Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1907-10-02
The Mysterious Axman.


the ScarsdaleS and the hlrcnoHs, anu
oven then the decision of the court
left the ownership of the timber on tho
property uncertain. The Scarsdales
gained the land, q title to which would
In law Include the timber, but Kir-
chor had at one time held a bill or
sale for The wood, and when the de-
cision came the Kirchoff against whom
II was rendered declared that no Scars
dale should ever carry away'a stick OF
wood from the property. He died soon
after making the threat, and THOMAS
Scarsdale considered that he might
take peaceable possession of both land
and timber. However, there was no
occasion to cut the wood, and no move
was made to do so for many years.
Indeed the property remained as IL
was till Howard Scarsdale became en-
Gagged to Elsie Kirchoff. Then Howard
concluded TO build house for himselI
and the girl he was TO marry III the
center of the woods. Before beginning
he sold the timber to make way fOr
the house to a man who was to take IL
away.
The first tree cut down fell ON one
of the men engaged in the work and
killed him. Then when 1t had been
sawed into logs and they were being
removed from the property a chain
broke. a log rolled down on a man, ana
another life was sacrificed. Some
body spoke of the threat Of the XII
choff who had lost the suit, and tnat
ended for the time any attempt 10
remove the timber, for no one would
undertake the job.
One night Elsie Kirchohf, who occu-
pied the family home on the west edge
Of the wood, being awake, heard the
sound Of an ak which she fancied came
from the spot where her flance had
purchased to build their nest. The next
day she told Howard of the circum-
stance. Howard insisted that she must
have been mistaken. No one had been
chopping in the wood. He made per-
sonal examination, which confirmed
what ne had said. But Elsie remained
firm in maintaining that she had heard
an axman at work Howard told her
that she would soon hear axmen, for
he had succeeded in securing q new
gang of men for the purpose of taking
away the timber
The next day the body of man was
carried by ElsieNKirehoff's house. The
bearers set the bier down in front of
the house to rest, and Elsie shrinking
ly went out, leaned on the gate and
nsked what had been the cause of
death. She was informed that tree
that had been partly felled by TIE first
gaaE Of men employed to cut the tina
Der had fallen on the man and killed
him. lie was to have been the fore
man of %he new gang that Howard
Scarsdalc E21 employed.
The girl paied, gasped and. went into
the house. She sent Immediately for
her lover and implored him to take no
further action in making the required
clearing. Scarsdale considered the
deaths simply Il chapter of accidents,
but he found Elsie in such a turmoil
Of emotion that to calm her he prom
ised her that the whole matter should
be indefinitely deferred.
Autumn was coming on, and he con-
Guided to keep his promise till the next
spring, when he would have the JOB
done without saying anything to Elsie
about 1t. Perhaps he could get her to
be absent while Ii was done He sue
ceeded in doing this. Elsie went In
May to visit friend, but she had
scarcely settled herself In her friends
house when she experienced an ire
sistible desire to return. This she did
the next day, reashing her home at
bedtime.
Howard had his men ready to enter
upon the work Of making the clearing
the next morning. Before breakfast
he received Il message from Elsie that
| she was at home and she wished him
to come to her Thinking she had been
taken i'll, he went to her Immediately
Without explaining her sudden return
she asked quickly:
care you going to cut the wood|
Howard tried for awhile to equlvo-
cate, bat, seeing that she would have
nothing but the truth, confessed.
"Stop it at once" she said eXcitedly.
go and forbid the men to strike a
blow. Last night | heard the axman
again. Oh, do go and stop them"
While they were speaking there was
crash in the wood.
"Too latew gasped Elsie.
Howard. impressed with something,
he knew not what, started to go to
the wood. Elsie held him In tight
embrace Hearing shouting, he tore
himself away. When he reached the
point from which the voices came he
| found that the men had been at work
long enough to fell tree with rotted
core. 1t had fallen prematurely on one
Of the men, and the others were try
ing to pry 1t up so that they could get
him out. When they succeeded he was
dead.
This is the story they tell about the
| L,
stick of timber has been removed.
After the last accident, as Howard
Scarsdale insisted on calling it, Elsie
refused to marry him unless he would
give up building on the property, and
he complied, building elsewhere. If
you go there and ask why piece OF
property so desirable and surrounded
by handsome dwellings remains va
cant, they will tell you 1t is held for a
high price. If you repeat this story
to Howard Scarsdale, he will poohpooh
the whole thing, but will admit that II
is impossible to get the superstition out
of a woman AS for Mrs Elsie Sears
dale and the families of the men who
lost their lives attempting TO remove
the timber, they are absolutely certain
that the mysterious axman was none
other than the Kirchoff who had made
the threat. HOPE HOPKINS.