Year: 1869




lone embers Of the dying evening fire;
The haunted houses of to-day are but the
playthings of midnight wind, and the
ghosts seen now and then are flesh and
blood to the touch of the incredulous,
But that people may be warned of i'm
pending evil in dreams, or that the ner-
vous system may telegraph to the brain
the danger that besets absent friends, has
been SO often demonstrated, that many
believe firmly the the theory, it may be
termed.


On Tuesday evening last, Bernard
Rolfe, a German farmer, residing about
nine miles from this city, on the Pontiac
road, had business with hardware firm
on Woodard avenue. He had a Ger
man laborer in his employment named
Henry Artles, and him Mr.. Rolfe left at
home, busy with the team, and procured
a passage in with neighbor. 1t was
about five o'clock in the afternoon when
Rolfe left his home, and, as it was under
stood that the neighbor would not return
before the next day, the family, consist
ing of wife and three small boys, knew
that they would be alone with the hired
man for the night. Artles was COM
parative stranger to them all, having
been at work for two weeks only. He
was quiet and peaceable appearing
man, and spent his leisure hours by him.
self, never indulging in conversation
when not directly appealed to. Still,
neither Rolfe nor wife found fault, or
ever had occasion to suspect that the Ia
borer was other tnan he seemed.


On his arrival in the city Mr.. Rolfe
partially concluded his business with the
merchants, and engaged lodgings at
hotel on Larnard street. About nine o.
clock in the evening, while seated in the
office smoking, Mr.. Rolfe relates that he
began to tremble and feel nervous shocks
which so increased that in short time
he could hardly hold his pipe between
his teeth. He walked several times
across the room, went into the open air,
but the feeling did not in the least pass
away. His thought kept recurring to
the laborer at home, and he called to
mind the features Of Artles, and the
hitherto unsuspicious fact that he had
several times caught him peering about
the sleeping-room, where bureau was
| standing, that contained the hard earned
dollars that we're to go toward putting
| an addition on the house as soon as a few
more could be added to them.


At ten o'clock Rolfe decided to go
home. He was laughed at by his neigh
bor, who told him that the feeling was
the first symptoms Of chill fever Rolfe
would go home next day and find every
thing had passed off peacefully. Rolfe
hesitated for some time, but at last start
ed for home on foot, promising to return
in the morning on horseback in time to
secure the balance Of his things before
the neighbor should be wanting to re-
turn home. He reached home about
midnight, awakened his wife, and to her
expressions of astonishment could say
nothing only that he felt that he had
ought to return. Inquiring as to Artles,
the wife replied that he had performed
the farm "chores" as usual, remained
about the house for a while, and then in
formed her that the night being warm
he would sleep in the barn. Rolfe
passed through to the kitchen, where he
found window up that looked directly


on the barnyard. His wife was certain
that she had shut all the windows on re
firing. A
As they stood for a moment looking
out, they saw the barn door swing oper
and Artles lead out one Of the horses.
As they watched, he led the horse
through the gate, and going to the 'front.'
they saw that he tied the animal by the


door-yard gate. Rolfe Immediately
opened the door and walked down to the
gate. He was within ten feet of Artles
when the latter espied him, and giving
utterance to an oath of angry astonish
ment, Immediately fed down the road
Rolfe pursued him some forty or fifty


rods, and then gave up the chase. Or
returning to the horse-block, the gleam o
steel caught his eye, and he picked from
it an ugly looking sheath-knife. Th'
open window, the pretense of sleeping il
: the barn, the horse and knife, all went tt
prove to Mr.. Rolfe that Artles was vii
lain, and intended to have robbed the
house, even if he had not made deadly
: use of the murderous knife. The fact


are given as narrated by Mr.. Rolfe him
S self, and the reader is free to judge o1
e the truth or absurdity of the presentment
r On Friday Artles had not returned t
. the neighborhood, neither had the slight
: est clue to his whereabouts been discov