The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-08
A Curious History, In which Murder
and Magic are Blended.

In the early part of last week a man named
Charles Framel was arrested near Centreville,
in Reynolds county, Missouri, on the charge OF
having murdered q Captain Hopkins, in July,
1865. then acting as Provost Marshal near Cen
traha, Ill. The party causing the arrest is the
father Of the murdered man, and as he passed
through this city day or SO ago with his pri-
soner in charge, the following curious particu-
lars as to the information which led TO the arrest
were ascertained and which will be read with
interest by all lovers of the marvellous. After
the murder was committed, Mr.. Hopkins, the
father of the deceased, became filled with the
one absorbing idea of bringing the murderer of
his son to suffer the extreme penalty of the law.
To accomplish this the old man devoted all
search during the past year has wandered over
the best part of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and
otner Western States Often apparently being
on the eve of success, but as frequently finding
himself utterly disappointed and ioiled, towards
the latter part of October he returned to his
home near Centralia. H., weary and dispirited,
but retaining as strongly as ever his determine
tion to track the murderer to the end. And
now we come to the strangest part OF the busi-
ness. While the old man was taking few
days rest, and planning his schemes for new
tour. rumor carried to his ears the fame OF
a blind girl living at Mt. Vernon, Illinois,
named Miss Mary A. Lucas, and it was
told him she possessed the weird power of
looking into the past, unravelGng all kinds of
secrets, and describing and pointing out the resi-
dences of men and women she had never seen.
In other words, of being fortune-teller, Circe,
or whatever else ii may be appropriate to call a
young woman who possesses supernatural
powers, and does many extraordinary things.
Mr.. Hopkins, on hearing this, determined to see
xe6s wonderful damsel and seek her assistance,
and accordingly he visited Mt. Vernon, OBJ
tanned an interview with the fortune.teller, re-
lated the facts of the case, and implored her to
point out, if her science permitted, the abode of
the long.sought man. And the blind secret
reader lifted her sightless eyes and mentally
gazed into the mysteries OF vanished time, saw
the deed of blood, scrutinized the face of the muir
derer, followed him as he fled, and through his
wanderings for many months, until she finally
saw him in his present residence, and then she
spoke TO her visitor, and gave the information
he desired. She described the person of the
man he wanted, aud finally told Mr. H.
that he was living in Reynolds county Mo-,
near Ger treville. Thither Mr.. Hopkins went,
and discovered with but little difficulty Charles
Framel, the man he had hunted for many
months, and whom he charges with the murder
OF his son, arrested him as above stated, aud
carried him home for trial.
Such Is the story, and it is certainly strange,
IL true. We give II as 1t was related to us, aud
a certain very worthy doctor in this city is
responsible for Its correctness.
We are not disposed to circulate the doing,
nor to endorse very enthusiastically those who
aTrogate TO themselves powers not ordinarily
possessed by common sense mortals, and only
give the above as II appears to have yeritable
origin at least to the fact of the arrest of the
nan. As to its credibllity in other particulars,
we leave our readers TO iudge.-S. Louis, Re
publican, 6m.