The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1870-06-15
A Mystery of tho Past strange Discove-
ry of a Skeleton "A Murder a Quart or
ola Century AGO Brou. sLt to Light.

ry Of a Skeleton "A Murder Quart @
of a Century AGO Brou- -sLt to Light.
It's only fow days since the nu
merous officials Of the City Hall wcr,
thrown into q fever of excitement l.,
the discovery Of the skeleton of
woman boxed up in narrow space i,
one of the dark cellars of that build
ing. The workmcn who had bocu en-
gagged i'll cleaning out tac accamula-
tod filth of q quarter Of IL centur,
stood back aghast at tho speutacI,
which met their gaze, vividly recall
ing the butcherics of Colt, Probst
Trauppmann, aud company. But tn,
horror Of the poor Milcsians Mt tn,
City Hall was as nothing compared
with that Of Mr.. Frederick Brisse
a contractor, of No. $50 Sixth street
and his men, upon being confronted
last evening by the skeleton Of maj
standing erect between the weather
board and tho chimney at the ole
frame house No. 265 Riviugton street
Mr.. Brissel was tearing down the
house in question preparatory tc
| building new one, when tho skull oi
the skeleton, grim and ghastly, was
suddenly revealed by the falling away
of some plaster. The whole wall was
removed as quickly as tho fears of the
trembling laLorors would pc nit, and
in short time the full skeleton was
taken out Of place in which it must
have reposed for almost half ceutu.
ry.
Tho police, on being notified of the
case, hunted up IL colored woman
named Deborah Groomcr, who had
been resident Of the room in one of
walls of which the skeleton was found
for upward of twenty-five years. She
protested entire ignorance Of its cxis-
tcncc, and showed, by her frightened
appearance, to be moro surprised than
the laborers. She had often heard
strange noises at night about the room -,
but had always attributed thcm to be
rats and ulicc. ..,y.r ..s,4as
No fragments of clothing wcro dis
covered around the skeleton, nor
could anything be found to iudioatc
that a body had been putin there
with tho clothing on. All atbe cir
cumstances point at, the affair as n
murder. No medical stndant wor! 4
go to the trouble of hiding skeleton
in place where its removal would
involve the tumbling down of the
house. .g.,
Rivington street was once the abode
of gang of cut-throats, who used to
operate extensively along the East
river, and this fact may to some cx-
tent account for tho presence of the
skeleton.
| Coroner kcenan was notified tD
hold au inquest, and he may possibly
throw some light upon what is ut
present shroudcd in mystcry.-Ne.o
York Commercial.
IGNoRANcE.-Tho Hartford Post
says: "While David Clark Esq., of
this city, was in Jacksonville, FIori.
da, during his recent winter sojourn
in that land Of orange groves, there
came into town one fno morning in
February planter from the back
country, having with him negro
whom he wanted to sell. He said he
wanted to raise little cash and 80
had brought tthe boy along TO sell,
and wanted to get about $1,000 for
him. Ho was utterly unaware that
there had been war, and that slave.
ry had been abolished, and when told
that such was the case thought that
his informants were playing joke on
him, and for awhile refused to believe
it. His plantation was in the intcri-
or; his nearest noighbor was fifty miles
distant; and, in all the years that
have elapsed since Sumter's gun,
he had not heard from the outer
world knew nothing of the changes
that had taken place and came into
Jacksonville in this year of Our Lord
1870, in good faith to sell q slave.
Other negroes speedily Informed their
fellow that he was FREQ man, and at
last the master that was, let him 90,
and departed for his plantation sad
der and visor man.
THG WRoNa Material IN THE
CLorHEs.P PREss.-A lady at Paris
vent down into her kitchen 'lato olo
evening to see that everything was
right there, and AZ the inspection did
mot have the wishedsfor& result, che
sent Justine, her seryaus.girl. to buy
some moro provisions. Suddenly the
door-bell was rung, and, when the
| lady opcned tho door. a man rusbed
inand menaciDgly brandislied a knife,
uttering the words, "Your5 plate OF
your lifep' Ferfectly dnmbfounded
the frightened lady pointed to a large
clothespres standing in the Kitchen
perhaps her intention was only to
I gain time, for the plato was not there
at ALL The robber hast onod to Tie
olothes.press and opobed it, but to ,his
terror, and, to tho, great surprise oi
Of tho lady, there stepped from II q
tall gfepadisr, who disafmed the rob.