Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-02-19
THE TELL.TALE VISION.

,sEa-thA ltl'.l ~ niahf -I..p rsss,ti. ssos,
mysterious story, and IL you will listen patient
~, will tell you one which took place we'll
nigh thirty years ago, away up yonder ON the
bleak moors of Assynt, across the Sutherland
hills. Barren mOorlands and gray sterile beach
es, with hinty sands; troops Of iorlorn pines
along the hill sides, where the red deer keeps
his wards; rents OF blue sea sprinklcd with
green dcSolate islands, $ God-furgottcn
land,'' as Sidney Smith might say. Thirty
years ago, however, the monOtonOuS lives Of the
simple islanders were rll,lely disturbed by one
of those startling crimes which seem TO belong
more peculiarly to AN advanced and cOmplica-
ted civilization. The case still figures in the
criminal records as the ASsynt murder, and
presents many features ut curious and prtur-
csquc interest.
John Macdonald, well-known itinerant ped
lar, had. on drcary winter evening about this
time OF the year, attended rustic wedding
and merry making at the $ farm town . Of AS
synt, where, among the fair damsels assembled,
he had cOntrived considerably TO tighten his
pack. \ . one had observed him leave, and for
Il month afterwards nothing was heard Of his
movements. His absence excited no surprise
among the country people, us il was supposed
that he had gone to visit his relations, who
lived in RoSs-shire. They, however, ignorant
of his movements, and seeing him only at dis
tant intervals, were, of course, not ttrOubled at
his customary absence, and the pedlar might
have been away much longer before any slis-
picions could have been excited. But exactly
four weeks after the festivities at AsSynt, q
fnrm servant, passing deep and precipltouS
turn ON the mountain read which lies between
the iarm-town and the Clachan of A ssynt, OBJ
served, by the imperfect dawn light, bundle
floating upon the water, then unusually low aud
clear. A rude raft was constructed, and with
its aid the neighbors dragged the corrupted
I body OF Il human being to the shore. Though
much decOmposed, all who were present i'm
mediately recognized the body of the missing
pedlar. The clothes were the same which he
had Worn when last seen, but the pockets had
been carefully turned ont and rifed and nothing
of any value was found on the corpse.
Notwithstanding these suspicious appearan-
ccs, the simple people, among whom 1t murder
! had never beon committed, concluded that the
unfortunate man had fallen accidentally into
| the tarn. So confirmed were they in this Opin-
| ion, that they at once buried tho body, and
John Macdonald and the tragedy connected
+! with him We're in Il fair way Of being forgotten.
I The parish minister, however, had accidentally
(. learned Of the discovery, and lie forthwith
I forwarded information to the proper authOr
ties. The sheriff of the county aud the public
| pr"seeut or immediately cume TO the district,
and commenced a searching investigation.
Under the guidance Of John Cameron, The
I schO0nastcr who was recommended to them
: ny lHe iHlulbtfT US II SklllNl ana tflSty person,
/ on whom perfect reliance might be placed, and
accompanied by the medical men Oftho island
the sheriff visited the spot where MacDonald's
1 body had been buried. 1t was diSinterred in
! his presence, and on examination, several dcen
! wounds were discovered on the back OF the
head. any Of which. tho doctor reported.
| would have been sufficient 10 catlSp his death.
Coupled with the facts that the clothes had
! been plundcred, no reasonable doubt could re-
main that murder had been committed, II
was well known in the island, that Macdonald.
/ who had made considerable money, carried
! his fortune on his back-banks and stocks he
ing unknown institutions to those prinitiyp
/ people. But for many days all the Ingenuity
| OF the law was bailied to obtain any trace Of
! the murderer. No one had been seen with
I MacDonald after he left Assynt; no article OF
! any kind could be identified as his property.-
! The search appeared frntless. Several mlr
+ dcrs, however, had been recently committed
, in the northern countless they had remained
unpunishcd it was, thGreior2. matter of
much public Importance that in this case an
example should be made. The sheriff estal,-
| liSllcd himself eh permdneAce at a roadside ho-
tel in the vicinity, and announced his intention
to examine every resident III the vicinity.
During these Investigations the sheriff was
invariably accompanied by Cameron, who,
through his acquaintance with the GaIic tongue
and his knowledge Of the inhabitants, proved
OF great assistance AS an interpreter. One
I morning, however, thu sheriff went down to the
district Post Office alone, Cameron being for
the first time absent. During desultory con-
fyersation, the post master incidenly stated that