NEBRASKA NEWS AND N0TE8.
Items of Greater or Leaser Impor
tance Over the State.
X
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t.
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Ponca citizens pulled oft a wolf hunt
on Thanksgiving day.
In n short time Falrbury will havo
four additional school rooms for tho
accomodation of pupils.
Tho Union Pacific Ib experimenting
with tho dispatching of trains by tel
ephone between North Platto and Sid
ney. Fifteen bushels of fish of all sizes
and varieties wore caught In an over
flow pond near DoWltt by a bunch of
hoys.
Rev. Mr. Guernsey pastor of tho
Baptist church at Wymoro,' has ten
dered his resignation, to tnke effect
Decembor 1.
Oeorgo W. Ilawite, ono of tho oldest
and best known residents of Nebraska
Clty,dIod last week. Ho was born
near Malvorn, Cnrroll county, Ohio.
There will bo a mooting of tho Com
mercial club in Hastings to consider a
proposition for tho establishment of a
Catholic girls' ncadoray In. that city.
Within a fow days all traltiH bo
tweon North Platto and Sidney will
be dispatched by telophono. This will
bo tho first attempt of the kind on tho
Union Pacific.
Tho Merrick County Corn Show,
hold In Contral City, was a most suc
cessful affair, both from tho stand
point of attendnnco and tho quantity
and quality of tho exhibits.
Every mombor of tho Custer County
bar, regardless of party, Is petitioning
Governor Sheldon to appoint J. It.
Dean of Drpkeu Bow to ono of tho
vacancies on tho supremo bench.
Farmors should all hare telephones.
Write to us nnd learn how to get tho
best service for tho least money. Ne
braska Telophono Company, 18th nnd'
Douglas streets, Omaha. "Uso tho
Bell."
Tho government,- says a Valentine
dispatch, Is paying tho Rosebud
Indians ?150,000. Tho payment began
Bome time Friday and will continue
until about tho 25th. Each Indian re
ceives $29.75 this time.
While burning rubbish, Miss Sophie
Muellch, a well known young woman
of Schuyler, had her dress catch llro.
She was badly burned on' her arms
and body. Ho- dress was almost com
plotely burned off her back.
Herman F. Llmback, who committed
sulcldo In tho Commercial hotel at
Wathena, Kan., wasni formor resident
of Beatrice having been ongaged In
tho mercantile business in that city In
1SS5 beforo removing to Lincoln.
Tho preliminary hearing In tho mur
der caso of tho Stato of Nebraska vs.
Emery Matthews, charged with killing
David Fisher on tho night of Novem
ber 7, was held at tho court houso in
Lexington, nnd the defendant was hold
to tho district court In a bond of
,?2,G00.
Tho largo barn on tho Leo farm,
olgnt miles southwest of "Friend, with
twenty tons is hay, 1,000 bushels of
wheat, 400 bushels of oats, a lot of
farm machinery and a set of harness
was burned. Tho farm was occuplel
by Mr. Thome, Tho ss was partly
covered by Insurance
Tho Misses Hasson, daughtorr of
Mr. and Mrs. Robort Hasson, who for
morly resided In Scribner, but aro
now living at Soattlo, Wash., are
teaching school under Uncle Sum's
flag, thousands of miles from ono an
other. Ono of tho young ladlos Is
teaching at Valdoz, Alaska. Tho other
is at Ponco, Porto Rico.
Churles Qroto, a woll-known farmor
living twelve miles northeast of Hunt
ley, was killed by a vicious bull. Ho
leaves a wife and nlno children. A
desporate fight had evidently ensued,
as Mr. Qroto had carried a wagon rod
with him, and it was near him when
he was found dead. It was badly bent.
This Is tho second accident of this
kind in the county In tho last six
months.
As the Hlghllne train pulled Into
Holdrego the other night a man named
Sam Dunmlro of Mlnden expired be
foro h could loavo tho train. Ho had
been up Into tho western part of tho
stato showing land ho had for salo and
was returning home, accompanied by
,tho parties with whom ho had made
n deal. When he droppod doad ho was
loavlng tho car to mako tho change
for Mlnden.
Whllo tho Burlington train was
standing at tho station of Milford at
noon, nnd whllo the station agent was
on' tho depot platform, someono broke
in tho door of t o station ofjlco and
took ?80 in mnoy. Aftor tho train had
gone tho loss was discovered and tho
train wns mot at Seward by tho shorlff,
who searched tho passengors, but nono
wns found with tho money In his pos
session.
A man was found dead In tho under
growth along tho north channel of tho
Plntto rlvor, about a quarter of a mllo
liorthoast of where tho main brldgo
crosses tho main river at Gothenburg
Tho body was that of a Japanese
laborer, who, must finvo been mur
dered and hauled to tho spot and
thrown Into tho undergrowth, whoro
few people over go, unless for wild
crapes or plums.
In tho caso of tho State against
Ragan, charged with assaulting Rev-
Frank Miller of Lincoln on tho stroots
of Utlca last March tho jury at Sow'
ard returned a verdict of guilty and
Judge Good will sentence Ragan at
the next session of tho court, Decern
bor a.
Tho Nanco county farmers Instltuto
will conveno In Fullortou December 3
and 4. To promote Interest in tho
ovent tho morchants of tho city, under
tho auspices ot tho Commercial club
aro offering prizes for various corn ax
hlblt8. The instructors of tho Institute
w'll act as Judges,
DR. FURNIVALlS SOLUTION OF
THE COLTER "CABIN" MYSTERY
By DR. GEORGE F. BUTLER and HERBERT ILSLEY
Insane Hospital Houses Lad PVhile Unjustly Accused Am Released f rom
Jail on Findings of Great Detective. ' "
VERY short, stout, sailor-
A appearing man, clean
I shaven and wearing a fit
I Ini.. ..! Itlim
with a rusty stovoplpo hat
on his head and a ennvns
bag In his hand, camo
rolling up tho street, and
after looking hesitatingly
around at the numerous
lodglng-houso signs In tho
windows of tho neighbor
hood, stnrtod brlBkly up
tho steps of No. 112 and pressed tho
button.
"Mum," ho said to tho elderly wom
an who opened tho door, "I see by
'heso horo notices that y6u hov rooms
to let, and as that's what I'm arter I
kinder cal'latod I'd gin yo a call.
How much bo they?"
Ho abstracted a hugo roll of bills
from his trousers pocket nnd thrust
them bungllngly Into hor hand.
"Do what yo can for mo on thot,"
ho continued. "Count It out and seo
what's In It. 'Twas 300 when I
skinned her over, nnd I cnl'lated
twould do. Stow tho ditty-box undor
tho borth and 'long 'bout eight bolls
I'll drift back and kinder tidy things
up a bit for night. Gooibday, mum I"
Ho gavo his hat an awkward pull
and waddled off hurriedly, leaving tho
lodglng-mlutrcss red In tho faco and
short of breath with tho surprise of
hor life.
"Save us. there's wan man for
yousel" Bho gasped, following him
with nmazed eyes as ho stumped down
tho street on his short legs, tho hugo
trousers Hopping in tho wind, tho rusty
hat pulled down to his cars and tho
coatslcoves dangling to within nn Inch
ot the tips of his stubby lingers.
At noon tho queer lodger returned,
received his key and was shown to his
quarters. Pausing on tho threshold
ho turned to Mrs. Tull, tho flesh ot his
faco tpacked like hard putty, as 1m
mobile as a board, his unwinking eyes
staring Into her own.
"Mum," ho said In. volco llko a fog
horn, "my name Is Colter, Cap'n
Joshua S. Colter. This horo is my
cabin. D'yo seo? 'Tls mlno for ono
twelvemonth. Ontil thet time 1b up
I cal'lato I'm tho size myself to load
It clean to tho skylight, nnd I don't
never 'low to hov no petticoats fussln'
up any vessel o' mine. I'll swab tho
docks and trim sails myself, and now
yon c'n go below nnd stay there.
Show your flggorhead on my compan
lonwny agin without orders nnd I'll
shovo yo plumb overboard through tho
porthole."
At 11 o'clock tho next morning,
when she heard him bulktly descend
ing tho stairs, she stood In tho back
parlor doorway to observe him, but
liad the doughty captain chanced to
look that way ho could havo seen
nothing but tho tip of an lnqulsltlvo
nose and tho too of a largo boot. It
was tho same on tho second and third
morulnga, but on tho fourth the cap
tain did not appear at 11 o'clock as
usual. She folt somo uneasiness ovor
"this fact, which grow 'greater when
tho noxt dny also ho remained Invis
ible. For more than 48 houra not a
sound had Issued from his room. Sho
waited tintll tho next noon, and then,
nil remaining as quiet as tho houses
of the dead, sho vontured up to the
head of tho Btalrs and stood a mo
ment gazing steadfastly at tho closed
door of tho mysterious "cabin."
AlwayB at this Btago of reflection,
with persons of Ann Tull'a grado of
mind and experience, the police bo
gin to figure. And within ton minutes
afterward sho was standing on tho
stairs pointing out to nn inspector nnd
a plain-clothes man tho door behind
which lurked somo dark Becrot, sho
was sure.
"Looks to mo as if ho had run," said
the Inspector. "How much was ho
Into you, Mrs. Tull?"
"Not wan clnt. I know mo business.
Tls In advanco I always do bo getting
It from strango wanB."
"Well, I don't seo as thoro's any
thing for us here," remarked tho In
spector taking a last look around.
"Lock up tho room nnd keep tho key
till his time Is out, or till ho comes
back. But if anything more turns up
lot us know at tho Btatlon," Thon ho
went away with his man.
At eight o'clock a young lithograph
er, who with his brother, a house
painter, occupied tho room directly
over tho captain's, camo Jumping down
tho atalrs, and tearing tho kltchon door
open rushed upon Mrs. Tull, and put
ting his hands on hor shoulders began
to Bob, crying brokenly:
"Oh, I am sorry, I am sorry! It
was Jim and mo that done It. I told
him we'd bo found out, and now It's
come. What thai! wo do? Can't ydu
hide us, Mrs. Tull, and say nothing?
Then It will ) all rlitfit, for nobody
will over know tho dlfforonco. Ho had
no friends to como asking for him."
"Lud's sako alive, what's all this?"
"Tho the cap'n!" ho stammered.
"We was playln' cards In his room
mo and Jim. Ho said Jim nigged on
purpose, nnd Jim hit him."
"Was ho looking, Jlst, whin Jim
struck?" sho askod, cynically.
"Wo didn't think nt ilrst ho was
hurt much," ho replied whlnlngly.
"Hut ho didn't got up, and when wo
went to lift him wo saw ho was gone
and"
"Slop!"
She put out ono of hor great raw-
llBoowgr-Tn I I
kl'MdmriMMSomIrlhcJMkoMmrDeKir.
boned poworful hands and forced him
Into a chair. Then sho noiselessly
closed tho kitchen door nnd returning
stood ponderous and threatening be
foro him.
"What at all d'yecs mano by 'gone?' "
sho nskod In a volco that frightened
him with Its strength of repressed
ferocity.
"I m-mean ho ho was dead!" ho
stammered, IiIh faco as whllo as chalk.
"What did yees do wld It?" Hor
body was trembling now, hor volco
broke huskily, and tho black oyos
blazed.
"Wo took him down stairs and
nnd over to the tho river "
With grim-set Hps nnd without a
word alio throw a shawl over hor
head and marched tho solf-confossod
criminal to tho pollco station. There
ho told his story again, In groator de
tail, but essentially as ho had given
It to hor. As ho wns finishing Jim
was brought In by tho two olllco men
who had been hastily dispatched for
him. Physically ho was a good dupli
cate or his brother, xt slight build,
fnlr-comploxloncd, with a faco of aver
ago Intelligence now distorted with
fear. Ho looked at tho speaker
Bhrluklugly, nnd as the last words of
tho confession left his Hps and ho
became silent, snld to his brothor:
"For"God'8 sako, Brltt, what havo
you been saying?"
"I couldn't help It, Jim," answered
nrltt, miserably. "I was goln' crazy,
nnd had to let It out. Something
forced mo to, I don't know what. I
had to speak. But I thought sho'd
hldo us. I didn't supposo she'd go
back on us this way and got us Into
troublo."
Tho brothor turnod frantically to tho
desk-man,
"We didn't do It!" ho Bhoutcd at tho
top of his voice. "It Is all a Ho. 1
nover saw tho man In my llfo. ,1 don't
bollevo Brltt over did olthor. Wo
nevor was In his room. Wo didn't
know ho was missing until tonight
whon wo camo home, Thoy told us on
tho strcot, and ho was as much sur
prised as I wus,"
Brltt shook his head sorrowfully
with a faint smile.
His brothor gazed at him in torror,
his faco as whlto as a sheot. Ills lips
began to twitch, his hands opened nnd
shut spasmodically, IiIb body tromblod
vlolontly, his knees bent suddenly,
and ho fell to the lloor In a doad faint.
"Epilepsy!" snld tho desk-man.
"That sottlos It. Ho's an eplloctlc,
with homicidal tendonclcu, very likely,
Just tho kind to do n Jol llko this ono."
The noxt day u small, dark, nervous
mnn of GO, with shrowd black and
snnppy oyos, evidently a farmor In his
Sunday clothes, called on Dr. Furnt
vail. "Wnl," ho said, his eyes searching
tho lloor as If for words, "my nnmo Is
Alfred Greely, and I llvo In Winchester.
I'vo got two boya In this hero city,
,nnd ono on 'em says thoy they killed
a mnn, and t other nay a they didn't.
It don't look noways roasonablo to
mo that either on 'em could do scch a
thing, thoy hod sech u good brlngln'
up by their mothor, but tlmy'vo bon
away from homo a purty considerable
tlmo now, nnd p'nps they got intor
bad comp'ny. I dunno. Thoy was
nllorB goods boys to homo. Anyways,
mother has sent mo horo to kinder
look out for 'em, and find out tho
truth of what thoy dono, and stan' by
era whatovor It was." Ho paused,
lifting his head with a shado of stern
ly repressed shamo In his eyes. "The
world Is wicked," ho wont on, with an
effort, "and I dunno. Nono of us ain't
perfect. P'aps they, was led wrong by
somebody. P'nps thoy was wrong
tliolreelves. But I got to do what I
can. I reckon It'll cost a mastor sight
of money but thoro's tho farm, wuth
sunthln' like four thousuu', nnd thoro's
u Ilttlo In tho bank"
"It Is tho caso of Capt. Coltor, Isn't
It," affirmed rather than asked Dr.
Furnlvall, eying tho visitor Intorost
cdly through his colored spectacles.
"Yes, sir."
"Was thoro ovor a caso of opllopsy
In tho family, that you know of back
to, sny, your grandparents or great-grandparents?"
'Not as over I heard on," ho nn-
bwored.
Tho bars of tho coll-door loomod ln
exorably betweon them, but tho old
mnn advanced, strengthened perhaps
by a thought of tho gray old mothor
and wlfo nt home, and stoutly thrust
ing hlu nrm to tho elbow betweon tho
cold Iron rods wrung his boy's hand.
"You needn't topen tho door,
O'Lcary," snld Dr. Furnlvall to tho
turnkoy." "At nny rnto not yet, Ro
mnln horo and remember what passes.
Brltt, If that Is your name, como for
ward whuro wo can soo you. Thoro I
Now toll us whon you first saw Capt.
Coltor?"
"I saw him Tuesday night, tlTo first
tlmo and thon again Friday night
That waa when wo dono it."
"How did your brother como to
strike him?"
From tho moment whon his oyos
first beenmo settlod in those of Dr.
Furnlvall tho expression of his faco
began to chnngo from Belf-conaclous:
noss to norvouuness, to pcrploxlty, to
surprise, to earnestness, and Anally,
na ho Interrupted himself to nnk tho
question, to dcop nnd absorbod though.
And almost Instantly ho continued,
In tho Inflectlonlcss tones of a long
deaf man:
"I never saw Cap'n Coltor In my
llfo!"
Tho father uttorod nn exclamation
of cngoruosfl mingled with amaze
ment, but Dr. Furnlvnll motioned for
silence.
"Toll mo," ho said to tho prisoner,
"why you Bnld you and your brothor
had dono this thing?''
"I don't know."
"Did you ovor do vlolonco to any
body, you or your brother either,?" ,
"No sir wo novor hurt anybody."1;
"You llko to road about pebplo bolng
hurt, In tho accldont columns, uudl.ln
stories, don't you? (' . . u such things
dlslnstoful to you?" 1
"I road all I can got. ubout thorn."
"Do you ever fool qusor In tho head
doprossod or confused, or nB If you
wanted to got nwny from yoursolf?"
"I'm whlrly-headod often, nnd I
can't think sometimes. My head
aches a gocd deal go out In tho
night and run It oft '
"That's all. Como, Mr. Greely, we'll
havo them out of hero sooner or lator.
Thoro's a largo ball of rod tapo to
unwind nnd wo'll begin nt onco."
"But," faltorod the inwlldorod old
man, his mind torn bt "w' n rollof and
puzzlement, "if thoy novor dono nothln'
of tho kind how in natur' how
what did ho say bo for?"
Dr. Furnlvnll did not wish Just yot
to Inform this loynl old fnthor that Ills
son was afflicted with lnaano orrnbund
tendencies, ot a class to which Bolt
lnculpntlvo confessions, wholly falso,
aro bo common that Qulntllaln held a
suspicion ot Insanity to bo Inherent In
all confessions. Ho wished to soo tho
boy ngntn and docldo what would best
bo dono with him. Ho had suspected
from tho first that this brother and
not tho other wns tho afflicted ono, it
either ot them wore, tho fit of Jim lu ,
tho pollco station bolng moroly a
natural faint Induced by thq horror of
his position,
Two nightB later Ann Tull was
utartlod out ot hor sloop In tho back
parlor by a sound In tho room over
head, tho cabin of myatory. Hor foot
struck tho floor with tho suddenness ot
thought, nnd goaded by tho multitudin
ous superstitions houostly Inherited
from generations of wlld-honded an
cestry, sho plunged Into hor olothoB
and How around tho corner to the
pollco station. Two officers hoard hor
news and hastily accompanied hor
back. Thoy crept softly up tho stairs,
tho door of tho "cabin" was wldo opon
and the, captain stood shaving before
tho mirror.
Tho captain looked at tho pollcomen.c
Ho anowod no Burprlao. On tho con
trary ho began to nddross them at
onco as If ho had boon expecting this
visit, oxplnlnlng In short, vigorous and
forceful phrases that his daughtor
wished him to llvo on tho farm with
her and her husband, while ho wished
to continue going to sea a littlo longer,
A compromise had been effected by
Ills taking this room near tho water
whoro ho could got a sight ot It when
ho liked, and Inhnlo its odors, and
novorthelesB might bo whirled In a
hnlf hour by train to his daughtor in
tho country, That was whoro ho had
Just been.
Tho noxt morning Dr. Funlvnll callod
on tho captain and accompanied him
to tho district attorney's office, The
result wns that beforo night tho Greoly
boyH woro roloasod. Brltt, howovor,
only exchanged tho jail for an insano
hospital, whoro ho remains to-day,
(Copyright, 1M8, by W, d. Chapman.)
(Copyright Ui Qrcut Drltuln.)
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