Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-04-03
A Tale of the Flatwoods :
By DAVID ANDERSON
Author of 'sThe Blue Moon"
Copyright by The Bobbs-Merrill Co.


He noticed that his night shirt was
torn to shred at the neck and sleeves
and that his face was scratched and
streaked with blood, but there was no
wound apparent that cold have
caused his death.
The room presented every evidence
of a struggle. chair was over
turned; the cover on small stand
had been brushed away; the rug was
dragged back a foot or two from be
fore the dead bankers writing desk,
where, for an instant the wo5dsman
bent a searching eye upon some faint
markings that, in the dim candle-light,
could barely be traced upon the dusty
f1oor-boards thus laid bare.
The old mans sawed-off shotgun
was lying on the floor, where 1t had
probably been wrenched from his hand
before he could use it.
Jack had only time to note these
| particulars when rabble of people
from the village, alarmed by Texie's
screams, came running up the yard
| and stormed into the house. mo-
ment later Jerry Brown, the town
marshal, hustled in and took charge
and the peaceful cottage passed into
the hands of the law.
The house was cleared of all but
| the preacher, the wOodsman and two
or three women, messenger sent to
the city for the coroner, and deputy
Iput on guard at the door pending his
/ arrival.
/ Seventy years ago the coroner's
office was in the saddle, the coroner,
then as now, always a physician, usu-
| ally of the "saddle-bags" type, race
| of men staunch and true, who, next to
| the minister, and teacher, did most to
nurse the young republic to manhood.
Early the next morning the coroner
arrived. After a short consultation
with Jerry Brown, he entered the
room where the tragedy occurred and
began his inquest.
Aside from the disarranged furni-
ture, the torn garment, the scratches
on the face, there was little evidence,
and no clue whatever to the person or
persons with whom the old man had
waged his fatal battle in the dark.
Not cent of money, or any article
Of value, had been taken. The safe
was still locked, apparently just as
it had been left the day before.
Texie testified that she had heard a
struggle, and words strained and
muffied and indistinct-tf r. she imme-
diately sprang out Of bed and ran into
the hOusekeeper's room-that they
i lighted candle and hurried down
stairS-that there was no one else in
the room except her father, and he
lay back across the chair arm
Her voice choked into silence.
"Were the doors all closedw
1 "All but the door Of the settin'-
room-it was open a little bit"
''Was It closed when you went to
bed?'
81 s'pose so-father never failed
to shut and lock it."
"Was there more than one key t.
the door?'
mo, only one"
/ where was it kep'Y
/ "Hangin' b'hind the door,"
Marshal" directed the, coroner, "will
you see If that key is still hangin'
/ there?"
The marshal peeped behind the door.
1 Eyes, it's thar yit, Y'ur Honor" he
! answered.
The coroner relaxed his gruff sever
| ity long enough to offer the weeping
girl a word of kindly sympathy, and
i then dismissed her.
The housekeeper was next called.
Her testimony agreed in every par
| ticular with Texie's.
And then came the preacher. In his
| peering, jerky way, he testified that
he was heavy sleeper-that he had
heard nothing till Miss Texie screamed
that he had then hastily thrown on
/ the few articles of dress necessary to
make himself presentable before ladies
that he had opened his door and
hurried across the parlor, across the
sitting-room and into the office, where
| he was Mortified to find his dear friend
dead, and the room in it's present dis
array.
'Is it true that you carry key to
| the parlor door?"
"It is. Brother Colin placed it at
my disposal the evening came"
where is it?'
"Here."
He drew it forth and held it toward
/ the coroner, who waved it away.
''Did you lock the parlor door las
night?
IT did"
you're excused"
The coroner looked In his notebook.
glanced into the corner of the room
where Jack Warhope stood near
Texie's chair and motioned with his
hand. The woodsman approached the
| table.
/ 'What do you know of this case?"
In his slow, careful way the woods
man told what he had heard and
seen, from the moment of Texie's
scream to the arrival of Jerry Brown.
''What was you dom up so late?"
The question probed deep. Things
would have happened had he answered
it-and they would have happened