White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1859-05-05

sion ? Was he aware Of the real circum.
stances of the crime, aud its true perpe.
traitors T? Did he know that the Blue
Dragon was innocent? But if SO, why
employ this mysterious and circuitoui
mode of assisting him? Why resort to
this anxious preeaution of employing q
deaf and dumb lad as his amanuensis
Why such signs of restlessness and ap-
prehension-such anxious iDjunctions Of
silence Plainly the baker was not en-
tirely innocent; this was the conviction
left on the minds of the judges for it
was now recollected that this baker was
the same person who, on the morning
when the robbery was detected, had con-
trived to make his way into the house
along with the officers of Justice. Itwas
he who had lifted from the ground the
match containing the half-burnt receipt
and handed it to the officers present. His
excessive zeal had even attracted attention
before. Had he. then, broken into the
house independently of the carpenter .
Had he, too, committed a robbery-and
was he agitated by the fear of his detec-
ton? But all the stolen articles had
been recovered, and all of them had been
found with the carpenter. The mystery,
for the moment, seemed only increased /;
but it was about to be cleared mp in a
way wonderful enough, but entirely salts
factory. ~ .i
While the schoolmaster and the miller,
Overblink, were detained at the Council
Chamber, the baker, H, was taken
into custody. A long and circumstantial
confession was the result, to the particu-
lars Of which we shall Immediately adj
vert. From his disclosures, warrant
was also issued for the apprehension of
the wool spinner, Leendert Van N,
and his wife-the same who at first cir
cnlated the reports and suspicious against
the dragon; and who had afterwards
given such plausible, and, as it appeared,
such frank and sincere information against
him before the court. Both had taken
the opportunity Of making off: but the
pursuit Of justice was successful-before
evening they were brought back and COM
mittel to prison. - -
The criminal procedure now proceeded
rapidly to a close, but it related to a quite
different matter from the robbery. This
third association of culprits, it appeared,
had as little to do with the carpenter and
his comrades, as these had with the dra-
COON and his inmates. Butfor the house
breaking, in which the persons last ares
ted had no share, the real crime in which
they were concerned would, in all human
probability, have never seen the light.
The following disclosures were the result
Of the confessions of the guilty, and Of
the other witnesses who were examined.
On the evening of the Doth June, there
was assembled in the low and dirty cham
Der of the wool spinner, Leehdert. Van
N, party of card-players. It has
already been mentioned that this quarter
of the town was in great measure IN
habited by the disreputablc portion Of the
public-only few houses, like those OF
Madame Andrecht. being occupied by the
better classes. The gamblers were the
Corporal Ruhler, of the company Of LIE
Lery, then lying in garrison in the place,
the master baker. H, and the host
himself, Leendert Van N. The'par-
ty were old acquaintance (; they hated
and despised each other, but community
of interests and pursuits drew them to-
gether. ~
The baker and corporal had been long
acquainted; the former baked the bread
for the garrison company, the latter had
the charge of receiving it from him. The
corporal had soon detected various frauds
committed by the baker,. and gave the
baker the choice of denouncing them to
the commanding officer, or sharing with
him the profits of the fraud. The baker
naturally chose the latter, but hated the
corporal as mueh as he feared him while
the latter made him continually feel how
completely he considered him in his
power. p n1 81 IL ~ ~.
A still deadlier enmity existed between
the corporal and the wool-spinner and
his wife. The latter had formerly sup
piled the garrison with CATERS and other
articles of clothing, and he had reason to
believe that the corporal had been the
means of depriving him of this commits
sion, by which he hal suffered materially.
But the corporal had still good deal in
his power: he might be the means Of
procuring other orders, and it was neces-
sary, therefore, to suppress any appearance
Of irritation, and even to appear to court
his favor. ..-..g-gi-,,., f.,oi.--
Such an association as that which sub
sisted among these comrades. where each
hates and suspects the other. and nothing
but the tie Of a common interest unites
them, can never be of long duration.--I
The moment is sure to arrive when the
spark falls upon the mine which has been
SO long prepared, and the explosion takes
place, the more fearful the longer it has
been delayed. - sgsi roY ~
These worthy associates were playing
cards on the evening above mentioned
they quarrelled |; and the quarrel became
more and more embIttered The long
suppressed hatred on the part of the baker
and wool-spinner burst forth. The cor
poral retorted IN terms equally offensive
he applied to them the epithets which
they deserved. From words, they pro-
cceded to blows, and deadly weapons were
laid hold of on both sides. But two male
foes and a female fury, arrayed ON one
side, were too much even for a soldier.
The corporal, seized and pinioned from
behind by the woman, fell under the