Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1857-03-21

cOVeTCu tne lOfm or human pelng lew
yards from the iron rails. They went to
it, and just as they arrived, Norcross, for
it was he, made u last effort to raise him
self, and uttering the single exclamation,
My God !" fell back. He lived but
little while longer In his awful agony he
had dragged himself to the place where
found.
The body was taken to Altoona. The
finding of the razor had induced the belief
that the man had committed suicide. The
Coroner's jury assembled, The post NOR
tenn examination revealed tho fact that the
deceased had come to his death by blows
on the head with a club, and not by the
wounds of the razor-for no important
artery was severed. The excitement at
Altoona became at once absolutely appal-
ling. The words "lynching" and chang
ing" were common, and at the very time
the murderer was hanging around the
town, waiting the course Of events. As
soon as he saw that the murder was disco
vercd, he fed
Ferdinand E. Hayes, gentleman Of
the highest intelligence and skill, acting
as special detective of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, commenced an invos.
hgation of the matter. The Governor of
Pennsylvania offered a reward of $500
afterwards increased to slOO0,) the Gov
ernor of Massachusetts offered $1,000, and
the citizens of Altoona further sum Of
$500. The Riilroad Company and the
relatives OF the murdered man expended
money freely, and the community was
awakened. The guilty man fed to Read
ing, with the ill-gotten spoils. How he
reached there is not known. On the both
of January, he sneaked into the borough,
and went directly to a house OF ill-fame,
and kept by one Susan Memo, at that place
He engaged boarding there, and lavished
money on amusoments, such as sleigh. rid.
ing and sporting, lie became intimate
with the firemen, and led a free and easy
life, killing conscience with animal graft
ications. But his plot was not yet maturod.
lie must make another move to avoid sus-
picion.
At the house of the woman Memo, were
two girls named Catharinc Jane Nagle
| and Kate Kendall. These the murderer
chose as accomplices in his scheme He
offered to furnish them with every luxury
provided they would accompany him to
Pottsvillc, and with him establish there
house of prostitution One of them must
pass MS his wife. They consented, and on
the 26th inst, the party started for that
place, in company with man calling him.
self Casse Boyer, who was to make him
self useful about the house." upon the esta-
blishmcnt Of the new institution. AT
Pottsyille, the party went to the Pottsville
house, kept by Samuel Mann, Esq. M'Kim
represented himself as carpenter, that be
had brought his own and his brothers
wife to the borough with the intention Of
remaining, he being about to enter into
partnership with his brother. On the 9th
Of January, he leased fine three story
brick house Of L. Womelsdorf, in the very
midst of highly respectable neighborhood.
The house he furnished elegantly-the car
pet bill alone being over $500. The land
lord he paid 500 as advance rent.
While the party were in the cars, going
from Reading to Pottsville, they were seen
by gambler, named Mark Behn. He
knew the girls, and when NJ Kim went out
of the cars for a moment, he talked to
them. They said that they were going to
Pottsvlle for the purpose named, and in.
vited him to come and see them there
They also gave him to understand how
finely they were doing MKim. He pro-
missed that he would call on them in week
or two, on his return from travelling cx.
petition, but, equally with them, was una
bic to account for man like NJ Kim's ap.
pearance having so much money. He left
them, and few days afterwards visited
them at Pottsville, and became acquainted
with NJ Kim, ignorant, however, Of his
character. But, seat ed one day at hotel
be accidentally picked up copy of the
EpeAiag Journal, and read a notice of the
Norcross murder. The idea flashed on his
mind that M'Kim was the criminal, lie
requested the landlord of the hotel to tele-
graph to Philadelphia for description of
the murderer. 1t was sent he knew his
game, but kept quiet and told no one but
sent. word to the city that the guilty person
was in Pottsyillc, and would be arrested
at the same time conveying the idea to the
Philadelphia police that the accused was in
such condition as to be grasped by the
hduu VI lhc ldN' ou Tue Oln luSl,, WCTu
was sent to Philadelphia for an officer to
come to Pottsyile and take the man.
High Constable Blackburn, with a sper
cial warrant from Mayor Yaux, was des.
patched Immediately, fully convinced, from
the information received, that MKim was
in the custody of the officers, Or at least
securely "planted," as the police phrase
goes. What was his surprise, on arriving,
to find that the man had gone, not however
from any fault OF the Pottsville police, for
they knew nothing of the matter until too
late, but because the gambler, being so
very solicitous to secure the reward hid,
in his over anxiety to stick to the prisoner,
betrayed himself to him by some indiscrcet
word or act, and becoming alarmed, M'Kim
fed. His flight was on Monday, I'd of
February. The gambler had told the
Pottsville authorities on Tuesday, Sd inst,
and High Constable Blackburn's errand
was rendered futile. At Pottsyille MKim
went by the namo of Thomas Bragg, the