Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-30
THE HOUSE OF THE
BI ACK RING.
CHAPTER XIV.

Copyright. 1908. By Henry Holt = O.,

| The Murder In Sugar Valley.
| Karl Keichline was dead: the news new
| over the valleys like wilddre. He wal
| found on the morning Of JuEe lying In q
| huddle in his back store amid q tumble OF
scattered goods and packing cases Tne
| front door was wide open and there was 2
| window up in the rear of the post once
room. Marks of q fierce struggle were every
| where; the safe was on Its back. great
| heap OF horse blankets over 1t. and every
thing was In confusion. The tin ciock,
| which had been knocked to the floor, had
stopped at the hour of one.
The post Office inspector and the coroner
| had arrived at noon and had taken up the
| matter with vigorous hand Nothing had
| been touched. The burgess, who WAS on the
| spot few moments after the first discov-
| cry. had stretched a rope around the entire
| premises and had forbid any one passing
| 1t. In an hour the entire circuit of the BAR
rier had been crowded with excited men
| and women, as IL the place were prize
| ring. But a strange hush had been over
/ them. One could almost hear his nelghber
| heart baat.
| The first step of the officials was to make
| a photograph of the body as 1t lay amid
! the boxes, after which they made minute
| examination. There was but one mark OF
violence
| About the neck reaching from ear to ear
| on the back, was livid black ring
| The next sensataion the discovery
near the overturned safe of brace and
steel bits, a cold chisel, cake of putty
| like soap, and a blacksmith's hammer
| Branded in the hammer handle were the
initials -. -
| There was little additional evidence. An
| old agricultural report of Pennsylvania, in
which 1t was known that keichline kept
postage stamps, was missing. and, accord
| Ing to the Inspector, 1t should have con-
| tanned some seventeen dollars in ones and
| twos. The money drawer also had been
rihed. Nothing else seemed to have been
disturbed.
The coroners inquest was held immedl-
ately In scarce an hour the jury brought
| the report that Kichline had come to his
death from a blow delivered across the
| base of the brain by unknown parties who
had entered the post office intent on lar
ceEy." 1t was their opinion that kichlne
had surprised the robbers as they were
about to blow open the safe, had grappled
with one of them and had succeeded in
throwing him on his back when the othef
had delivered the fatal blow.
The inspector Immediately offered a re-
ward of one thousand dollars to be paid by
the general government for the apprehen-
sion of the guilty parties, and the burgess
after short conference with his COUNT
offered a like amount. Then luil seemed
to come in the whirlwind of events But II
was of short duration. On the very heeis
of the verdict the sheriff received Il teie-
phone message from Squire Hartswick OF
He'll Bottom and the excitement instantly
increased tenfold
The news had come to the Bottom like a
thunderclap In all the history OF the re-
gion there had never been such sensation.
June was the day when Karl was to nave
received his final answer from Rose. Jim
Farthing 1t was known, was infatuated
with her; the hammer with its brand couio
mean only one thing
Tho sources suspicious were right 1t
was clear now who had been committins
H. hrriac nd hn had
for the doings in the Heller cabin
The thought came to the valley Like cold
chill. AS If by agreement, the men every
where dropped their work and congresateu
at the store. There was no loud Talk anu
no noisy excitement; the feeling was TOO III
tense for that. A sullen undertone, oeep
and menacing came from the nttie groups.
The uncanny element In the anam appsieu
to many and caused them to talk IN rear
full whispers. The squire said nothing at
all, but the Hartswick wrath was In ms
face as no one had ever seen 1t there De.
fore Men glanced at him fearfully ana
avoided him. All through the forenoon he
was a smoldering volcano; the eruption
was yet to come.
It came with the report Of the coroner.
Suddenly he burst into furious action;
three minutes after he had heard the final
details he telephoned the sherin to
ride with all speed to the Bot
tom, and to come with a force pre-
pared for rough work. Then unable
to wait a single instant, he rode up to the
Fartbing place to reconnoiter. By mere
luck he came upon Mrs. Farthing In the
road and learned from her that her husband
and Tom had gone the day before on busl-
ness to Sinking Springs. but that they were
expected home before night. Jim was up In
the wood lot cutting firewood. The old man
drove back in fierce haste.
They hain't got back yet from their
butchering.' he burst In stormily even be-
fore he had reached the store. ''They hain't
unless the old woman's lying. Here, two of
yeh go up there where you can see the
house and keep watch. Don't let 'em see
yeh. But they won't come back; It's their
trick to hide In the mountains till this
blows over. but 1t won't work. Dang EN-.
they can't get away now.
He hustled from the buggy and strobe to
the telephone, where he began giving orders
like a general at the front. He called up
one by one every station on the line and
ordered a strict watch to be set on all
.oads. From Sugar Valley he got word that
the sheriff would start in half an hour with
a full force of deputies prepared to scour
the mountains till the murderers were
found. Then he turned to the crowd In the
store.
TITS a clear case" He swung his fist In
windy wrath. I'VE know who this gang is
now, and. id 'em. we've got 'em. We've
got every link; the motives as clear as tine
light of day and SOS the proof. The sher-
iffE be here against and you must stand
by us, every one OF We. We shall need we
ALL" He strobe out OF the door like an
For moment there was silence; the
crowd got Its bearings slowly.
Nov, amt quite SO sure began Lem
Fisher after time. I'D Jest as quick think
the Farthings want there as to think they
was. Did we hear about that black ring
around Karl's neck still? Helm? Recollect
what told We down to Dams fifth? Didn't
l say as how you'd find Karl some fine
morning with O. black ring around his neck
and his eyes bulgin' ont like he'd saw the
devil wunst? Helm? Wei, sub. know what I
think still? Somebody's been pow-wowin'
Already" nodding his head mysteriously.
"Umph-huh! and you don't have to be
where the imam is to powwow him. Umph-
huh! See?'
"Oh, pshaw" sneered Amos "Let up,
won't yeh, on this pesky pow-wow business
We've gut facts enough the Lord knows,
without going into that Internal rot This
thing was done by the gang that's been OPP
eratin' In this region all the spring That's
plain enough to me. They'd Jest gut the safe
down ready to blow when Karl. who been
sieepin' with one eye open these three
months. heard the noise and bounced
down on en- They're old hands. / tell
you. They know that country postmasters
have stamps ready for customers generally
in some old book, and that they don't al
u4 rcrv arx1l,a tn y.t,f Tn, A.