Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1858-10-16
The lawyers Story.

About the commencement of the present
century there stood near the center of a
rather extensive hamlet, not ntahy miles
distant from seaport town, in the north of
England, large, substantially built but
somewhat tstrqggliug building, known as
Craig Farm House. The farm consisted
Of about one hundred acres of tolerable
arabic and meadow land and at the time
have indicated, belonged to a farmer by
the name Of Armstrong. He he'd purchas
ed it about three years previously at sale
held in pursuance of decree of the High
Court Of Chancery. Farmer Armstrong
was married, but childIess, his dame, like
himself, was native of Devonshire They
bore the character of plodding, taciturn,,
morose, hammered couple, seldom leaving
the farm except to attend market, and rare
ly seen at church or chapel. they naturally
enough became objects Of suspicion and dis
like to the prying, gossipiIg villagers, to
whom mystery or reserve Of any kind was
5f course exceedingly annoying and un-
pleasant.
Soon after Armstrong was settled in his
new purchase, another stranger arrived,
and took up his abode in the best apartments
of the house. The new conner, man Of
about Fifty years of age, and evidently
from his dress and gait seafaring, person,
was as reserved and unsociabe as his land
lord. His name, or at least that which
he choose to be known by, was Wilson,
He had one child, daughter about thr-
teen years OF age, whom he placed at a
boarding school in an adjacent town. He
seldom saw her the intercourse between
father and daughter being principally car
ried on through Mary StruguellI, widow
of about thirty years of age, and native
of the place, She was engaged as ser
want to Mr.. Wilson, and seldom left Craig
Farm except on Sunday afternoons when i
the weather was at all favorable, she paiC
a visit to an aunt living in the town; there
saw Miss Wilson and returned hons
usually at halfpast ten o'clock-later rath
er than earlier. Armstrong was occason
ally absent from his home for several days
together, on business, it was rumoredj fol
Wilson aud on the Sunday IN the hrs'
week of January, 1902, both he and hi:
wife had been away upwards of week anc
had not yet returned.
About halFpaSJ tch OcIocNi v" '"a
evening, the early retiring inhabitants o
the hamlet we're aroused from their slum
bers by loud continuous knocking at tn
front door of Armstrong; house window
! we're hastily thrown open, and present.
numerous footsteps approached the seen
Of growing hubbub. The unwonted nois
was caused, it was found, by farmer Arm
strong, who accompanied by his wife, wh'
was laundering vebemently upon the doc
with a heasy stick Still no answer wa
obtained. Mrs. Strugnell, it was supposed
had not returned from town ; but wher
was Mr.. Wilson, who was almost Away
, at home both day aud night I Presently
a lad called out that white sheet or elot
of some sort was hanging out of one OF th
back windows. This announcement cor
6rmpg the vague apprehcnsions which ha
/ began to gerninate in the wise heads
: villagers, disposed them to adopt MOI
!. efecIual mode of obtaining admission tina
, knocking seemed likely to prove. JohnSol
/, the constable Of the parish, man OF grel