The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-04-28

! at the inn ami eagerly discussed what
should be done and who should do it.
At last all the male inhabitants, head
ed by the Squire, bearing a lantern,
| and plotted by the children, started
out to investigate the matter. Bot
pilots were not needed, as the dog
still nlaintained, his watch, and with
mournful howlIngs echOing through
the dim woods, the party could not
90 astray. Reaching the spot, they
gathered round it, and the Squire adj
vaneed, and kneeling down, wiped
the dirt from the face of the dead WO-
man with the skirt of his coat.
ITS Nancy BuclzsOn!"
he fell back few PAGES with the
exclamation, aud his companions tur-
ned to initiate the conduct of the chill
dren shortly bef.re, They rallied,
however, at his summons, and fell
vigorously to work tn exhume the
bOdy. a lew shoVelsfull Of earth,
and the body of a woman, without
shroud or coffin, hut fully dressed in
the ordinary garments of life, was ex-
posed. About the body white sub.
stance was plentifully sprinkled, and
was found to be chloride of lime,
doubtless placed there to insure speedy
decomposition. .- af-t -
Every one recognized poor Nancy
Buckson, and saw the rigid and livid
mark on the neck, pointed out by
the Squire, 1t was plain that she had
been murdered by ystranguIation, and
tossed, dressed as she WAS at the mo-
ment of her violent death, into the
rude grave where the dog had found
her.
The neighbor, Ptuls, now recalled
the quarrel of the preceding day,
and told how Captain John had stood
before theangry woman, playing with
the Whipcord. The cottage was search
ed, and cord was found lying on the
floor of theroom, which, when tied
upon the WOman's neck, fitted exact
iy the rigid and IivId circle In the
cellar was quantity of white sub
Stance precisely similar to that found
in the grave, anu those articles be-
long to Mrs. BuekOn found upon the
corpse, were missing from the house
There cuJiid be no more doubt as 10
the criminal than the crime. -at
= Capt. John BuCks0n Was not fUund
in the village uOr-in Providence, hut
it was asceftained that he had sailed
with his slOop, and the presumption
was raised that he intended TO touch
at New York, and there leaving the |
vessel, seek to eiude the officers of the |
law in the Iabyrinths Oi the great city.
A messenger was therefore dispatched
IN great haste to reach the clty before !
him, with q requiSition for his arrest. |
This authority was placed in the
hands of Police Captain LeOnard-the |
officer referred to IN my preamble
who searched diligently among the (
shipping until he found the sloop |
Oregon" mOOred at an East River |
pier. Going on board, Capt. Leonard |
greeted BucksOn, who was seated on
the deck.
"Good day, siF.p a
The sailor scarcely looked up al he
returned the salutatIon.
Ppm sorry to trouble You, but I've
4 warrant for your arrest.' |
ARREST! for what?"
The exclamation and succeeding
question were those of a phiegmatic
man slightly astonished.
''For the murder Of your wife"
Murder of my wifel Squire, that
can not be. Nancy isn't dealt"
YES she is-strangled with cord"
BucksOn rose to his feet, and look
ing the officer steadily in tho face,
said slowly and solemnly: ..
Squire, if Nancy's dead ] don't
snow IL. had a quarrel with her
The night left, and gave her piece
lf my mind, but God is my witness
hat didn't put hand upon her."
The officer looked with some inter
est upon man who could thus deny
| crime with which ne was so clearly
linked By circumstantial evidence, l.
put without further parley took him
rom the slOOp and placed him in a
ell of the station house. He made
40 resistance, and did not trOnble
himself to again volunteer any pro-
Of his innocence. While in
The station house, and during the
ourney to Providence, whenever the
question was directly put to him, he
always denied his guilt in the same
emphatic terms, but he was never the
irst to broaeh the subject, and il was
specially noticed that he never made
any inquiry for the details of the
murder. r--.s.. --.. -...
When the officer and his charge ar
rived at SeakOnk, the latter seemed
amazed to find himself the object of
universal eXecration. When he reach
I'd the village, and while he walked
Ogside his captor through the street
10 Ward the jai!, he was surrounded
by a hOoting mob that peited him
with opprobrious epithets, and with
was restrained from doing
/
self bravely and uudiamayed through
1t all. But his conduct was noted on
~ to his discredit, and the citizens |
could not rennmber any hardened |
wretch who had ever so Haunted his
crime in the face of an outraged peo-
pie.
In due time the grand jury was
and his case cOnsidered.-
There was no more doubt of his guilt
Ia that official body than in the COM
nunity at large, and he was formally
indicted for the. murder of Nancy |
BucksOu. e-4 ~ a.-
When the news was taken to hin
70 his cell, he only said: "God's
will be donem
His perfect resignation had, by this
time, won slightly on the jailer's
heart, and he inquired if he did not
wish to engage counsel to defend him
1t the approaching trial. Bucksonss
lace frightened with this first faint
'ign of sympathy, but he answered
"l i thank you, friend, but 1 don't
need lawyer. God knows l am in
10eent, and He viii prove it in His
own good time. % --r--s.
The day appointed for the trial of
The prisoner was Close at hand, when
The quiet village was startled by a
new terror. One pleasant September
a ghost descended from the
EASTERN coach, and walked leisurely,
with every semblanee OF life, up the
street, toward the long deserted cot
-age. 1t twas q horrible ghost, for it i
nodded familiar greetings to several
Dersons it met upon the way, and
once tried to pat q shrinking child
! t almost seemed endowed with hu-
inau passions, for many were ready
10 make oath that they saw its cheek
lush with. anger when it found the
entire town avoiding it in uncInceal-
I'D terror But it was persistent
ghost, for it walked steadily on until
Il reached the gate of the cottage gar
len, which it found nailed up, aud it
became talkatiye ghost when il dis
covered the pigs ruPning riot in the
garden In the very voice of the1
dead Nancy Buckson it said, ina
peeyiSh voice: -resf.rr-. -fe l sz -
THAT John Buckson'll be the death
Of me yet! Just see how he lets these
DpskV hogs root nm thinpSlD ----+.rr