The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-08-21
TAE TORN BlLL.

the incidents which I am about to
relate occurred. I was at that time
postmaster in the town of L-n.
An unusual warm spell of weather
had carried away much of the snow,
left the roads very muddy, and rem
dered the travelling very bad. I
thought of this as I closed the shut
ters, about 8 o'clock in the evening,
and also remembered that, rs it was
Wednesday, the stage from O.
was due ut 8, but owing to the bad
going it was not yet in. I therefore
determined that I would, MS 1 had
often done before, lock the front
door and the door between the inner
and outer rooms, and leaving light
burning, go to sleep. trusting to the
driver to wake me by rattling the
door.
1t seemed but few moments, so
soundly had 1 slept, ere I was
awakened by pounding on the
door: Glancing at the clock, which
stood opposite, I discovered, how
ever, that 1t was 1 o'clock in the
morning, and that had been asleep
nearly four hours. AS I hurried to-
ward the door, I put my hand into
my pocket for the key. and found it
was empty. The two door keys and
both the keys of my safe, nll of
which I had when I went to sleep,
were gone. Stepping to rear door,
in the lock Of which 1 always kept
the key, I found that also locked and
the key gone. This so surprised me
that for few seconds remained on
the spot, utterly unable to do any
thing to solve the mystery. From
this state L was aroused by renewed
pounding on the door. There was
but one available mode of exit from
my prison, and that was through q
side window. Throwing up the sash,
sprang out, and hurried around to
where I expected to find the driver.
Mysteries seemed to have no end, for
instead of meeting the driver, I came
upon nm excited crowd of about
twenty. My appearance was the sig
nal Tor all to commence telling me
the cause of their excitement. ST.
lence was, however, at last, obtained.
and then the sheriff told me, in as few
words as possible, the state of affairs.
1t seems that one of the physicians
of the town, DR.. Smith, was return
ing from prolonged visit to pa
tient, and when about mile from
the town, heard, in the road ahead of
him, pistol shot. Hurrying on, he
saw the stage, for which I was waiting.
drawn up by the side of the road,
and, in the middle of the road, the
body of man. Bringing his lantern
near the face, he found that it was
the driver, and that he was dead, hav-
ing been shot through the head. He
found the robes, &C., of the team scat
tered around on the ground, and also
the mail bag; but the latter had been
unlocked, not cut open, and the con-
tents were gone. He lifted the BODY
up and placed it in the stage, and
was just starting on for assistance
when ne saw a revolver lying near
by, which, from the fact that one
barrel had been discharged, he de-
clded was the weapon with which the
deed had been committed. Arrived
in town, he aroused the sheriff and a
few neighbors, and while some were
despatched with the body, the sheriff
had gone to my house after me.
Finding [ was not there, they had
come to the Office, and just as I Joined
them, the body arrived.
This was the substance of the facts
related to me. It seemed strange
that the sheriff should have gone to
my house instead of after the body,
and L was about to 80 express myself,
when ne stepped forward, and, lay
ing his hand on my shoulder, said:
IL arrest you, John Blanchard. for
the murder of Charles Smith, stage
driver"
If he had struck me, I should not
have been more surprised. I tried
to reason with him, but, although he
was vely civil. be was equally firm,
and the result was that 1 spent the
remainder of the night in the County
jail, which building was situated in
Il, that being the shire town.
The examination the next Inornine
elected the following rather curioui
facts:
When the sheriff searched nv per
son, he was surprised to find no keys
and, indeed, no wallet or memoran
dun book. Sending to my assistant
he obtained the door keys, but the