The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-05-11

and plunged on TO the creek Aerc1fui
heaven. Around the cabin on the old
scow flickered that same blush, mys-
ferrous light, and out its door leaped
the peddler, and fell upon his knees,
and above stood Hargeut with descend
ing ak. Just as they appeared in the
bedroom scene, they stood out against
this helEsh fame, then disappeared.
and all was darkness.
The business engagement came to
IN end then and there. Joseph Cod
win was another man who would
rather stay in the middle of a swamp
all night" He noiselessly reentered
the house, horrible as the place had
become 10 him, dressed himself fully,
made up his bundle, and was soon put
ting that accused abode and its in
mates as far behind him as swift
walking would accomplish it-rrem-
bling, like a Schoolboy going through
a graveyard, at every movement OF 4
bush In the woods Or a shadow on
the road.
Along in the forenoon he got back
TO Ellis'S house, where two Or three
stiff drinks of apple brandy set his
nerve all right again. The farmer
and his wife listened K GOdwin'S
story with bated breath, and the farm
er was particularly impressed with
the peddler. Under stress of this be
became communicative, and told a
strange tale. Two Or three years be-
fore, a peddler Of exactly the appear
ance described by Goodwin was in thai
neighborhood, and remained for sew
eral days, making trips through the
surrounding country, and putting up at
Targets house. He was a jolly sort
Of fellow, rather given to drink, and
in one of his periods of i~ntoxlcaticn
| had exhibited a large roll Of money.
The last ever seen of him he had
spent the night with Hargett, and The
latter said that he left before sunrise
| in the morning, going toward F.
| But he never appeared in that town.
| nor was he eve seen or the road or
| at any house in that section, and there
were strong suspicious of foul play.
| But the poor foreigner seemed to have
| no friends who cared for his fate, AID
| the matter rested there.
Of course Joseph Godwin's wonder
! full experiences became the talk of al
the country. and the suspicious were
revived with ten-fOld force. But they
were only suspicious, after all, now
ever strong; much time had passed,
and there was nothing to work on III
official investigation. However, the
feeling in that section became so bit
ter and pronounced against Abel Har-
gett that, stolid anu callOus as he was.
it grew to be uncomfortable, and Ne
sold out his farm and other property
removing to a distant southern STATE
Some adventurous people OF an In
vesUigating turn of mind dragged rae
creek around the old fiat; but if Har-
gett eyer had the poor peddler's Dndy
he had slowed it elsewhere. In a sor'
of lumber room in the Hargett house
was found, after the owners departure
a green, fuzzy cap, which some de-
clared was the %peddler's ~headgear-
but this did not prove a murder.
Above is the true story OF JOSEPH
Goodwin and the mysterious foreign
peddler. By true, | mean that JOSEPH
Goodwin over an dover selemnly de
clared that he had heard and seen thu
terrible and u~naccountable thing
which I have narrated-and GOdWll
all through life bore an unimpeachabl
character as a sober, practical, honest
truthful man. He has been dead 10
wear. but his sister, Margaret, was Hv
ing when | last heard of her a yea
or W ago, a very old woman, and S
was William Ellis. Both these ca
corroborate this strange tale, the mys
terv of which | make no effort to eH
| plain. ). II. W.
5 Fayetteville, n. c.