The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1906-06-01

or living twelve miles south Of Tlldcn.
who said that n strange man, acting
nervous and Hike n fugitive. had come
to his house Monday night, stayed all
night, left before breakfast Tuesday
morning and that he told conflicting
stories of n Are and tragedy nt Tlldcn.
This set Tildcn to thinking and II de.
vclopcd that two strange men had driv.
on into town Sunday, had applied for
n meal late that night In tho Cunning
ham fruit house and restaurant. asked
If Cunningham could change Il $40 blll
were ugly, ana drove west out of town
In n strange buggy with u bay team.
The next evening nt about o'clock
n stranger walked into the farm of
Mr. Emery, twelve miles south and
asked for lodging He was neatly and
cleanly dressed. apparently In clothing
that had not been worn before. His
shoes were polished. He stated that
he was tired and had walked twenty
two miles. He was admitted and Inn
mcdiatcly asked for daily paper.
None of that day wns at hand, but one
Of Sunday was given to him. He grum.
bled that II was not up to date Then
he said, "Do you know that something
terrible has happened In this little
town."
He then snid that half the town had
burned including paint shop, a liv.
cry barn and several houses.
There are two house keepers at the
Emery farm, one who was Just leav.
ing and another, n former nurse In the
army, who had just arrived The nurse
asked
How did II happen?"
81 don't know" said the stranger,
who was dark skinned Roman nosed,
smooth shavcn fellow little over
five feet tall, and with keen eye.
How do you know about lt?" was
asked.
81 came twenty-five miles, and right
through there" he said. His dark blue
suit and polished boots did not show
that he had walked.
Asked where he was from, he said
lIlgn, and that he was going to visit
n sister Il mile west of Newman Grove,
named Cummins. He declared his
brother, a man named Crawford, was
n police sergeant in Omaha and that
his own name was E. Crawford. A
letter written to Omaha by the nurse
brought the reply that there Is no
police sergeant named Crawford there
The description of this fellow tallics
with that of one of the mon who had
entered the Cunningham restaurant
Sunday night He was dominccring
ordered supper, ordered lamps it,
ordered "A magazine and constantly
watched the road, as though fearing
someone might come for him. After
supper he sat on the porch, always
looking toward the street and took off
his shoes
During the evening he drew forth n
memorandum book and brought out
three feathers of color, declaring, "YOu
never saw feathers like these"
The nurse called the bluff and said
they were Monaghan pheasant feath-
crs, red, blue and yellow, and came
from the Philippines. At this he shut
the book and turned the subject. Hard
pressed he declared he had secured
the feathers in the islands as sol
der. He also produced bean which
he declared was used by Filipinos as
a substitute for alcohol. The nurse
corrected him and said whisky. At
this ne began talking of something
else. The theory of the nurse is that
he never was in the Philippines and
had stolen the relics of Bohlsen, who
was a soldier. Crawford kept shifting
a handkerchief in which he apparently
had something that he was being care
ful Of
Paced Floor All Niaht.