New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-11-13

a. Never mind said Harn. Bat say., De ia.
ded, this chap that brought 'Tida home must Be-
the very chap we're after
g 7 think 80 was the response.
{ They talked little while longer, and learned
their plans pretty thoroughly, Twas their intended
victim+ They had been ct the inn when ! arrived,
and bad discovered that was peFse15 stranger in
that section 80 they thought should not be missed
i they put me oHt Of the way. They felt that
had money with me, and they must have Il. Croft
was 70 be ready before daylight, and they would lie
in wait for me until Tcame aIong-then kill and rob
me-taEe care Of my horse, and sink my body in
/" / made my way back to tie inn, and reached nv
room without disturbing any one. Ny t0othaehe
was gone, though had no recollection Of the ore
else time when the pain left me. In the morning
pretended to be sick with cold and headache and
told the landlord that could not ride my horse. He
said that the day for the stage and tat it would
be along about 10 O'Clock 50 informed him that
would wait for it, and engaged him To keep my horse
until called for it. Then bound my handkerchief
about my head and acted the sick man al well as
could. At nine o'clock, heard two familiar voices
under the window. They were my friends, Harm and
Croft. They had come to find out why had not
proceeded on my journey. They talked with the
0ster little and then came into the barroOm where
was sitting pretending to be half asleep. They
were bardookug fellows. had expected, and just
such fellows az should suppose would work or rob
as opportunity offered. They were not ugiy-l0oking,
nor really Villainous, but they had reckless swag-
gering way, and a loose expression, which at once
betokened that they possessed little no Of
morality or humanity They had a good look at me,
then took something to drink, and then took their
leave and could see that they were somewhat dis
appointed.
:" At 10 o'clock the stage came along, and took
| place inside, and by O'Clock in the afternoon
4 was IN Columbia. gained access to my brother
Without trouble and certainly don't think should
have known him in the street, he had grown 40 thin
and pale But when came to tell him what I had
discovered the color came 20 his he looked
] He tdld ma hal a5 ra5
| lawyer, and having spent half an hour with him
went to see his legal freud. found the latter ndi-
| ydual in his Office, and having made myself known
proceeded to relate my adventure Of the night be-
fore. He not only interested, but he entered into
my plans with enthusiasm aud promised to take the
whole affair into his own hands and manage it to the
best Of his ability. He told me that there were Fuors
afoat that two men had been murdered on the road
where my brother apprehended, before the crime
was committed OF which James was accused but
they had been strangers in the country, and GER
tain information could be obtained.
"On the following morning the lawyer had all the
necessary documents prepared, and in company with
the sheriff set OF. We reached the residence Of
Matthew Harm before noon, and found both him and
Croft there They were frightened when the officers
arrested them, but offered no resistance though
| they might have done so had they known how much
evidence were likely to bring against them. They
were taken to the inn and thence sent forward under
a sufficient guard to Columbia. 4 company was
then collected and went cut to the wood to if
we could find the old Iretli of which ] had heard
the prisoners speak. One of the party remembered
that there used to be house the spot where the
murder had been committed and under his direction
the search was commenced. The same place where
the house had stood was found, and ere long we
found the we'll 1t was very deep, and covered with
logs and bushes. Grappling-h0oks were procured,
and three dead bodies shed up from the Shiny water.
! One Of them was much dec0mposed, but the other
two were not so far gone but that the inn-keeper
| could recognize them as men who had stopped over
night at his house only few months before
The next movement of the Sheriff vas to arrest Mrs
Harm and her daughter and also the wife and young
son of Isaac Croft. They were taken at once to Co
lumbia, and there confined separately.
Two days after this my brothers. trial came on,
and he was acquitted without difficulty But not so
with the two witnesses who had cansed his arrest
They were tried upon an indictment Tor murder, and
the evidence so overwhelming against them
that hardly shadow OF defense was made and
when they fully convicted Croft made CON
fessiOn. He acknowledged that he and Harm had
murdered the traveller and had just robbed him when
they heard the tramp Of a coming horse. They had
barely time to empty the purse and throw it down
and make off into the woods when my brother came
up. When they saw him dismount and commence
examining the corpse the idea entered their heads of
fastening the crime upon him, They had two objects
in thisfrst to shift the present crime from their
shoulders and second, to turn suspicion from them
selves in case the previous murders should come
to light. But they failed in their plans and in due
time met the fate they so richly deserved