Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-02-15
The Mysterious Air Gun.

from the new ork pun.J
Over year ago, at one o'clock ih tht
morning, a Brooklyn police officer was
careessly sauntering down his usual beat
when he observed man partly hidden
behind a tree on the opposite side of the
street. The officer stopped and carefully
observed the mans movements In a
few moments a man was observed com.
ing up the sidewalk opposite. The man
behind the tree stepped from his place Of
concealment, and walked down the street
to meet the stranger, the police officer
still watching him. When the suspicious
person was within twenty feet of the
stranger, and near gas-light burning
brightly beneath the trees, the stranger
suddenly slapped his forehead with his
right hand, and fell to the pavement
dead man. His murderer began to rife
his pockets. The officer hastened to the
spot, but the assassin had fed.
The officer pursued him. The chase
was hot Around corners, across half
paved streets, through slums and alleys,
over high board fences and beneath
Pickering gas-lights the murderer fed,
but keen-eyed hunter was on his track.
He was captured. On his line of flight
an air-gun of peculiar construction was
found. 1t had done its deadly work
silently and effectually. Itwas of simple
mechanism, and could hardly be consid-
cred marvel of mechanical skill.
The assassin turned out to be one
Skidmore, a discharged policeman. In
his house evidence was found which
proved that he had been engaged Tor sew
eral years in nefarious schemes of bur-
glary and murder. Brooklyn was thrown
into state of nervous excitement.
Every undiscovered murder was thrown
on the shoulders of Skidmore. he was
even accused Of being responsible for the
profo undly mysterious East river
mystery" where a mans head, pierced
with two bullets and wrapped in q piece
of oil silk, was found floating in Brook
lyn dock, the thighs and legs, similarly
wrapped, being afterward picked up near
Gowanus.
On his arrest Skidmore became as ST.
lent as jungled tiger. Crowds of citi-
zens swarmed to look at him, and loud
whispers of lynch-law foated about his
ears. he kept up bold front, but ecca-
sionally a twinge was visible on his coun-
tenance as he listened to the positive evil
dence before the Coroner. The crowd
surged about him, and gazed at him as
at one of the trapped anthropophag.
The air-gun was regarded with the great
est curiosity, and those inspecting it
handled it with circumspection, fearful
that silent bullet was only awaiting a
signal to add another to its roll of vie
tins.
The Coroner's jury found Skidmere
guilty of the murder, and the Grand
Jury brought in true bill of indictment
against him.
Back to his cell went the Murderer,
with scarcely a ray Of hope in his heart
The popular excitement did not abste.
His speedy trial was demanded. His
lawyers could not obtain a postpone
ment. The trial came on; the evidence
was overwhelming the people thronged
the courtroom. Skidmore's defiant front
failed him at last. and at length in despair
he cut his throat in his cell, and escaped
the gibbet.
We do not know what became Of the
airguu, but we do know that for weeks
afterward many of the citizens of Brook
lyn never dared to go from their houses
at night for fear Of silent struggling
bullet.
Again we have accounts Of shooting
with the sirgun-this time in New York.
A week or two ago we had to announce
the serious injury by a pistolshot Of .
young man walking at midday on the
d - 4 n
The cause is mystery which has never
been explained. On Tuesday afternoon,
in two diverse localities, there occurred