The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1912-09-05
HTS ACCUSER
Weekly Short Story

My grandfather, who made trip to
Europe so years ago. told me this
story:
That was the day when most Of the
travelling was done on the continent In
diligences and postchaises. there being
very few railroads. The influence of
the stirring up that governments got
| in 1874 was still felt. and stranger
was under constant surveillance. l was
dining in Berlin restaurant one day
and noticed man sitting at the other
end Of the table. He wore long black
beard, but no hair on his upper lip.
This is not much Of description of
him but there was really nothing to
mark him as unique.
1t SO happened that the next day ]
went into another restaurant In an en-
|tirely different part of the city, and
who should come in and sit down Oppo-
site me but the man had seen the day
before. We both looked at and recog-
nized each other, but l noticed that af-
ter that he kept his eyes away from
me. He hurried through his meal and
just before departing gave me quick
glance.
The autumn was coming on and
determined after a brief sojourn in
Switzerland to go down into Italy.
left Lucerne one morning by boat on
hn 1ply 80
Italian trip. What was my surprise
to see hurrying aboard as the boat was
about to start the man had seen twice
In Berlin--the man with the black
beard.
Now, in America, I should have con-
sidered these meetings simply coinci-
dences. But at that time in Europe
every man might be plotter against
the divine right of kings. l wondered
if were not suspect on the part Of a
government which had put spy on
me. did not see my man on the boat
until we disembarked at Finelen, at the
other end of the lake; then he went out
with crowd, giving me one Of those
quick glances Of his which by this time
| began to interpret as mean, you
arch conspirator. will trap you and
bring you to Justice"
The route by which I was going into
Italy was at that time by diligence
over the st. Gothard pass, though the
highest part of the pass was traversed
in sledges, each sledge containing two
persons sitting face to face. Who
should be put into the sledge with me
but the man with the black beard!
The. few hours l spent sitting VISA
Wis with this creature were the most
uncomfortable in my life. l felt sure
that he had been sent to keep watch
On me. AS for him, it seemed to me
hat he was ready to arrest me at any
He was unable to conceal
his antagonism for me. 1t looked as
f he had got himself placed in the
,ledge alone with ME that he might |
1url me over some one of the preci- |
oices we passed. He was constantly |
ooking about him and inferred that |
lie was keeping watch for points where |
might leave the sledge and take to
light.
But this part of the journey ended
without his throwing me into a gorge
n my attempting to escape him by
osing myself in snowy solitude. In
Iced, would rather have been hanged
for a conspirator than
lave tried it. When we again got in
o the diligence / missed my man
hough l was quite sure his eye was
pon me every minute. We descended
he Italian slope of the mountains and
ursued out journey toward Milan be-
ide quick running stream. Once on
Y, when we stopped for change of
orses and / got out to stretch my legs
Id I see my shadower. That was
hen, glancing up intothe coupe of the
saw him looking down up
n me with that cunning expression
hitch seemed to say: II am not ready
. nab you yet but shall soon have
GU where l want you"
I stopped at Locarno, a small town
n lake Maggori. In the twilight l