The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1864-11-02
WHOLE NO. 42l.
Romance OF Crime.

yich assises. 1t is that Of acrminal en-
ieavoring, by mode rather elaborate thar
Ingenious, to overreach justice, and end
ng by Overreaching himself A crime com
nitted nearly three years ago, of which tn.
english police had long since abandoned
II hope Of detecting the pcrpetrator. be
ONES revealed through the instramentality
{ the author Of it, who is already lying in
all for subs, quent offence. The discovery
rose as follows:
One Solomon Hills, the prisoner in
ues,ion, young laborer Of twenty two,
'as convicted in January, 1868, of an as
ault upon ganckceper, and sentenced
, eighteen months Imprisonment. This
entence has just expired but in the inter.
al he made acquaintance with q fellow
riminal, named Humphrey. rich farmer,
tho had been sentenced to penal servitude
T life, on the charge Of shooting a man
AIMED Reed, with intent to murder. Hum
hrey persuaded Hills to avow himself the
,al author of the crime for which the for
Ter was about to suffer, promising a large
ward for doing so. Humphrey was then
'get his release, and regain his property;
ills was to be formally tried and convicted
his place; and, while the one was to &c, out
the country, the other was then to avow
&c cheat, obtain his own Liberation, and
e promised recompcnss from Humphrey.
Hills made false confession to the gov.
nor and visiting justices, declared him
If the perpctrator Of the crime charged
ION Humphrey, and promised to find at
e bottom Of certain pond the gun with
hich Reed was shot. The governor I'm
rtook to make the investigation, and took
Ills to the pond. We must now go back
Hills previous crime, OF which he has
zen just convicted. Quite unconcerned
the attempt to murder Reed, which was
,irely the work Of Humphrey, though
Ills was himself at large at the time, he
I'd committed murdero1s attack upon
old man, jointly with an accomplce, 50
ng ago as November, 1861. He had
roken into the old mans house, beaten
i'm, and, among other things, had Carried
gun belonging to him. This gun he
ad thrown into the pond, into which he
retended to have thrown the gun that he
ad falsely alleged himself to have shot
eed with, and there it had remained. i'm
:dded in the mud, from November. 1861
ntii the search made at Hills own instance
month or two ago.
In the meantime, Humphrey had shot
eed, and Hills himself had his fray with
&c gamekeeper towards the end of 1862 :;
I'd Tor these two offences the two cri,ni.
lis have been in the sane gaol at Bury
ior to Humphrey being despatched to a
ornament depot Of felons. We now re-
I'm to the story Of the mock confession
ade by Hills to the governor Of the gaol a
onth or two ago. The pond was first
Jagged. Thea enptied, and ut the bottom
as found the gun which II lis had thrown
Iere in November, 1861, after rfing the
d mans cottage, but which h. pretended
be the gun that he had shot Reed With a
;ar later.
No doubt he thought his story was be
wed, and his and Humphreys j,int stra.
gem successful. The gun, however, was
entitled as the property Of the old man
no had been robbed of it in the winter OF
SOL. Of course, therefore, there was an
I'd Of the scheme for Humphreys liberia.
on and Hills reward. But it being clear,
.yond this, that ho one would have known
here to find the gun but the person who
rev it there, there was at once clue to
lie Identification Of Hills with the author
the assault and robbery on the old man
1861. Thus, therefore, Hills found that,
'st at the moment that he was about to be
oerated from gaol Cat the close Of the
ghteen months for which he had been
:ntenced on account Of his attack upon
lie gamekeeper in January. 1859 he was
bout to be put on his trial for the previous
line, which would have remained secret
ut for his own greedlness in trying to get
lie reward out of the prisoner Humphrey
he mock confession having broken down,
nere was, luckily for the decorum of jus.
ce, no mock trial of Hills for Humph ey s
fence. Humphrey went to his doom
nd found no rescue from his sentence oil
email servitude for life. But Hills was
etained on the true charge Of robhing the
ID man, and has ow got five years penal
.rvitude on the top of his now expired
ghteen months imprisonment. So Hills
I'd Humphrey NAV, after all, meet again
lament over the miscarriage Of lhei.
tile game. ...... g.. ..