The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-11-05
From Lippineott's Magazine.l
MURDER MOST FOUL.

III.
Ten days after the body of an I'M
known woman was found IN the woods
few miles from BeeViile. a pistol
ball was found buried in her neck
on her throat were the marks of a
murderous clutch; and from head to
foot she had been beaten aud bruised
In the most cruel manner. The jury
of inquest was not able to identh her,
nor was there found any likely clue
to lead 10 the detection of her MUIR
derer. Descriptions OF the murdered
woman and her dress were published,
and rewards were offered for the APP
prehensien of her murderer, but all
10 vain. The body was buried, but
within a few weeks the excitement
oecasioned by the dreadful horror had
completely subsidized. 1t seemed q
hopeless mystery, for ever lmpenc-
trable.
Meanwhile, the Ordolfs heard reg
ularly from Randall. His first letter
explained why Mary did not write:
You will understand why Mary
employs me as her amanuensis when L
inform you that she was so unfor-
tunate as to have her right hand
severely bruised by a slamming car door
on our way here. She cannot use it
at all at present, but we are In hopes
that it will soon be well. With this
exception we are enjoying ourselves
here, and have every prospect of
doing well. Mary is delighted with
her reception by my relations and
friends, and desires me to assure you
of her content.
The next letter from Randall still
harped upon the injured hand: MARY
has caught cold in the hand that l
told you had been hurt, and tits much
inhamed, causing her great pain. A
doctor has been called in, who ex-.
pressed fears as TO the result unless
great care is taken. But he is noted
tor making case appear worse than
it really is, and we are not alarmed. y
There WIS some delay Ia the next
letter, causing the simple and con-
fding Ord0lis much uneasiness. At
length it came, fulfilling their widest
fears: MAY Heaven help you and
all Of us to bear It'll Our darling Mary
is gone: she is deadl Five days ago
she was seized with lockjaW, and ex
pired next day, in spite OF every effort
the last, but speechless. She was
i
imagine my grief and desolation. You
have lost a daughter, but l have lost
in her all that was dear to me. God
help US ALL go -
II am too unnerved to write now.
But l must beg, as last favor, that
you allow my darling's remains forest
here undisturbed, / will care for
them, and water the flowers ON her
NTH,
AS soon as / have the heart to UNI
dertake the task, will send you all
her clothing, etc., TeserYIng to myself
only few mementOes. May Heaven
bless you and sustain you'll"
The aged couple were heart-broken
at the loss of their only child, and
mourned with a grief that refusedIto
be comforted. Ali it was not long
before they would have thanked God
that their daughters fate had been
no worse than they at first believed.
The rewards offered for the discov-
cry and apprehension of the murderer
Of the woman had stimulated one
man to patient and ceaseless inves-
tigation. He was a sort of amateur
detective, named Tinsley, who had no
Otisvs, I~-@sL~r->~-- G--~ III
a persistent brooding that would
sometimes bring form and nurpose
out of chaos lie haunted the spot
where the corpse was found, aud med
iiated upon all the circumstances of
the case with the logged pertinacity
of stupidity. A brighter person
would have yielded the task in des-
pair, but his very dizziness kept him
at it, and at length gave him a clue
that he slowly but steadily followed
up. Near the scene of the murder
he one day found chtgRon of coal
black hair. The dead Woman's hair
was auburn, and when found she wore
a chigROR Of the same color. Close to
the cEignoR lay a piece of muddy
paper. 1t proved to be an old letter,
dated Near Gettysburg, Pa" ItWas
simply addressed to MY dear hus-
band" and was signed Your affec-
tiopate wife. Mary" Nobody but
Tinsley would have attached any
importance to these discoveries, but
it being his habit of mind to refer
everything to the case then In hand,
he at once believed that he had found
the key to the awful mystery. Yet
how easy it was to account for the
presence of those things therei Hum
dreds of both sexes, from far and near,
had visited the noted scene, and it
was very probable that some of these
had lost the chignoR and the letter.
Tinsley, however, was not at all i'm
pressed with this view of the matter,
and he. thought it worth shis while to
90 to Gettysburg and inquire for
MARY" He did so. 1t was weary
hunt, and would have seemed FOOLS
errand TO most people; but at length
Tinsley got on the track of Mary,
and he pursued it till he was welcomed
by the Ordolfs as a friend and neigh
Dor of John Randalll He already
knew enough to convince him that
John Randall's wife was the muir
dered woman found near Beeville, and
that John Randall was her murderer.
He had already seen the minister who
married them, and now he read Ran
dalPs letters written since the hellish
deed. aud he thrilled with horror at
their cold blooded duplieity and
righteousness. The evidence was APP
pallingly overwhelming. We cast a
veil over the scene that occurred when
Tinsley told the old, bereft couple
what he believed to be the true story
of their daughter 5 end.
All Beeyille and the country around
was amazed when it was announced
that J ohm Randall had been arrested
for the murder. 1t was incredible.
His character was excellent, both as a
citizen and soldier, and he was noted
for his abstinences not only from the
vices but from the follies into which
voung men commonly fall. Y ct when
All the damning developments APP
Deared. it seemed impossible to doubt
H. or;it IA he had once been high