Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1865-02-06

would be right to leave the matter without
further investigation. will place two of the
police at your command; you can then 60
once more to the hovel and sesrch.every part
Of it. You may, perhaps, make some inpor-
tant discovery H1f' rH
He allowed but very few minutes to
elapse before heswas on his way accompanied
! by the two officers. After knocking at the
door and waiting for some time, the old man
opened the door, He received them some
what uncivilly, but showed no mark Of sus
picion when they told him they wished to
search the house.
VERY well; as fast and soon as you please"
was the reply.
"Have you n well here
"No, sir we are obliged to get our water
from spring, about a quarter OF mile dis
taut"
They searched the house, but discovered
nothing Of any consequences Meanwhile The
old man zed upon them with an impeue.
trable vacancy Of look as IL h could not un
derstaud why they were intruding on his prop
erty. Finally, they lorsook the cottage, with
out finding anything to corroborate
their suspicious. They, however, resolved to
inspect the garden By this time nun,ber
of persons had collected together outside,
having been drawn to the spot by the sight OF
a stranger with two policemen They were
asked If they knew anything Of well in those
yarts They replied they did not the idea
seemed to perplex them At length an old
woman came forward, leaning on a crutch.
"A weY' said she. "ls it well you are
looking for That has been gone these thirty
years remember it as ifit were yesterday;
how | used to throw stones inlo it, Just to hear
them splash in the water"
"Do you remember where that well used TO
be ?" asked the gentleman
"As near as | can recollect," replied the
woman, "it is on the very spot where you
now stand"
He suddenly started, as If be had trodden
upon serpent They at once commenced
digging up the ground, At about twenty
inches deep, they came to q layer Of bricks,
which, being broken up, revealed some rotten
boards These were easily removed when
they beheld the dark mouth of the we'll
81 was quite certain that was the spot, said
the old woman What fool you we're TO
stop it up, and then have TO travel so far for
water T.
A sounding line, furnished with hooks, was
now let down into the weIl--ihe crowd bard
pressing around them, breathlessy bending
over the blssk and fetid hole, the secrets OF
which seemed hidden in impenetrable obscn.
tiiy This was repeated several times without
any result At length, penetrating below the
mud, the hooks caught IN something Of CON
siderable weight, and. after much time ana
egdrt, they succeeded in raising it from the
obscure hole. 1t was an old chest The
sidns and lid we're decayed and it needed no
foeksnlith to open it. Within it they found
what they were sure they would ind and
which filed the spectators with horror-the
remains Of human body
The police officers now rushed into the
honse and secured the old man AS to his
wife, she at FIRST could not be found But,
after iatiguing search, she was discovered
beneath pile OF wood, being much bruised by
the heavy logs above her By this time near
y the whole population Of the town had col.
lected around the spot.
The old couple we're brought before the
proper authorities and separately examined.
The man persisted in his denial most obsti.
nately, but his wife at once confessed that she
and her husband, n very long time ago, had
murdered a pedler who possessed large sum
OF money He had passed the night at their
house, and they, taking advantage ofthe heavy
sleep that eneompassed him, had stranglsd him
after which they placed his body in q chest.
The chest was then thrown into the well, and
the wellstopped up. The two criminals had
reason to believe themselves free from deteet-
ion, as there was no witness TO their erime,
and its traces had been carefully contested
Nevertheless they had not been able to hush
the voice Of conscience, They Asd from their
fellow men. They were intimidated at the
slightest noise, and silence thrilled them with
fear. They had often thought OF flying to
some distant land, but some inexplieable in
fuence KEEP: them near the remains Of their
victim Terrified by the. disposition Of his
wife, the old man made similar confession.
and six weeks after the couple expired on the