The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1909-05-24

WILL q opRt "a biOOu OH ~ " ~'S ~O~>-
in his room / said nothing, but OF
course it was haunted peso and that
is why he died. Perhaps he did not
know of the curse. But l do. and II
ever find another peso with the blood
on it, know where it will go. You
may do as you choose, but love my
life too well to sell it for peso
The paymaster wondered why every
man who was paid that day examined
his pesos carefully before leaving the
window. He supposed there were
counterfeits in circulation and that
the laborers were afraid of getting bad
coins.
Francisco Basa, the man who had
asked Felipe to tell him the story OF
the haunted pesos, looked at his mon
ey the next morning and was horri
fed to discover that two of his pesos
had the fatal blood spots.
He called his wife and in terror
they both agreed that they were pos
sessed of haunted pesos, and that
. they would hurl them into the yard
Of the Pace house as soon as it became
dark. The two pesos were sadly need
ed, it was true, but what were two
pesos, If throwing them back to the
miser would protect them from his
r curse?
So after his days work loading and
unloading ships. Francisco went to
Pace, shivering with fear, and imagin-
i ing that every palm tree along Gale
Real concealed the spirit Of the miser,
Q oh s1v An
e we're reaching for his throat
There seemed to be great many
= Fflipinos hurrying along Gale Real.
They all went by the Ledesma house
in the darkness and then started back
). by the way they had come from Ma
Mia
Francisco furtively threw his pesos
:. over the fence and went back to the
II city with the others. When he had
e come to the Luneta, where the band
&c was playing, he met Pascual Romero,
u who also worked for the government
= unloading steamers.
- Where have you been, Pascual?"
:. he asked
a Il have been in Paco," replied Pas
cual Let us walk around and hear
Z the band play. How is your wife's
\ brother doing with his fish store?"
u Good replied Francisco, but his
4 mind was not on the fish store.
II Il found two haunted pesos In my
" purse this morning." said Francisco
q his fingers trembling as he LIT q cigar
81 cite.
II You were lucky" said Pascual. 81
u had the misfortune to find that had
n four l threw them back to the misel
Z and glad l am that l did so. Have
you kept yours?"
Mother of God, no! l cast the &C
81 cursed things away. Does man risl
NJ his life for two pesos?"
Others have found the blood spot
on their money, l am told. There Il
Il no mistaking them. The spots shov
over the eagle. They are spots o
dried blood and there can be no dOub
that they are the miser's coins"
For three months the 1000 F1lipi
= nos employed by the government II
the transport service found haunte'
pesos and every week they journeye'
nd to Pace by night and threw the coin
rit into the yard of the Ledesma house
zen Then they found no more and came t
by the conclusion that the spirit of tn
dead miser had his own again an
i'm was at peace They were well pleased
his for they found their wages being d.
Ing pleted by the tribute to the ghost 9
cks the pesos.
he But no one had been strangled. s
hat the story told by Felipe Lopez ha
his warned all the natives of Manila an
ing had doubtless saved many lives.
EN-, 1t is a pity some facts bearing
by rectly on the haunted pesos must
do Justice be told to those who have 70
our lowed the tale this far.
Who Some weeks before Felipe Lop<
use told his story, chemist employed
ave the government laboratory at Mani
and was sharing a room with man fro
will Connecticut. The latter was employs
will in the Philippine treasury and mat
hill up the money for the various COVER
by ment bureaus, including the transpo
gle service, which was used to pay sala
and les.
hat The man from Connecticut was
on typical New England Yankee, with II
IS it nasal twang common to that regio
It l and he had the reputation of bell
ives very shrewd
1old The chemist one night gave him
chill peso which had dark red spot on
who 1T does not show at once" exclatm
he the chemist but the spot comes Q
,ers, in a day or two, and lasts fol couI
of weeks, when il fades again. Loo
Il like a spot of blood, doesn't 1t
the YES" said the Connecticut ms
not and smoked several cigars in silen
the Then he went and had long II
q in with an intelligent native named
ser's lipe Lopez, who was cargo checi
hit l for the army transport service.
into About the time the Filipinos got
niser more haunted pesos in their waE
who a government chemist and an emplo
aless of the treasury resigned and took p
them sage for the United States on
49, Doth ~ Thorn had u1onfy