davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14
BY Joella Johnson

one time he crept down the stairs and
had hira come up to the door.
Outrageous, robbery" said the
shrill voice of the Austrian manufac-
turer in German. translated the cab
man whispering in McNabb's ear.
"You cheat me. For that little bottle
you ask thousands of marks and it
cost you nothing"
Il got it, didn't I. for you, and now
you pay me not!" growled the other.
Us it the goods right?" asked the
Austrian evidently of the little drug
gist.
cit is right. I analyze it good" said
the druggist.
Gold pay, sure. But how 1 know
you not tell others how it made is,
yes?" the Austrian asked fearfully.
Il stay here no more. You think l
kill man for gold and stay where po-
lice find me. I go back to Vienna and
talk nothing" the man Kissed this as
if in fear.
"I go to Germany soon I sell my
drug store" said the druggist.
Gold clinked on the board table.
Clutching the cab drivers arm McNabb
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14
The Girls Retribution

ry beautiful heiress and the wedding
was to be social event unequalled in
brilliancy and lavish expenditure of
money. Florists and decorators spent
days in preparing for the nuptials.
AS the glittering array of gowns
slowly came down the church aisle
with the organ and hired orchestra
pealing forth triumphant wedding
march the vast assemblage of society's
elite arose as the bride leaning on the
arm Of her father walked to the altar
rail. Accompanied by his best ms
Howard Harrington proceeded from
the vestry door to meet his bride to be.
The solemn words of the vested priest
intoned throughout the church.
eff any person knows why this man
and woman should not be joined in
holy matrimony let them now speak
or forever hold their peace"
With wild cry Of fear Howard
reeled back from the railing, for facing
him with babe in her arms stood the
shade of Wanda. Her soulful face
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

the grave and kissing of indrawn
breath. Quickly the professor snapped
on the light again. His visitor was
gone. The writing on the table read.
81 am at rest, 1 thank you. Give me
vengence. See James Roberts, Cleve-
land" AS the professor held the pa
per it slowly turned brown, crumpled
I'D and fell like ashes to the floor, but
he understood The next day he talked
with Sergeant MacNei1 at the Central
Station.
Stoutly Roberts, who live in the
house, denied his guilt or any knowl-
edge of the dead mans body. They
took him to the deserted house and as
the party entered the darkness of the
front room brilliant light Illuminated
the hearth and there stood the old
man, his accusing finger pointed at
Roberts and then the specter disap-
peared- With gurgling cry, Roberts
confessed he had murdered the grand
father to get his money.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

any knowledge of the girls misfortune
and through his lawyer demanded that
she cease any further reference to
him. The next morning ranchers
found the dead body Of the beautiful
half-breed girl with crushed baby
at the foot of Lovers Leap in Rumble
Canyon.
First Lester Merwin declared he saw
the Indian girl with her baby sitting
on a rock by the trail. He called to
her and she vanished. Rugby Som
mers saw her one morning sitting by
the roadside and straining her eyes up
the roadway. He passed near by and
spoke to her in the Pluto tongue. She
melted into vapor and disappeared.
Many others saw the sweet-faced child
mother sitting along the roadside
watching for some one, only to sud
denly disappear if approached or
spoken to.
Society papers came out with glar-
ing headlines. Howard Harrington,
son of the wealthy widow, was to mar
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

Mt was early morning. A crippled
man was sitting before huge
ON fire in an immense kitchen. Plain
ly the kitchen was the living room of
the house. His wife, a young woman,
was preparing breakfast. She was
tall and slender, she stepped with an
alertness not seen in women lacking
ambition. The quietness of her move
ment was merely an instinct not to jar
the ragged nerves of the sick man nor
waken the baby lying in its little crib.
But presently the baby threw out an
arm. then moaned. There was short,
quick wheeze which warned the wom-
an across the kitchen that the baby
was sick again, and terror crossed her
face, for she was miles from a doctor
and had been unable to find the medi-
cine she brought home.
The man exclaimed ooh, my!" then
craned his neck to get better view
of the child. He tossed his head like
an infuriated beast, for he could not
move step toward the baby. But the
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

the door of the house and then evil
IDENTIFY realizing some mistake enter
the drug store. By peering through
the window the detective saw him talk
ing to a short, red-haired man, also of
the foreign type. The druggist got his
coat and hat and came out driving
away with the foreigner. McNabb's
cab followed. A dozen blocks to the
further East Side, they weaved
through the traffic.
The cab drew up before a four-story
tenement house and the man entered.
Silently McNabb crept in the dingy
hallway and heard them going up the
creaking stairs. He heard a door open
and shut on the floor above. Tiptoeing
up the stairs he saw a beam of shroud-
ed light coming over a transom of a
room door. He could see that either
papers or cloth had been draped over
the glass of the transom to keep any,
one from looking in. AS he leaned
near the door the voices inside were
plain enough, but the conversation was
all in German and he could not I'M
derstand a word. Remembering the
cab driver was German student at
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14
By Margaret Taylor

know what corner it was. She re-
traced her steps as far as possible,
feeling for road and presently came
to it. She stood like blind person,
trying to pierce the darkness with I'M
seeing eyes. Not. even the CLINT or out
line of the sun was visible. She did
not know which direction to take. 1t
might lead back home. Then feeling
the road again, she was indeed dis
mayed, for she was on dirt road and
the one she should have taken was
macadamized.
II must be in the lane" she moaned.
Then after another long search she
found her horse and buggy. She pat
ted the horse and said: "I'lI have to
leave it to you to get me to town or
back home. Go on!"
Again the horse stopped and again
she got out to find the road. This
time her hand touched grass. She
must be in a pasture field! How on
earth she got in there she did not
know. She now knew the horse was
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

as blind as herself and all the instinct
which horses are credited with having
in the dark was not highly developed
in the blinded animal she was driving
She now knew she could not get to
town and it was foolish to think she
could. She got into the buggy and
drove on. How far she went or where
she went, she did not know. If any
thing the day was darker and driz-
zling rain fell. Presently a voice
sounded right by the buggy. "Can
you tell me where I amp" it exclaimed.
She laughed slightly. Can you tell
me where 1 ann" I have been lost for
hours. I am after the doctor. My ba-
by is sick?"
"Well, l am no doctor and my ma
chine is over an embankment close by
here and you'll be over it, too, unless
you walk as am doing. Let your
horse go if you don't want to be
killed, and maybe we can find way
out"
For a second she mistrusted the
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14
Believe 1t or Not

spectral apparition, the man of science
spoke quietly.
REST, my spirit friend, you shall
have. Tell me how"
Floating through the door of the
front room the white light went to
the fireplace and pointed it's bony hand
at the stone hearth. With wall of
grief like perishing human the rat
Ting bones sank to the floor and dis
appeared, leaving the professor in
darkness.
Very simple, men" said the profess
sor the next day, directing the work
men as they dug up the stone over the
hearth. you will find something
down there"
AS the iron bars pried up the heavy
stone the lanterns showed lying in the
accumulated SCOT and ashes the dou-
bled up, decaying body of man with
a bullet hole in the forehead. It was
plainly murder.
ReYerently with religious services
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

A second trip to the buyer put Nc
Nabb in touch with the downtown
house handling the foreign-made bags.
The buyer there confirmed the de-
partment store mans statements about
the constant trouble with the imported
goods. He said he expected the Au-
strian manufacturer to be in America
in the near future. McNabb went out
on routine city work and awaited de-
velopments. The buyer of the import
ing house agreed to let him know
when the Austrian arrived. The detec-
tive was in the outer offices when he
called on the importing firm. When he
left his hotel that evening McNabb was
shadowing him at every step. He took
hotel cab, McNabb following with a
cab driver he often used for such
trips. Reaching a house on the east
side of the city the cab stopped. The
driver of the police car stopped hun
dred yards behind and extinguished
his lights. Next to the house was a
drug store of the old style pharmacy
order. McNabb noted the German
name over the door. Slipping up
quietly he saw the Austrian first try
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

windows appeared to be locked tight
ly. The officer walked around the
house shooting his flash light in the
dark corners of the porch and out
buildings. He tried the front door
and started back step as it swung
open to his touch. He stepped in the
dark hall. A rush of icy air swept past
him slamming the door shut and he
heard the spring lock snap to place. A
blood-curdling scream echoed through
the bleak house. With creaking
hinges door opened to his right and
gaunt, ghostly figure swept out to-
wards him. One wild look and he saw
the grinning skull and shrank in ter
ror as the bony fingers clawed at his
coat. A white, phosphorescent glow
followed the figure as it foated in the
thin air. O'Malley sank to the dutsy
floor in a crouching heap. His legs
refused to hold him as the sweat
poured from every pore of his big
body.
"Give me rest. Give me rest" walled
the shrill voice of the rafting bony
figure Mechanically the policeman
reached for his gun and fired at the
ghost. AS the gun roared out. the
pink flame piercing the blackness the
trailing figure uttered a howl of rage
doated down the hall and disappeared
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

turned to him. The glorious eyes alight
with ghostly CLEAN. Her robes of color
brilliant with a silver sheen. One
fawn, colored arm raised and pointed
at him, then to the babe at her breast.
Bringing in terror Howard backed into
the arms of his best man, covering his
face with his hands.
"Take it away! Take it away!" he
shouted. The wedding party looked at
each other in amazemert. The bride
to be tainted in her fathers arms.
Shrieking, clawing to get away How
ard tore through the crowd and ran
down the aisle. Softly like the melt
ing of twilight the figure at the rail
faded and was gone. The wedding
broke up in disorder.
Days later trappers saw a wild-eyed,
disheveled young man with tattered
clothes running along Harmony trail
calling for Wanda. Up and down the
ridge he ran. At dusk Murphy O'Day
hunting timber wolves saw him racing
up the slope crying and waving his
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14
Going Through With It


woman had the little one in her arms.
Its face was hot and flushed, the tiny
body twisting in agony. Quiet tears
fell down the woman's face, but she
hid them from the man. She knew
his cup of sorrow was bitter enough.
Then-how do they do it, these brave,
good mothers ?-she smiled and said
she would go to town. b
'You can't go, Alfreda," protested
her husband. Look at the dense fog.
No mortal soul could have gone
through it yesterday and it is no bet
ter today. 1t is almost dark"
well, / am going. I have little
medicine here that will keep. her from
choking and I think I can get to town.
I'll move the crib here and leave ev-
erything within your reach. Oh"
then she suppressed the sob as the
baby gasped and fell back into her
arms.
The horse was new one, had not
been over the road but a few times
when Garry had his terrible fall in
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

had been done and the murderers van
ished into thin air.
McNabb retired to his home to think
the matter over. He noticed leather
handbag belonging to his daughter
lying on the dining-room table. 1t
was a peculiar glossy black leather,
but beginning to wear at the seams to
dull yellow where the enamel had
cracked. Borrowing the bag he went
to the department store where she had
purchased the article. The buyer said
that particular brand of bags were i'm
ported to compete with the Morning
star leather goods, which were con-
trolled by New York jobbing house
and held for high prices owing to the
superior quality. The buyer stated the
foreign-made goods were inferior to
the Morningstar leather goods and
they had continual trouble and COM
plants about the foreign-made ones.
McNabb learned from young Morn
ingstar that his father obtained the
secret Of the glossy enamel from his
grandfather and the process would now
be lost, as his father had not given
him the formula or the secret process.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

the remains were buried at the County
Farm.
Poor soul, it wanted decent burial,
that's ALL" said the professor to the
reporters. People scott at the ghost
idea, but these spirits can not forget
the home they had on earth and will
not pass until the old temple is laid
at rest"
The professor had turned down his
study light preparing for bed when he
looked around quickly as the hall door
was slowly opening. The bent figure
of an old man glided in. The profess
sor was startled, as no one had rung the
bell and he was sure the household
were all in bed. The old man glided
up to the study table and sat down.
Noiselessly he reached for pen and
wrote Professor Mitchell did not
speak, for he knew he was in the pres
ence of the dead. There was the snap
of metal as the electric light popped
out A rustic of wind The odor of
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14
The Morningstar Murder

NONRAD MORNINGSTAR, expert
manufacturer of enamelled
leather, was found dead in his
little workshop. His only son found
him lying across pile of half-fnished
hides. In his hand, clutched tightly,
was the soft sponge used in giving the
final gloss to the leather which made
the product in such demand for fancy
leather goods. Police investigation
showed the safe had not been lamp
cred with and nothing was missing
from the workroom. The only mark
of violence on the body was a thin
stream of blood dried under the left
eye. A slight scratch across the
cheekbone might have produced the
blood stream. Questioned by the Off
GERS Conrad, Junior, could not recall
any enemies of his father or give
motive for the murder. The examin-
ing physicians declared the man had
been in perfect health when death
came suddenly. Nevin McNabb, city
detective, was assigned to the case.
There was not the slightest clue in
way Of foot prints, finger prints or
any evidence of an intruder. Murder
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

whispered to him. With one mighty
heave of their strong shoulders the
door crashed in. The three men
jumped back as the officers rushed in
the room. The Austrian and the drug
gist backed against the wall. The
other man glanced wildly about and
tugged at heavy revolver in his peck
ct but the policemen were too quick
for him. McNabb's mighty fist sent
him hurting backwards: and before
he could arise the cuffs snapped on his
wrists. The cab driver covered the
Austrian and the druggist, both of
whom were talking rapidly and excit-
eddy. Holding the men at bay, Nc
Nabb sent the cab driver to get help
from the officers on the beat.
did he confess?" asked chief Null
Inns when McNabb returned from the
leather shop with the prisoner the fol-
lowing day.
"He sure did, Chief" smiled the de-
tective. "It was this way. I had Con-
rad, Jr., dress up in his fathers work
clothes and disguise himself with a
white beard like his daddy had and
working at the bench. When we came
in the prisoner took one look and then
fell on the floor bowling for mercy.
He thought it was ghost I guess.
Then he told how he did it. He crept
in the alleyway and showed long
stick with needle pointed wire on the
end through the open window. The
sharp wire entered the left eye and
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

THRILLING like bird, dancing
over the soft turf, the half
breed girl dubbed with the
health Of the open. The fires of her
primitive ancestors responded to the
glory of the western hills and thrilled
with JOY Of life as the perfect human
animal, the long, black braids shining
with gloss of the Indian. The pinkish
gray complexion. The sparkling black
eyes. Built like a gazelle, willowly,
clean limbed and sturdy as the sway
ing pines on the slope. Wanda
stopped on the Harmony Trail and
looked wonderingly at the glittering
automobile gliding along the smooth
road. Not that cars were a novelty to
this child Of the forest but the gayly
dressed tourists attracted her girlish
admiration. She was on her way to
school in the white building at the fork
of the creek. AS the big car came
near a feminine voice called to the
driver to stop. The speaker an elderly
woman with white hair and the patri-
clan face of the worldly rich had seen
the trim little figure on the pathway.
ooh; look Myron, isn't she pic
ture?" A young man smoking cigar
cite lolling back in the heavy up
holstery raised himself up and looked
quizzically at the girl by the roadside.
"Some kid, I'll say, mother" he
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

murmured, taking in every detail of
the superb figure of the Indian girl.
Blushing under his bold look Wanda
turned to run back in the brush when
the lady called to her. The soft voice
made her pause.
Come here, dear, I want to talk to
you"
Shyly she walked to the side of the
car. A white, gloveds hand reached out
to her. She put her little brown one
in it. The lady asked the girl a num-
Der of questions about the section tell
ing her they wanted to camp for
while and that their baggage auto was
following.
,Strolling about the camp grounds
while the servants prepared the camp
for the night Howard Harrington
thought about the pretty half-breed girl
of the morning. Standing at the edge
of the clearing he saw her coming
back from school. He walked down to
the Harmony Trail to intercept her.
For half mile he walked towards her
home with her. Wide-eyed, half fright
ened, the fawn-colored maiden listened
in wonderment to his smooth, polished
speech and blushed furiously when he
paid her dainty compliments. Every
morning he was waiting for her. In
the afternoon she ran with f1uttering
heart to meet him in the shadow of the
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

voice; but after a while she got out.
They wandered aimlessly aroud and
after walking in all directions, as she
thought, she laughed Historically" I
am not far from home. l am not far
away. Here is our old tractor fast
ened on muddy hillside. 1t is direct
ed north. Here, take my hand. Go
straight ahead. You will have to take
my hand or we will get separated. We
have to go straight ahead, then get
over a fence, cross another field and
my home is almost opposite. We can't
steer far wrong if we keep straight
ahead"
But they did go wrong. They came
out in the tiny orchard. She knew how
to gain the right direction by following
a lath fence which led to the house.
Cautiously she went ahead, then like a
beacon, she saw dull yellow blot, the
light from her kitchen window. She
almost fell into the room, dragging the
man after her.
Seemingly it had been a fruitless
journey, but to her amazement the
baby was better. She did not know
why it was better. She felt that only
prayer had done it.
She turned to look at the man whose
hand she was still holding. He was no
millionaire, doctor, child's specialist,
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14
wv YILD-EYED and thoroughly
NV frightened the man rushed in
the Central Police Station.

NV frightened the man rushed in
the Central Police Station.
He muttered a jumbled story about
seeing a ghost in the front yard of a
house near his home. The cynical,
doubling police officers made note of
the complaint and sent Reserve officer
Bernard O'Malley to investigate. This
policeman was not afraid of anything
living or dead. He went with the ter
rifed citizen back to the neighborhood.
The man said while he was returning
home from his night shift at the city
pumping station the white sheeted fig
ure had screamed at him from the
front porch of the vacant house and he
ran away from the scene fast as he
could to the station. The officer, men
tally clubbing the whole story as pos
sibly the result of drink, directed the
man to go home and he would investi-
gate.
The house was a two-story frame
building that had been vacant for
about two years. 1t sat way back in a
clump of maple trees. The front yard
was weed grown and the fence broken
and delapidated. O'Malley remem-
bered when he was on the beat he
heard the family living there had
moved to another city. The doors and
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

pierced the old mans brain Then this
man leaned in the window and
squeezed the liquid from the sponge in
bottle he carried and got away. That
is why there were no tracks inside or
finger marks. The sharp point. of the
wire scratched the face as he jerked
it away. This guy is wanted in Au-
stria for a dozen bad deals and is in
the power of this druggist who helped
him get away from the old country.
The manufacturer is a cousin of the
druggist, so there you are. To know
the Morningstar secret meant millions
for the Austrian concern and they
stopped at nothing to get hold of it
The manufacturer did not think MUIR
der would be necessary and he had no
part in planning it, so we will let him
go back to Austria, but this prisoner
and the druggist will go up the river
to await an electric shock from all
can see now"
Chief Mullins sent Miss Mary Nc
Nabb a dainty handbag made of Morn
ingstar leather as compliment to her
keen daddy. Conrad, junior, found the
old formula in a note book and was
able to continue the work.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14
By Monte Darrell


Believe it or not" said Sergeant
MacNeil, "but we have the guy in the
jug who confessed he killed the old
gent"
Professor Mitchell just smiled in Lis
study.
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14
The Difference.

The Williams family, Christian Sci
entists, owned number Of goats. One
Fall, some of them became so sickly
that Mr.. Williams was obliged to call
a doctor to attend to them.
''Why," said neighbor to 5-year-
cid Willie, 81 thought you people were
Christian Scientists?"
"Oh, we are!" he replied; "but the
goats are Baptists."
The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-09-14

A party was surveying on farm
when an old man came hurrying out
of his house and asked:
what are you doin' here?"
Surveying" was the reply of one of
the engineers.
Surveying for what?"
"For 4 railroad"
where's it goin'?"
fright through your barn, I guess"
laughed the engineer.
well, now mister, I reckon I've got
somethin' to say to that want you to
understand that I've got somethin'
else to do besides runnin' out to open
and shut them barn doors every time
a train wants to go through"