The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1904-09-30

IOuS6LH III &tlEX[kz IL
the back yard and took his scat on an
old chair where the fun moon could
hit him fair on the back He was to
give the cure one hour on the drst trial.
and Mrs. Bowser went 10 bed leaving
him and the al thrown out In the
moonlight like two statues carved out
OF chalk. Two hours had passed when
she woke up with nuttering heart.
and running through TO the back win
dow she looked out. The cat lay asleep
on the chair, but there was no Mr.
Bowser. She called out, but there was
no answer. She descended TO the
kitchen and the back door. but the man
with the wabbly head had vanished
OF the face OF the earth. After wait
ing a full hour she decided to take
steps. and below are recorded the re-
suits:
James Thompson, a hostler. sleeping
in a barn on the opposite side OF the
alley. stated hat he was out with tho
boys until midnight, and upon his re-
turn home he saw g ghostiy object i'm
Mr.. Bowser's back yard. He heaved a.
brickbat ut the said q. o. and thought
he heard swearing. but cannot be GER
tain. Then a chill OF fear struck him,
and he got into the barn as quickly as
possible.
John Ciubem,~ policeman No. OF. who
had the Bowser block for his beat that
night, being duly sworn, said that he
was twenty-seven years old and en-
gagged to a cook named Annie Thomp-
son. at midnight that night he passed
down the alley in rear OF the house in
hopes that Annie might be sitting at
her window reading a novel. All OF q
sudden, as he stood looking and won
dering il she had saved up enough
money to take them to Niagara Falls
on their bridal tour, he heard a crash
as Of some one falling W. an ash bar
rel, and then all was still again. As he
is a ncarsighted man and sometimes
clubs the butcher by mistake for the
baker he cannot be sure Of seeing any
living thing in the alley at tie hour
named, but has a strong impression
that a man did gallop past him o
after the crash. Has had several dis
putes with Mr.. Bowser, but has no
feelings of revenge and had he killed
him in the alley would at once have
notified Mrs. Bowser and entered into
explanations.
Henry Davis, q milkman. who keeps
his rig in the alley and starts for the
depot at midnight to get his supply
from the train, being charged with
having murdered Mr.. Bowser for the
sake of robbing him OF his new pair Of
suspendeTs. declared on his oath hat
he was as innocent OF crime as Tom
Platt or Governor Odell.
AS he WAS Harvesting his horses he
was startled by a groan near at hand.
He was an expert Oh groans, but he
believed this groan to have been
groaned by q man who had built up
fond hopes about some idea and then
found them suddenly shattered.
Asked why he did not investigate,
he replied that it was his duty to serve
twenty-eiCht customers with milk at Z
cents d quart and that If he should
stop to investigate all the groans he
heard I'm the course of the year he
would lose half his trade. He also ac-
knowledged that he was not one of
those who charged up San Juan bill
and tina groans always affected his
courage.
Weary Willie Baker, a gentleman in
reduced circumstances, who was pass
ing the night in a shed in the alley, be-
ing taken by the neck by a policeman
and Topped around for five minutes,
remembered hooking over into the
Bowser yard just before retiring for
the night. Why he looked he could not
say, except that looking into back
yards was part of his antics as a re-
duced gentleman.
What he saw, or thought he saw. was
a feather bed sitting on a chair in the
moonlight. 1t might have been q gram
pus or ~rhinoceros instead of q feather
bed. What it was there for he could
not say; but. finding an old zoe near at
hand. he heaved it at the mysterious
bundle and thinks the bundle moved.
Also thinks it swOre. Having always
avoided the occult. and his last glass
Of beer having made him sleepy, depo-
nent threw no more old boots, bat re-
tired to his couch and his sleep. Has
never been convicted OF murder. Can
recall no reason why lie should Lave
wanted to murder Mr.. Bowser. The
said Mr.. BJNyser once threw him owe
his front fence for asking him for I
dime, but as he alighted on his bead
and was unhurt lie bore 10 luminosity.
Is used TO being thrown owe fences
and considers it a part of the days
work.
The following advertisement WAS
then inserted in all the daily papers:
missing From Home-Missing since
midnight on Wednesday evening. Mr..
Bowser, who went ont to sit in bis
back yard and take the moon cure for
his wabbly head. Is q man OF fori1
complexion. baldbeaded and cas-:
provoked to anger. Is supposed To Fave
Haan cfr,,rI, nv Tho bork Of fhn EaaI ~