The State Republican (Cordell, Okla.), Vol. 2, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, August 16, 1907 Page: 2 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Oklahoma Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Gateway to Oklahoma History by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
St price for 2
♦# T > 1/^' •.
seRIA
STORY
The Mystery
tti OF
Carney Croft
By
JOSEPH KKOVVN COOKE
inn. Iif # orr l'n> t'urimniUMU.)
CHAPTER XXII.—Continued.
, An Iron ladder. very r inch runted
and weather worn, ImiI ti|t|uir<*iitly per-
r«>otly Ml ron K «ti«l secure, a an nttnchoil
in unit hIiI" of Hil t Hluifi. mill, aftor
walling Tor « fnw itiluuli h until in.v
«\vo* liuil hmiinc iiccuslnmed in I In*
tilnrkncn* or tin* holr. I could see that
It wiih llllOlll 12 feet deep uml opened
lain thi< u'died roof ul it tiuiui'i of
Mime kind, the floor of which, a* well
as I he HlileM und top, wan constructed
«f iiiiihhUo mason ry.
At I Imo* (he moat level headed and
«iVOUly liuluneed limn U tempted to
ilo sotuo foolhardy thing, uml, while
I make no chilm to liny unusual d<
Krif of iioimtiiul bravery, und huve
not n dare devil trait In my disposi-
tion, I whs suddenly seised with uti
Irresistible desire to descend Into thin
forbidding looking pit and investigate
it for myself, then und there.
My revolver wus full> loaded and I
Jtlfi) carried a small jmckel lamp which
had been given me tutine time before
Jind which I had found useful on sov-
oral occasions; less strenuous, how
<'v« r, than the one ul hand.
Willi these thoughts In my inltul
iind, li must hp ftmfcwd, wltn many
misgivings which I tilrovo to keep
'down and Ignore, I propped open the
lid of the tnanhele and desoeiide I
boldl;' Into the underground pasnuge.
hold In.; my revolver firmly in my hand
'■and ready to light my little lamp us
noon as I reached the bottom of the
ladder.
Once In the tunnel I stepped to one
side in the direction of the river,
wbi 'v I could not be seen by anyone
looking in from above, and tried to
.ftcconunodntc my eyes 1.1 the darkness
of the place and avoid, it possible, the
use of my lamp.
.\fter a time I found that 1 could
;xee Iairly well and that l was In u
narrow tunnel of brick and stone,
Jibout six feet wide mid seven in
hel.'ht, which sloped gradually down
to the river, where it ended in the
flight of stone steps tlu.t i had seen
nml which were entirely under the
surface of the water. There was a
damp, noisome odor to the place and
I soon recognised in it the same
Kravcyard smell thnt I now knew so
well and dreaded so much.
I had, however, expected something
of this sort, and nerving myself to al-
most anything that might be disclosed
in niv search, 1 proceeded cautiously
And stealthily along toward the steps,
thinking I would explore thnt part of
the tunnel first, before going In the
other direction.
1 saw nothing of interest until I got
n?ar the water, where 1 found ;• heavy,
warm coat neatly folded und. on it. a
whisky flask with the cork loosened,
evidently awaiting their owner and in-
dicating clearly that he purposed re-
turning by the route he hud taken
when he left.
leaving these as they lay. I re-
traced ni> ftcps a::d passed once more
under the open shaft and cm up the
gentle slope of the passssivway, hold-1
lug my pistol well in Imnt of me and .
wondering at what moment some j
ghastly sight would niei t io> gn"." and '
account for ihe constantly in (•••easing |
fetidness of the plnct I li.nl cut i
lighted my lamp, fur the faint glimmer j
that filtered in through the river)
water and the niitiitlu.tiiou from the
shaft enabled me to f-e with reason -
.iblc distinctness.
As I proceeded up the tunnel, hnw ■
ever, objects began lo grow dimmei ;
and dimmer and 1 was on Ho point of |
striking a light when 1 In :wil a sudden j
■crash and saw, to my !•.>•. n>;. that the
iid of the manhole had fallen shut
with a bang, leaving me in n : l <la:U
Jiess.
Heft re 1 could ignite my
even collect my thoughts, tin
rush of foul air from the up|i
• he tnnnel and then some he
tieiing creature brushed |vst me,
breathing into my face a bot lueuth
* f unspeakable suggestiveness and
wheezing and mumbling like a fretful
Hon just after a generous meal.
I shrank close to the wall of my
prison, for such it now was. not know -
ing what to do or which way to turn,
when, to my great relief, the beast, or
whatever it was. shuffled awkwardly
past me again, still making horrid gut-
lural sounds and breathing deeply as
before.
A rat. or some similar little animal,
scuttled over my feet at the same mo-
ment, stoppiug long enough to bite my
ankle sharply, but I made no sound
and held my breath until the more
formidable creature was well beyond
«ue and leTl ttie ti free course to the
river.
As soon :is I fell that the coast was
clear and that i could not be over-
taken, I sped down the ineliue toward
the steps and plunged headlong into
the water, which glimmered faintly
green before me. Striking out under
the surface, I swam as far away from
the entrance as I could, and. coming
u the U i at last, I made for the show
and dashed on lo my room (or whlslcy
uud dry clothing.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Another Eacape.
It was still curly In Ihe evening and
such was my nnxlely (o noIvc (his
problem without unnecessary delay
ttin:. In spite of my experiences of the
day, I resolved lo return again (o (he
manhole and see how It happened to
have fallen shut and If anything new
cotdd be learned from a superficial In-
spection of the placo alter dark.
I stopped lung enough In (lie hall-
way to dispatch a sonant lo the rail-
way slutlon with my letter to Mac
Anb'l so lhal It would catch the late
mall and llion, leaving word lha( I was
going out for a short id roll, I put on a
heavy coal and left the house.
There was an Icy chill In (ho nil'
that betokened snow In Ihe near fu-
ture, ami l had heard one of the mi-
llion say (lie day before that wo would
have a storm and a "gol dummed big
one, Iihi," before Ihe end of Ihe week.
Am I started down the path (o the
river I could not doubt ihe accuracy of
(he fellow's prophecy, and I drew my
coal collar well about my neck and
shivered III fully as Ihe rigorous blasts
of Ihe coming winter reached through
my garments and chilled my very
bones.
A sodden drop In temperature, fol-
lowed by heavy snow, In the curly
autumn was not uncommon In this cli-
mate, us I knew full well, and It was
usually ti serious matter to Ihe farm-
ers, whose fall crops wore ruined and
many of whose cut tie perished; but
this year was destined (o see such a
storm as hud not been equaled in many
u decade.
The wind howled and whistled
through the trees and over (he hill
tops and then, when a lull would come,
It was emphasised by the dull, heavy
moaning i i° the pines and hemlocks
fur away in Ihe distance beyond th<*
river. At times I even thought I could
feel occasional (lakes of snow striking
me In the face as I strode on over the
turf on my way to the tunnel en
trance, but I could not be sure, and it
might hit>< been only the dust and
or motion In front of me whet* I
found the plstul, und I had convinced
myself that the crackling 1 hud heard
ut my back, und which was somo ills
lance away ut best, had been due lo
nothing more than the wind.
At length, und with trembling flu
gers, I removed the paper from the
Htock of the wua linn and stuffed It lntc
my iMM'ket, so that I could exnmlne It
later, and was about lo rise nervously
lo my feet, when I aguln heard a slight
disturbance in I lie shrubbery (o one
side of me and saw a man approach
lug stealthily und apparently on ull
fours.
With no thought of the consequences
nud In an actual frenzy of terror, I
raised ihe pistol and fired al him point-
blank. hut the cartridge fulled to ex-
plode or else the chambers weru
empty, und, with u frantic shriek, I
sprung to my feet und threw myself
headlong upon him.
lie'seemed entirely unprepared for
this httucl., but lie made no sound nml
strove manfully to defend himself as
I grappled ut his throut and we.rolled
over and over down the velvety lawn
to the river.
I wus considerably hampered by my
overcoat uud having no desire to go
Into the water with him, I relaxed my
efforts somewhat, when, with almost
superhuman strength und emitting a
cry that indicated u degree of terror
equal to my own, he tore himself from
my grasp and sped away in the direc-
tion of the turnpike.
Feeling, now. that I was his muster,
I dashed madly after him, pulling off
my coal us I ran, and I was gaining
slowly upon him In spite of the re-
doubled efforts that lie made, when, ou
the shurp Incline that led down to the
road, he stumbled und fell and I was
upon him again in a moment.
My victory was short lived, however,
for as he struggled fiercely to free
himself from my grasp and I, with
equal fury, strove to choke or beat
him Into a state of sisbmlsslon, we
again rolled over and over in the grass
until, as luck would have it, my leg
caught in n strand of the barbed wire
fence that enclosed the property at
tills out-oft ho-way point, und onco
A3 THE DOY UNDERSTOOD. I
X I
Probably to His Mind Conflict of Au-
thority Was Vital.
Tn one of thn Atlantn Sunday schools
•ecently the lossou for tlio day hud to |
do with Mummon and the curruptlug j
I Influences of great riches.
Tuwurd the close of the exerclsea,
iniys Harper's Magazine, thn superin-
tendent cnlhd upon tlio Infant class
| to repent the golden text, which had
tpeclul reference to man's Inability to
•erve his Creator and tlio money god
ti one and the same time. The class
I filled to respond as It should, when
llio superintendent, noticing his own
voting hopeful In the ranks, who had
that very morning been drilled thor-
oughly on the text, called to him. The
|,'vaporise was Immediate, though a
f light departure from the original, for
in n voice thnt was distinctly heard In
all parts of the room there vamo the
following modification:
"Ye cannot servo Clod und mamma!"
NO RELIEF FROM ECZEMA
.
Descended Into the Underground Passage.
other aniall bits of matter that were
picked up in the gale and whirled
\ici(uialy through the air.
When I reached the manhole I was
not at all surprised to find that some
one had boon there before me and
mote he succeeded in freeing himsell
and tore down the road in the direc-
tion of the village.
My clothing was torn and mud-
stained, my hands and face were .
bruised and bleeding. I ached ill every
again covered it with leaves and bits limb and was well nigh exhausted with
of grass but. as I tried to raise it once the furious and protracted encounter,
more, never doubting that I could and 1 was hat less and coatles's into the
imp or
• was ti
end ofj
\. !nin-I
make my escape across the lawn If I
were detected in this, my astonish-
ment wus profound at discovering;
that it was securely fastened down orti
lrom below. j abb
While I was kneeling down on the
ground und tugging at the lid to make
sure that it was locked, 1 thought 1
heard a step behind me and turned ray
head quickly to see if anyone was ap-
proaching. It was. however, apparent -
lv nothing more than the snapping of
a branch due to the fury of the wind,
bargain, but 1 at least had one cause
for congratulation.
In my second wrestle with my hith-
unknown assailant I bad been
o get a sufficiently good view of
Ills face to Identify him positively and,
itt spite of the remarkable protests
Hons of ignorance concerning the Car
ney-Croft mystery which 1 had heard
him make to the widow only the night
before, and which 1 was now forced to
believe were but part of a little com-
edy gotten up for my special delecta-
and I again turned to the manhole, lion, my lusty antagonist was no other
hoping vaguely that, eveu if I could | than the long-suffering Jenks.
not open it. I might perhaps hear some I
conversation through the grating that j CHAPTER XXIV.
would serve as ti sort of a clow to the :
grewsome doings beneath.
As 1 laid my hand on the iron work
again it touched a cold, heavy object
which had certainly no( been there a
moment before, and, picking it up and
holding it between me and the sky. I
saw, to my amazemeut, that it was my j
( own revolver, to the handle of which
j was tied a bit of folded paper.
For an Instant my heart seemed to
slop and i remained rigid on tny knees
' with my arms upraised as I had held
The Doctor Explains It.
When 1 returned to the house my
first (hought was to read the note
which I had found tied to the pistol
and. as I had expected, it was in the
Itruce woman's hand and was evident
ly intended for Jenks, whom I had de- I
tected as he was coming to get it. It
was brief uud to the point and read: j
"Try and return this pistol to Mr. I
Ware's room. He cautious. Get her j
| to manage it. l>o as she says."
(TO LiE CONTINUED.!
For Over Two Yean—Patent Medi-
cines, Quack Curec and Doctors
Fall—Cutlcura Succeeds.
"I was very badly afflicted with ecze-
ma for more than two yearn. The
parts affected were my limbs below
the knees. I tried nil the physicians
in the town and some in the surround-
ing towns, and 1 also tried all the pat-
ent remedies that I heard of, besides
all the cures advised by old women
and quacks, And found no relief what-
ever until 1 commenced using the Cti-
ictira Soap, Cutlcura Ointment, and
Cutlcura llesolvent. In the Cutlcnra
Remedies I found Immediate relief,
ind was soon sound and well. C. V.
Reltr,, Tippecanoe, Ind., Nov. 15, '05."
SETTING THE BRIDE AT EA3E.
•'Widder's" Sympathy Went Out to
Fellow Passenger.
A couple recently married lind just
entered the train that was to bear
them to the mountains on their honey-
moon, when they became aware of the
close scrutiny of them by a female pas-
senger, who had evidently "spotted" a
bride and groom. The young wife, on
opening her handling, let fall some
rice on the floor, and (he woman
smiled. The other passengers regard-
ed the couple with interest. Seeing
that the bride was every moment be-
coming more flushed and uncomfort-
able by reason of their scrutiny, the
woman in the goodness of her heart,
loaned across the carriage.
"Never mind, my dear!" she said.
"I'm a widder now, but by this time
next week I'll bo In the same fix my-
self!"
Depends on the Dogs.
Asa Goddard. of the American Auto-
mobilo association, was recounting in
Worcester some of his touring adven-
tures.
"One summer morning," he said,
"(ho approach of a great (luck of sheep
obliged me to pull off the narrow coun-
try road. I halted my car, and wa. li-
ed with Interest the passage ot' the
sheep, the intelligent dogs and the
shepherd.
"I had a short talk with the shep-
herd about his odd and difficult trade.
" 'Look here,' I said, 'what do you do,
driving sheep like this on a narrow
road, when you meet another flock
coming in the opposite direction?'
" 'Well,' said the shepherd, 'ye just
drive straight on, both of ye, and the
one that has tho best dogs gets the
most sheep.'"
In Extremis.
The yacht was heavily becalmed.
There were but ten bottles of cham-
pagne in the lockers. Their last signal
of distress had been sent up, without
bringing any response.
"Gentlemen," exclaimed the commo-
dore, in a quavering voice, "I can no
longer conceal the hideous truth from
you. Sobriety stares us iu the face!"
It was a wildly various scene which
ensued. Some blasphemed, some
prayed, some, in an access of frenzied
wantonness, sang songs, while some
sat stoically by. awaiting their fate
with at least an outward culm.—Puck.
Wouldn't Take His Place.
Hearing of the sudden taking off the
stage of life of a leading Thespian
while he was playing in Chicago, a
New York Rialtnan out of a job tele-
graphed the manager as follows:
"Having heard of the sad and tragic
de'nilse of Mr. . I'll take his place
for $150 a week."
As the message was sent collect it
elicited the following reply: "Thanks.
1 wouldn't take his place for tw ice that
amount"
The Sire of Him.
"Yes," snarled the eminent Octo-
pus who had just had returned to him
what Shakespeare sarcastically called
"trash." "This is my purse, and the
contents, $1,113.09. are intact; but it
is three days, seven hours and nine-
teen/minutes since I lost it. Where
Is my interest, young man: where is
my interest?"—Puck.
Whot Did 8he Mean?
Mm. Armitagd had a negro servant
who continual!} prated of a certain
Mm. lteed for whom she formerly
worked. Weary of henrlng Mrn. Reed
quoted so often, tho mist reau atkt-d one
day:
"Well, Sumatilha, what kind of work
did you do at Mrs. Reed's, anyway?"
"Well, honey, 1 cooked foh huh. I
did. an' I cleaned foh huh. un' awep*
foh huh, un' I washed huh pusuonol
uppea'&nce."—Llpplucolt's.
Try It Once.
There In more actual misery and
Icbh real danger iu u case of Hchlng,
skin disease (ban nny other ailment.
Hunt's Cure U manufactured e*peclul-
ly for these cuse*. U relieves Instant-
ly nml cures promptly. Absolutely
guaranteed.
Calf Like a Kangaroo.
More like u Jack rabbit or u kanga-
roo Is a calf recently born iu a western
state. Its front legs uro quite a little
shorter than Its hind ones, and it has
no tail at all. Instead of moving and
frisking about like Its playmates, the
mid look lug creature covers the ground
by leupu.
ny following (he dlreclions, which
nro plainly printed on each (tuckage of
Defiance Starch, Men's Collars and
Cuffs can be made just as stiff as de-
sired, with either gloss or domestic
finish* Try it, lti oz. for 10c, sold by
all good grocers.
A Wife's Letter.
"My darling George, I have received
your ni:3 letter, and I hope you will
send me a check by return. You
wouldn't believe it, dearie, but for the
lire of me I can't think of anything
eise to write about!"
Ladies Can Wear Shoes
One *ize Miuiller nftyr using Allen's Foot-
K.iiho. A certain cure for swollen,sweating,
hot, iiehiiiK feet. At nil Druggist*. 25c. Ac-
cept no Hubstitnte. Triiil pnckigc FRKE.
Address A. S. Olmsted, Le Roy, X. Y.
It Is pleasant to look on the rain
when one stands dry.—Dutch.
W. N. U., Oklahoma City, No. 33, 1907.
Only One Crop of Land
Don't Forget This and Don't Forget to Buy
Your Share Wow Before it Is All Gone.
You Can Get Rich in South Texas in a Few Years on an Investment ol
$210, Payable $10 a Month Without Interest. Read the following:
St. Jo, Texas, April 20, 1907.
Dr. C. F. Simmons, San Antonio, Texas'.
Deur Sir;- 1 have just returned from u visit to your 95,000-nere ranck,
where I have been for the purpose "i investigating the conditions of ho3,
climate, rainfall, etc., and its adaptability to general farming, truck-growing
und fruit?.
I found conditions really better than I expected, and fully up t*
representations in your literature. The toil seems to be of fine quality a d
of uch variety as to make diversified (arming easy and profitable.
While on the ranch I had the pleasure of visiting Hall, Frenchman.
Turkey Creek. Windmill, Muley Cow and Headquarters pastures. I did
not see the Votaw pastures but was assured by disinterested parties that
it was even better than that which I examined, and believing this 1 came
home perfectly satisfied that you have the best proposition, for the pour
man. in Southwest Texas. ,
On farms adjoining your ranch T paw fine crops growing without inida-
tion. and this I consider remarkable in view of the severe drought, which
obtains at this time over the entire state.
I am sure this will prove to be a fine Fruit-growing section, especially
for grapes, figs and berries, and that th« water supply is sufficient seenm
certainly to be proved by the flowing artesian wells in various parts of
pasture," and this also settles the truck growing proposition.
You have my hearty endorsement on both your lands and plan of sale.
Very truly yours.
' DR. t. K. FOSTER.
Remember—you get a truck or fruit farm of from 10 to CtO acres in the
finest country in the world, and two town lots for $210.
Write for literature and name of nearest agent.
DR. CHAS. F. SIMMONS,
215 Alamo Plaza, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.
>t^/
2/ - / ®
JLOm ^
COFFEE
AILS
cut in} i lstol for inspection, fearing lo \
i move through very terror of my own Complain of Beavers.
! shadow. My breath caught In my There is a movement in Maine to
j throat and then came in short, heavy j permit ajj open season for killing
gasps, while the w ind alternately j beavers, because of the damage to
j moaned and roared about me and oe- standing timber caused by the littU I
i casioual (hlek damp snow-flakes lightly animals. Lumbermen lay ail sorls of
touched my ashen face. j depredations at the door of the dam-
1 There certainly had been uo sound builders.
Quit wben you use
POSTUM
• THERE'S A REASON."
Krud tbr tittle boot. "The to W«n-
villr." in pkf -
t/c ,
Cc -V*
^ 't-cz
aUrt.
Catarrh and Heidaeht.^
Mr«. Z. E. Goforfh, 2ll!* Holly «ti« .,
Knntaa City, write*: "After using a
untnplo bottle and two 2r c bottles of
Hunt's LlghtnlDK Oil, I urn almo«t vMl
of Catarrh. It ntop« my houdacho*.
It is the best medicine I over *aw and
I just can't keep hoime without it."
Uhc Is right.
Awful Warning.
fa—Yoh, my non; tho UpypHiuii
wein tho mom Intellectual pooplc ou
the face of the earth ut one time, hut
finally tho nation decayed.
Tommy—Aud wliat canned them to
j decay, pu?
I l'a—Smoking too many Ugyptiuu
cigarette*, ny sou.
High Price for London Property.
London city churches when th*r
come Into the niurket fetch big prlcei:.
The building and *lto of the Church
of St. I'etcr le Poer iu Old Uroud
street huvo Ju*t been sold for $480,000.
With a smooth Iron and Defiance
Starch, you can launder your shirt-
j waist Just as well at homo an (he
steam laundry can; It will have th«
! proper BtlfTneKS and flnlHh, tboro will
ho less wear und tear of the good*.
nud it will be a positive pleasure to
use a Starch that doec not stick, to th
Iron.
I
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Utterback, J. W. The State Republican (Cordell, Okla.), Vol. 2, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, August 16, 1907, newspaper, August 16, 1907; Cordell, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc160524/m1/2/: accessed April 25, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.