The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-09-16
The Mysterious Axlnan.



E0riginai.l
1t was long suit that settled the
ownership Of the WOOD lying between
the Scarsdales and the Kirchofs, and
even then the decision Of the court
left the ownership Of the timber Oh the
property uncertain. The Scarsdales
gained the land, title to which would
In law include the timber, but a Kir-
choG had at one time held bill OF
sale for the wood, and when the de-
cision came the Eirchoff against whom
1t was rendered declared that no Scars
dale should ever carry away 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 it
wcs till Howard Searsdale became en-
gagged to Elsie Kirchoff Then Howard
concluded to build house for himself
and the girl he was to marry in the
center Of the woods, Before beginning
be sold the timber to make way for
the house to man who was to take 1t
away.
The first tree cut down fell on one
Of the men engaged in the work and
killed him. Then when it had been
sawed into logs and they were being
removed from the property chain
broke, log rolled down on a man, and
another life was sacrificed. Some
body spoke Of the threat Of the Ikir
chof who had lost the suit, and that
ended for the time any attempt to
remove the timber, for no one would
undertake the job.
One night Elsie Kirchom, 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 fance 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
ch0pping IN the wood He made per-
sonal examination, which confirmed
what he had said. But Elsie remained
firm In maintaining that she had heard
an axnan at work Howard told her
that she would soon hear axmen, for
he had succeeded IN securing new
gang Of men for the purpose of taking
away the timber.
Ins 49,,
carried by Elsie Klrchoff's house The
bearers set the bier down In front OF
the house to rest, and Elsie shrinking
" went out, leaned on the gate and
asked what had been the cause of
death. She was Informed that q tree
that had been partly felled by the first
gang Of men employed to cut the tim
Der had fallen on the man and killed
him. He was to have been the fore
man of the new gang that Howard
scarsdale had employed.
The girl paled, 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 a 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 it. Perhaps he could get her to
be absent while It was done. lie sue
ceeded in doing this. Elsie went IN
May to visit a 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, reaching her bone at
bedtime.
Howard had his men ready to enter
upon the work of making the clearing
the next morning. Before breakfast
he received a message from elsie that
she was at home and she wished him
TO come TO her. Thinking she had been
taken III, he went to her Immediately.