Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1869-02-01
A Young Man Snptches the Body Of his
Deud Iuunorutn.

Deuu kuuthortttus
The ~strangest case Of thieving which
we ever heard of took place in the ad-
Joining county of Cheatham a few days
ago. A few miles from Ashland, and
not far from the Cumberland River, live
q family named White, in what is con-
sidered comfortable circumstances. On
Christmas eve q young girl, some four
teen years old, died in the house after a
brief illness. She was not long homo
from an educational institution in In
diana, whicd she was forced to leave by
reason Of an unaccountable indispo-
sitiou. Tie house Of the Whites is Sit
uated in o rather remote section, so that
the night following the dsceasc Of the
Young lady there were no visitors to
watch up with the mourning family
save one-a young gentleman named
Higgins, who had come on horseback in
the early part of the day to visit the sick
girl. When her eyes closed in death
he was uncomfortable in his sorrow,
and it was found necessary to cheer him
ND by doses of strong drink. 1t vas
found exceedingly difficult to induce
him to take any liquor; and, in order
to him, the only brother Of
the deceased girl imbibcd freely himself
of the stimulants-so freely, in fact,
that he was overcome, and fell into a
sound sleep about nightfall, from which
it was thought best not to awake him.
When the hours waxed late there were
no watchers in the house but young
Higgins and the girls father. Up to
about l2 o'clock the young man seemed
in q semi-lethargic state, and was not
Mt all communicative, but sat brooding
over his sorrow. Shortly after midnight
there was q change perccptible. lie be-
came laxative, suggested to the old
man the propriety of taking n little
stimulant, and of shaking of some Of
his grief. By ajudicious application OF
the bottle he succecded.iu getting the
old man asleep. When no awoke, be
found young Higgins occupying ex-
actly the same position, rs be thought,
that he did in tho early part of the past
night-sitting in n corner, with his
bowed head resting on his hands but
he observed that the young fellows
boots were muddy. Everything ap-
peared to BIO gloomy and sorrowfully
right. Not much notice was taken OF
anything until the hour approached for
the interment of the corpse, when Hig-
gins showed signs Of great agitation,
which was considered the natural result
of his great grief. The little funeral
arrangements being easily and quickly
made, the coffin was carried to its last
resting-place by three men, followed by
the mother and the little children /; but
as the melancholy cortegs approached
the grave, Higgins, whether from ex-
haustion or trepidNtion, shock so vlo-
lentlv that he let 60 his hold and the
coffin fell to the ground. \ very strange
sharp noise inside Of it so astonishsd
the few mouruers that their first impulse
wa. to flee but the stern and author
itative look of the father riveted every
one to the spot. He felt convinced on
the moment that something was wrong,
and on undoing the lid he found in tho
cofip-not the dead body Of his beloved
child, but q heap of stones and dirt.
Higgins, though an athletic young fell
low, eighteen years old, sunk to the
ground in o fainting fit. The %constcr-
nation and confusion was great. After
some time, when Higgins was restored,
he confessed to have purposely set the
old man drunk, and then opened the
coffin and took Judith out and, mount.
ing his horse, rode four miles in the
woods, where he slowed away the body
in q little ave and covered it up with
leaves aud branches, and then coming
back, filled her place in the coffin with
stones and earth, and screwed on the
lid again. His great love for the girl,
he alleged, could not lot her 60 away
from his sight forever, and he thought
he would keep her to look at q few
days longer. The body Was recovered
and inferred with becoming dignity,