Year: 1871

tOshiS S6stt) anu tHeil began TO loosen
his colltr and necktie. As / did so
noticed small livid blue line running
exactly around bis threat, and cutting
deeply into the flesh his face also was
Of deadly hue; and frightened at
knew not what, | sent the brakesman
for n physician whom knew was on
the train. AS soon as he came and had
handled the Kentuckian, he exclaimed,
" The mans dead-his neck is broken
the man has been murdered n


Immediately / remembered the fight
OF the preceding evening between the
now dead man and the Missourin, and
telling the doctor of my fears that the
latter had kept his word and murdered
the Kentuckian, we agreed to make
some movements toward the detection
Of the murderer. Going to the rear we
found the Missourian cl1rled up in his
seat, his friend also being in the outside
seat, and both being apparently asleep.


AS we looked upon the Missourian,
we heard him mutter, "Tll kill him,
I'll kill him." as if half asleep and
awake. We were turning away when
the doctors quick eye caught glimpse
of something the man held in his hand,
and reaching over gently drew it from
his fingers, exclaiming, "and this is
what the deed was done with" holding
up to me thin leather string, about
the size of a small whip-lash. and used
by drovers as belt around their waist,
and also to hopple an unruly OK, or to
tie the legs Of a calf.


As we left the drunken man, the
doctor said, "That brute has crept up
behind the Kentuckian, when in the
darkness of the tunnel, and throwing
this strap around his throat has jerlxed
his head back and broken his neck at
once. The body had then fallen for
ward against the door while the mur-
derer has groped his way back to his
seat, and has accidentally caught the
bell-rope in his drunken grasp and
pulled it,"


AS we passed the next station, | threw
off telegram to our headquarters, ask
ing for some police to be on hand on my
arrival, and as we came into the depot,
a force of men surrounded the cars,
while we went into it and made the ar
rest. The drovers were still sleeping
their orgies off when we entered, the
dead Kentuckian lying in the corner
Just as we had left him. We arrested the
Missouran on a charge of murder, and
also his friend who sat by him, as an &C
complice, as it did rot seem probable
that the drunken fellow could have
passed out of his seat and into it again
without awakening his companion.


The rest Of the drovers were exam
;xoJ o-J +oo+iEoJ s4no,o Olx1 oroi,oct tho
prisoner as to the quarrel and the
Greats he had used, sand the doctor
swore that the neck of the murdered
man had been broken by a sudden
jerk. and the mark made on his throat
by just such strap or thong as was
found in the grasp of the Missourian.


The prisoner produced good testi
mony as to his character, and his coun-
sci fought bravely for him. He showed
that the thong was in use by every
Clrover, and that each man in that car
had one or more on his person.
The words he had heard, "rl kill
him." from the murderer, he argued,
meant what he would do and not what
he had done. He showed the Missou-
rian to be wealthy, of good character
aud of q peaceable disposition except
when in his cups, but it was of no avail,
and the wretched man was sentenced to
be hung in six weeks from the time of
his trial.


Invent to visit him several times in
his condemned cell, and somehow or
another the declarations of innocence
the fellow made to me shook my belief
in his guilt, although | had witnessed
strongly against him on his trial, and at
last found myself fully confirmed in
my new belief of his entire innocence.
[ could see no way to save him, how
ever, and five weeks Of his time on
earth had rolled by, and yet the mys-
terry was as great a one as ever.


One morning about that time, | was
running the same train, only, as it hap
pened, we had no particular drovers'
car. In the last car was our superin-
tendent, tall, lean Yankee, fully six
feet two inches in height, and of about
the same as the murdered Kentuckian.


1t so happened that he occupied the
same seat as the Kentuckian had done,
and was also in my old place in the
baggage-car. When exactly in the same
place in the tunnel, just when the en-
gineer had put on steam to carry us
through, the bell-rope again ratified, and
the engineer whistled for the brakes.
Springing to my feet | ran to the rear
car, firmly persuaded that now [ could
solve this mystery. Reaching it found
the superintendent sitting back in his
seat, and hosting his hand to his throat
while he gasped for breath. One or two
Of 10 ha oP
some. use to him; but he could only
moan and hold tightly his throat.


At last he recovered sufficiently to
take his hand away, and then | saw the
slight, livid blue mark which | had seen
before, in a most exact similar position
on the neck of the Kentuckian. AS
the superintendent got over the shock,
he proceeded to tell us of how he re-
ceived the mark and. its fearful effects.
He had been asleep, and was awakened
by the train entering the tunnel. Half
asleep and awake, he stepped to the
car-door and stood looking or trying to
look through the door-window.


Suddenly, and without any warning,
he felt rope slipped under his throat,
and at that moment the engine giving
a jerk, he was thrown violently into
corner of the car.


The mystery was solved at last. The
train, as | have said, entered the tunnel
at slow rate of speed and without the
use of steam, the grade at the entrance
forcing the cars together and giving
them sufficient headway. At this time
the bellrope, which of co1rsezhas TO be
much longer than the length of the
train when the cars are close together,
to allow of sufficient length when they
are drawn out to the full extent of the