would exact unquestionabie
guarantees for the payment of the &C.
ward before he parted with the docu-
ment.
He made a trip to a large and more
distant town than the county seat,
where he furnished himself with an
outfit of good clothing; and, in other
ways, he began to show the indications
CT the changes in his character which
will appear later on. He still kept on
at his York about the farm, hoeing in
the fields and plying his axe in the
woods as he had been doing all his
life; but he already loathed his sordid
environment, n would sit by the fire
at night, and dream by the hour of his
transformation from poverty to riches,
with all that he would do for his
nephew, William Vaughn. He became
more careful of his person, too: KEEP.
himself clean shaved, used only fine
toilet soap: and, although he reserved
his elegant clothes for his momentous
trip south he was already brushing
himself Up for the future life Of a
gentleman
His plans All matured in due course;
and the appointed day saw him in the
southern town, seated at a table in an
office, opposite to a keen-eyed, smooth
shaven man of about As years, on one
side Of whom sat a sweet-faced woman
Of middle age, and on the other a lad
about 16 years old. Edward Martin had
many a time, while waiting for the
hour of the fruition Of his dreams, re-
hearsed this Gene. or something like
it. He had gradually fortified himself
in an outer shell Of caution and ret
cence, proof against n attack. a
an attempt been mad TO overreacn
him or take him off his guard.
But there was no such attempt. He
first insisted on showing from the cer-
tihcate OF his military commanders,
that he could not have been engaged
II the raid on the town and the loot
ing OF the residence. They were plain
~ curious to now how he came into