present at aHanging

Ambrose Bierce

an old man named Daniel baker, living near Lebanon, Iowa, was suspected by his neighbors of having murdered a peddler who had obtained permission to_pass the night at his house . this_was in 1853, when peddling was more common in_the western country than it_is now, and was attended with considerable danger . the peddler with_his pack traversed the country by all manner of lonely roads, and was compelled to rely upon_the country people for hospitality . this brought him into relation with queer characters, some of whom were_not altogether scrupulous in their methods of making aliving, murder being an acceptable means to_that end . it occasionally occurred that a peddler with diminished pack and swollen purse would_be traced to_the lonely dwelling of some rough character and never could_be traced beyond . this_was so in_the case of " old man baker," as he_was always called .( such names are given in_the western "settlements" only to elderly persons who_are_not esteemed; to_the general disrepute of social unworth is affixed the special reproach of age .) a peddler came to_his house and none went away-- that_is all that anybody knew .

Seven years later the Rev .Mr Cummings, a Baptist minister well known in_that part of_the country, was driving by baker's farm one night . it_was not very dark: there_was a bit of moon somewhere above the light veil of mist that lay along the earth .Mr Cummings, who was at all times a cheerful person, was whistling a tune, which he_would occasionally interrupt to_speak a word of friendly encouragement to_his horse . as he_came to a little bridge across a dry ravine he_saw the figure of a man standing upon it, clearly outlined against the gray background of a misty forest . the man had something strapped on_his back and carried a heavy stick-- obviously an itinerant peddler . his attitude had in_it a suggestion of abstraction, like that of asleepwalker .Mr Cummings reined in_his horse when he arrived in front of him, gave him a pleasant salutation and invited him to a seat in_the vehicle--" if_you_are going my way," he added . the man raised his head, looked him full in_the face, but neither answered nor made any further movement . the minister, with good-natured persistence, repeated his invitation . at_this the man threw his right hand forward from_his side and pointed downward as he stood on_the extreme edge of_the bridge .Mr Cummings looked past him, over into_the ravine, saw nothing unusual and withdrew his eyes to address the man again . he had disappeared . the horse, which all this_time had_been uncommonly restless, gave at_the same moment a snort of terror and started to run away . before he had regained control of_the animal the minister was at_the crest of_the hill a hundred yards along . he looked back and saw the figure again, at_the same place and in_the same attitude as when he had first observed it . then for_the first time he_was conscious of a sense of_the supernatural and drove home as rapidly as his willing horse would go .

on arriving at home he related his adventure to_his family, and early the next morning, accompanied by two neighbors, John white Corwell and Abner Raiser, returned to_the spot . they found the body of old man baker hanging by_the neck from one_of_the beams of_the bridge, immediately beneath the spot where the apparition had stood .a thick coating of dust, slightly dampened by_the mist, covered the floor of_the bridge, but the only footprints were those of Mr Cummings' horse .

in taking down the body the men disturbed the loose, friable earth of_the slope below it, disclosing human bones already nearly uncovered by_the action of water and frost . they were identified as_those of_the lost peddler . at_the double inquest the coroner's jury found that Daniel baker died by his own hand while suffering from temporary insanity, and_that Samuel Morritz was murdered by some person or persons to_the jury unknown .