Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1866-07-18

THE TORN BILL.
BY @. D. X.

! CURED. | was at that time postmaster in
the town of D.. An unusually warm
spell of weather had carried away much of
the snow, and left the reads very muddy,
and rendered the travelling very bad. l
, thought of this as 1 closed the shutters
about nine o'clock in the evening, and al
so remembered that as it was Wednesday,
the stage from c. was due at eight,
but owing to the bad going it was not yet
in. therefore determined that would
as had often done before, lock the front
door between the inner aud outer rooms,
and, leaving light burning, 60 to sleep,
trusting to the driver to wake me by rat
tling the door, ...
1t seemed but few moments, 50 sound
lily had | slept, ere was awakened by a
pounding on the door. GlGnving at the
clock. which stood opposite, discovered,
however, that it was one o'clock in the
morning, and that had been aleep near
ly four hours. AS hurried toward the
door, put my hand into my pocket for
the key and found it empty. The two
door keys and both the keys to my safe,
all of which had when | went to sleep,
were gone Stepping to the rear door, in
the lock of which | always kept the key,
| found that also locked and the key gone.
This SO surprised me that for few Sec
ouds | remained on the spot, utterly una
BILE to do anything to solve the mystery.
From this state was aroused by renewed
pounding on the door. There was now
but one available mode of exit from my
prison, and that was through si1e win.
dow. Throwing up the sash | sprane
out and hurried round to where expected
to find the driver. Mysteries seemed tc
have no end, for instead of meeting the
driver, l came upon an excited crowd O
of about twenty. My appearance was the
signal 10Y all to commence telling me the
cause of their excitement. Silence was
; however, at last obtained, and then thu
( sheriff told me in as few words as possi
hle the state of affairs which then va
existing.
!. 1t seems that one Of the physicians o
the town, DR.. Smith, was returning from
a prolonged visit to patient, and wheI
E about mile from the town heard in th
road ahead of him pistol shot. Hurry
e ing on, he found, about half mile far
: ther on, the stage. for which l was wait
t ing, drawn up by the side of the road
. and in the middle Of the road the body o
n a man. Bringing his lantern near th
e face, he found that it was the driver, ant
that be was dead, having been shot thro
|. tho bead. He found the robes, &C. OF th
:. team scattered around on the ground, a
was also the mail bag, but the latter hat
been unlocked, not cut open, and the con
d tents were gone. He lifted the barrel u
? and placed it on the stage, and was JUS
starting on for assistance, when revolve
& laying near by, which, from the fact tha
l. one barrel had been discharged. he decid
e ed was the weapon with which the dee
had been committed. .a
Arrived in town he aroused the Shelf
., and few ne!ghbors and while some Wei
tt dispatched with the doctor after the body
!. !, the sheriff and others had gone to m
house after me. Finding was not thei
T. :. they had come to the Office, and just
e. Joined them the body arrived.
in This was the substance Of the facts n
lated to me. 1t seemed strange that tf
E. sheriff should have gone to my house, il
;. stead of after the body, and was a5o'
so to express myself, when he stepped 70
" ward and laying his hand on my should
cd said: n 1.'i1'N 2 .'.|. ...-.
!" "Sir. arrest you. John Blanchard, Fl
n, the murder of Charles Smith, the sta
ST. ;, ...t.. L.tfr..
or driver" la' '.''t p
If he bad struck me should not ha
il is been more surprised. / tried to reas'
: with him, but although he was very civ
n. he was 6rm, aud the result was that
ne ne spent the remainder of the night in u
county Jail, which building was situas 10
g; in L., that being the shire town. L
T. T. examination the next morning elicted :
VI VI following rather curious facts