Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1853-07-07
The Secret Closet,
Or, Let Well Enough AioRcs

Al
II Or, Let w Ell Enough alone.
MI Something more than fifty yeal
D Rgo, man by the name Of Henr
| Thompson called at the house {
gohn Smith, resident in retire
Hart }of England, and requested
Nights lodging This request wa
BADLY gganted, and the stranger
Having taken some refreshments, re
tired early to bed, requesting thu
he might be aw; ;ikened soon tie fol
owing morning When the servan
Iabpointed to chll him entered til,
room for that purpose, he was foun,
Iili his bed perfectly dead. On exam
| ling His body, marks of vioienct
Iabpe,5 RED, but lis countenance looked
ley tremely natural. Tie story d
hiF death soon spread among tie
n4ighbors, and inquiries were mad \
vi ho he was, and 10y What means he
G.; me TO Ills death.
v Nothing certain, how ever, was
known. lie h ID arrived on horse
b; elk, and was seen passing through
p neighboring village, about an hour
be fore he reached th Q house where
he came TO his end. And then, as
to the manner Of his death, 80 little
co pld be discovered, that the jury
WHICH were summoned to investigate
the cause returned verdict that he
died ''by a visitation of G cd. =
When this was done, the stranger
was buried.
4 DAYS and weeks passed on, and
little further wis known. The pub
lis mind, however, was not at rest.
Sus usricioh existed that foul mear S had
h;s eaed the sirangar's death. WINS
pers TO that effect were expressed,
and in the minds Of many, Smith
was considered the guilty man The
former character Of Smith had not
been good. lie had lived "A loose
and irregular life, involved himself in
debt ~ lis extravaganza, and at
ieHg!h. being suspected Of having
obtained money wronsfqlly. lie sud
denly Acd from the town. AIole
tha u ten years, however, lad now
Ola psed since his return, during which
tin e he ad lived at Lis present res
ideaee, apparently in good circpm
STA nceS, ard with an improved char
acter. His former lie, however, WIS
now rqmg mberud, and susricioli, after
al, fastened upon Inn.
At the expiration of twoEmonths,
i gentleman one day stoppep in the
rl~e4 for the purpose Of ma ling in
quiry respecting The strar9 der, who
had beda iound dead in lis bed.
lie SUPPOSED himself to be / brother
Of the man. The horse amp clothes
Of tie Unfortunate man still re-
mained aud were Immediately know b
as iiaying belonged 10 lis brotheH
The body also itself WIS taken ub,
anS though considerably changed,
Aor. 4 Strong resemblance to him.
lie now fit authorized 10 ascertain,
# possit lie, the manner Of his death.
lie rioct cte,Iea, therefore, to inyest;-
IN se the circumstances as well us lie
was able. AT icngth, he made Efowi;
10 the magistrate OF the district, the
Information he had collec ted, anil up-
On .te strength Of this, SMITH was
taken I'd jail to be tried for The vii
ful marf!er Of Henry Thompson.
The celebrated lord NJ tnsfeld was
then Oh Tie cnch. lie cllarged She
grind i5ry to be cautions as to find
iar 4 VII against the prisoner, The
q,iIleut4 Of lis guilt, if Guilty, might
be small. Alta failure ii me it might
tie grei Ter: more information might
lie oBtained. Should tbe jury now
fud bin against him, and should l.c
be acqh hitied, he could no be molest-
Id ag:hp, whatever testimony should
Use pR against him. The grand
jury. However. did find a bill, but il
was lM a majority Of only one. Al
length the time of trial arrived
SnithWas brought into the court
4nd placcl at the bar. A great
crowii tIronged the room, eager and
:Huxi5 Dds 10 see the prisoner, and IL
Fear the trial. He himself appeared
firm iad collected. Nothing II lis
;ppearltlee or manner indicated guilt
and ElEeh tie QUESTION was pYt tf
Him bH The clerk, '-are you gully ol
Not gufltyg" he answered with an un'
lIlteli,Ig tongue, and with q connte
nance poIIiecjly unchanged, mo-
guilty.f The counsel lar the pros