The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1870-07-15
The Mysterious Old Man and His
Defense of Widows Home-Who
was He. and Whittier did He Coo

Last week there occurred in Bullitt countya
strange affair, which is as yet unsolved In its
particulars but. which was one of those very
peculiar transactions that seem to have no
motive. A widow lady, with a daughter some
eighteen years Of age, lived near Mt. Wash
ington. They were without male protectors,
and lived quietly and securely. One day the
old lady received some five thousand dollars
in payment of an old account, and locked it
up in her trunk. The night following was
dark and gloomy, and one that would cause
people naturally to bar and lock doors and
windows, and cause one to hesitate to open
them to a stranger. Toward night, an old,
bent-up, decrepit man came to the door, and
on its being opened asked for shelter for the
night The widow told him she was alone,
with no men folks about the house, and she
disliked to take a stranger under her roof
The old man said he was stranger, poor,
decrepit and destitute, and only asked for
shelter from the approaching night.
The lady acceded to his request, and III due
time he was shown to his room up stairs. The
night grew darker outside, and the widow and
her daughter were preparing to retire when a
heavy knock came upon the door, and voices
Of men outside were heard demanding admit
tance in threatening tones. Terrified, know
ing the danger of possessing such a large sum
of money, the widow concluded that the par
ties outside were confederates of the man to
whom she had given shelter. Acting upon
this suspicion, with trembling limbs, she ran
up stairs and locked the door of the suspicious
stranger. Returning down stairs, she heard
the blows of an axe on the door, and as she
reached the foot of the stairs encountered the
man she supposed she had locked safely in his
room. No longer decrepit, bent and feeble,
the stranger stood upright and assumed stall
wart proportions. The gray hair, the trem-
bling voice had gone; and instead was a man
of powerful build and determined mien.
Believing that all was lost the widow ex-
claimed, "You know what I've got; I'll give
it upw
The stranger, instead of acceding to the ter
rifed woman's offer replied, "Don't annoy
me- 90 into your room and I'll protect you."
He held in his hands rifle he had taken
from the rack, and as the blows of the assail-
ants axe fell fast upon the door, pushed the
widow into her room. The door gave way,
and the first man that entered was shot by the
stranger, who graSped the falling body and
pulled it inside the door. He then pulled the
door wide open and fired again, killing an
other Of the assailants. The party turned to
fey, and another of their number received a
shot from the valiant stranger.
The attacking party having fed, the door
was secured, and the affrighted inmates took
occasion to examine the features of the dead
robber, who proved to be the son-in-law and
neighbOr Of the widow.
In the morning another man was found
leaning over the fence, with his arm thrown
over the rails, dead. Mortally wounded, his
failing strength had carried him to the fence,
where, in supporting himself, he had died.
The stranger gave himself up to a magistrate,
who examined into the case, the stranger re-
fusing to give either his name, place of resi-
dence, or the nature Of his business. The
magistrate ordered his discharge, and the mys-
terious stranger departed. Who he was, why
be assumed the disguise he did on that night,
what was the nature of his business, or whittier
he went, is a mystery not yet explained, and
comment would be superhuous.-LouiSvize
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