The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1940-01-18

happened until he had finished eating and drinking. Then the stranger
got up and walked over to the stove.
1t was such an unusual movement that Hattie stopped to watch him.
He backed up against the stove as If to warm himself, but Hattie saw
one o. his hands slide into his pocket and come out holding a tiny bottle.
There a a pot of beans boiling n the stove. Slowly, shielded
by lis body the strangers hand crept up and empted the con-
tents of the bottle into the pot of beans!
Her mother hadnd seen it, but Hattie was standing in such a position
that she could see every move he made. She was Acknowledgements
An older person might have said nothing, for fear of precipnating
trouble. That mother and hid were defenseless, with dad i'll in bed up
stars. But kds OF Hathe's age don't stop to think of those things. She
let out a scream and then, inpulsively, she darted acros the room and
knocked the bottle from the mans hand.
Out Comes a Long, Thin-Bladed Knife.
Her mother turned to se what ws the matter. At the same time,
the stranger reached inside his coat, pulled out a long. thn-bladed
knife, and slashed Hattie across the legs. Blood began to flow from a
long deep cut -pazed at the turn affairs had taken, Hattie backed
away, staring at the man. The man stood, knife in hand, staring back
at Hattie. Her mother was staring at both of them. For a minute there
was a deahy silence.
The man made no other move-said nothing. Hattie and her mother
were too frightened to speak. They began to realize tn. fellow was stark
mad. Hattie sat down, took off a stocking and tied it about her wound.
The maj stood looking, first at her, then at her mother. He waited
until she was finished tying up her bleeding leg, and then he walked
across the room to where her mother was standing, breathless and para
lyzed with fright, AND RAISED THE KNIFE.
And again Hattie acted impulsively. In an instant she ws ut of
her chair and darling across the room. Reaching out quickly. she
grabbed the knife!
The mar gave the knife q quick pull. 1t came out If Haties
hand, cutting 1t clear to the bone at the base of the thumb. Cry
ing out in pain, she grabbed at her wrist with her other hand.
The mailman showed her away, and knocked her mother down.
For another moment Hattie stood dazed. The man fell on her mother,
sat Of her chest and began choking her. And at last, a sudden change
came over Hattie. Before. she had been Notwithstanding. Now
she became furious. A red mist seemed to drop before her eyes. She
grabbed up a piece of wood from the pile beside the stove, raised il. over
her head and brought it down, as hard as she could. o the .madmans
head.
bleeding and her mother tied it up tightly to stop the flow. They
got ropes and tied the maniacis hands behind his back and then
wel-then Hattie keeRd over in a dead faint.
When she came to. the doctor had been to the house. He had sewed
up HaHie's wounds and she had never known a thing about it. The doc.
police. They found out later that he had escaped from al institution
down in the South. where he had been put for murder.
And when they analyzed that pot of beans into which he had empied
that bottle. it was found that they were poisoned!
tReea"d by wehern Newspaper unionJ