The Placer herald., 1860-02-11
The Spectre Witness.
A TRUE NARR ATlVE.

clerk of wholesale importing house in
New York, was recently sent to London and
Paris, on business of the firm. He took a
Galway steamer and propelled to that city,
his purpose in thus going across to Ireland
being the qualification of a very natural de-
sire to revisit the scene of his birth, a little
on the way to Dublin.
On arriving in the vicinity of his birth
place, young Gordon found that he had
grown entirely out of the memory of the
good inhabitants of that parish, having left
for America when be was quite child. He
could not find any relatives or especial friends
of the family, and so, after half days USE
less research, he put up for the night at a
little inn in the outskirts of the village, de.
termined to proceed on his way by the first
coach in the morning.
The inn was in itself somewhat rude an |
uninviting affair, and " as but little frequent.
ed by the neighboring people One reason
of this circumstance was found in the
fact, that the proprietor was an ignorant,
sulen, evi!minded sort of man; and another
consisted in the flying reports which had
been going the rounds against both the
inn and its keeper. A number of travel
els had lately disappeared, and general sus
picion had charged the surly landlord of the
bog Inn' with having had an agency in
their disappearance. YET for want of ac-
tual proof no legal steps had been taken
further than to keepa strict watch for what
ever might occur to confirm The black sus-
picion.
Dick Carrigan and his equally i'll favored
wife took good care TO learn all they could
about their young guest ere he went to bed.
AS he had been frank or foolish enough to
state his business the two worthless concluded
it a certain thing that he was in possession
of considerable money and they accordingly
determined to send him the same way they
had likely sent so many others-beat him in
sensible, and sink him in the marsh, in the
rear of their residence.
All unsuspicious of the design against him
our friend had retired at an early hour. The
bed was none of the best, nor were the APP
pontments of the chamber at all calculated
to occasion luxurious dreams, but the fatigue
he had undergone served as a somnorotic
and he was soon in sound sleep.
How long he remained thus unconscious,
Mr.. Gordon had no power Of determining,
but he was finally awakened by stunning
blow on the forehead. He made an effort
to save himself as he started up with an ex
clamation of alarm, but ere he could fully
raise from his rude couch; another heavy
blow rendered him insensble to all things
around him. The two assassins, husband
and wife, then plundeled their victim, at
tached stone to his feet, and bore him away
to the marsh where they plunged him into
the muddy pool of earth and water, looking
triumphantly at each other as the body dis
appeared. They then turned and fled, going
back to the cabin and dividing the booty
and thinking that they were safe.
But the weight had slipped from the feet
of young Gordon, and hence he speedily
arose to the surface of the marsh, owing to
its consistency as it was almost as thick as
pudding The cold plunge had almost in
stantly restored him to consciousness, rs he
had not been severely injured. The result
of all these favorable circumstances was, that
Gordon made his way to terra firma, and
followed the assassins back to the cottage,
arriving there almost as soon as they did,
and placing himself in concealment beneath
the window, when they commenced talking
over their crimes, especially the last.
BY these very justifable evesdropping
our traveller learned how many persons these
wretches had destroyed, what they had done
with the money, and all the most important
secrets of their career. He listened until
they had retired for the night, and then
made his way to the nearest magistrate, to
whom he revealed all he knew. That person
decided to arrest The murderers at once as
if on mere suspicion, and send Gordon on
his way, without allowing anybody in the
vicinity to know that he had thus providen-
TALLY escaped. Accordingly, at sunrise the
next morning the landlord and his wife were
in Jail awaiting trial, and Gordon was pro-
ceeding on his way to London and Paris.
We pass over the time which ntervened
ere the matter could he brought to trial.
Carrigan and his wife knew nothing Of the
actual circumstances Of the case, and felt SO
sure of having prevented every possibility
of exposure, that they sang and laughed, be-
sides boasting and blaspheming, while few
had any hopes Of ever seeing them receive
at the hands of the law what was generally
felt to be their due.
The evidence on both sides was soon given;
that of the government was very weak, con
sisting chiefly Of suspicious and clrcumstan
ces rather than Of positive fact. just as
every one was fearing the murderous wretch
es would have to be acquitted, young Cor
don walked into court, by preconcerted
arrangement with the prosecuting officers,
and passed through the crowd to the witness
stand. He had finished his business in Lon
don and Paris, aa1 just came back. The
extraordinary commction occasoned by this
arrival caused the indicted persons to cast
their ewes unon the new conner. The re.