Year: 1860




straining my eyes whenever there was
CLEAN Of light to dcsccrn whatever there
was any movement in the trap-door. AZ
last, when momentary ray shonc IN, l
saw it partly open, and now | anxously
waited in silence and darkness for the next
development of this awful mystery. Pres
emily | heard low creaking, as OF ropes,
then tremendous crash, the report OF
pistol the sound of heavy feet overhead,
and the fall Of some duh yielding body
outside the window. The pause which
followed these almost simultaneous noises
was broken by low groans OF pain from
The ground beneath my window and the
General murmer of ii great disturbance IN
the lower part Of the house. | hastlly re.
lit the candle, and going to the bed found
Il vast stone had been droppd upon the
pillow where my head had previously lain
Suddenly remembering the pistol l had
left beneath my pillow, with the excrtlon
Of my utmost strength | rolled the mar
siyc stone and found the pistol discharged.


Instantly the truth flashed across my
mind. | rushed to the window, aud look
ing down saw the woman and the man
! had noticed in the barroom the night be-
fore, bending over the PROSTATE body OF
my host, who was evidently in the agonies
Of death The rulian had been waiting
outside the window until the accomplice
had performed his hcllsh work, III order
to rob my manglcd corpse Of the money
he knew | had in my possession and the
pistol being accidentally discharged by the
fall Of the stone, the ball had pierced his
brain, entering through the evil eye which
had given me such Il thrill Of horror.


At the discovery Of this hilcous plot
and its awful rctribution, my senses threat
cncl to desert me ; but, rejecting that In
such a house | could hardly be safe, no
sooner had they carried the dying man
within than | clambcred down outside,
took my horse from the stable and mount
ed him unobscrved.


As | passed the house, however, and
looked back at the room L had so recently
occupied, and which had SO nearly been
the scene of far different tragedy, | saw
lirhts in the window. The sound of my
horses hoofs drew the attention OF the
man within, who had ascended to see
what had become Of me and to ascertain
the cause Of his comrades death and in
stantly Ievelling a rifle at me, he fred.
As was looking at him at the very mo-
mcnt, | anticipated his action by clapping
spurs to my horse, thereby somewhat dis
conccrting his aim and i'll all probability
saving my own life, for the ball grazed
my shoulder, causing scar which re-
mains to this day Ten long miles had
my good horse to gallop before reached
the nearest Justice of the peace, and re-
turning as speedily as possible we found
our birds flown and the house half burned
to the ground.


No information in regard to them could
be obtained, except that they had lived In
this habitation about two years and had
been stunned and feared by the settlers of
the neighboring country The coniagra-
ton Of the house was arrested, but moth
ng was discovered throwing any light on
the matter. The body of the foilcd MUIR
dcrcr was taken, charrcd and scarcely
recognizable from the ashes of his dwell
In, where he had apparently been flung
by hs associates as the quickest mode OF
burying him. Having ascrtained the fu-
tility Of further Investigation at least for
the present, we rode away, and passing
through an adjacent wood, the dog which
had played So strange a part in this most
stran@c drama made his appearance sud-
denly on our left and followed our horses
to the village of R. In gratitude
for his efforts to preserve me from destruct-
tion | hnnceforward shared my home with
my ulwelcoSlc monitor