The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1870-06-23
LANCAsTER, oHIO. JUNR 2ss Ia7o
nd bring others to the I

and bring others TO the fatal
Abopta mile distant was a. mill
and few dwellings, and to this
little hamlet the second traveller
rode at ful speed. In something
'linban hour he returned with 4 :
nnmber Of excited people. They
fohnd two horses In the road, bri-
dlfd and saddled. and thef believed
there bad either ibeon two mntdera'
Tcdmmitted, or that Traveller had
tnfrdercd another for his~mopey
afd hed. af .e8I 1fr
while the we're Disgusting this
mater, and before they had remoy
edthe body ofthe murdered man,
the apparition ofthe lad, with his
face all blood, appeared before
them.
as they surrounded and eagerly
questioned him about the matter,
he FIRST strangely stared at one and
another, and then with an idiotic
laugh that made the blood
of the hearers curdle, de-
clared that his uncle had murdered
his father and left him to keep the
fatal secret, which he had hidden
so that no one could ever find it.
They soon discovered that he
was insane, and that no reliance
could be placed upon anything he
said.
One of the parties recognized
the youth and the murdered man
as two individuals he had lately
seen pass with drove of cattle;
and on the body being removed to
the little village, the miller, as
soon as he saw it, declared it was
that of George Wrexham, of P,
which place was distant some thirty
miles.
We pass over the fearfully excl
ting scene in P, the grief OF
the wife and other relatives when
the body of George Wrexham was
brought home, accompanied by his
demented son.
| An inquest was held, which elic-
tied no facts beyond the murder
for the only witness of the fou
deed was now a lunatic. Aspecia
messenger was, dispatched to Bos
ton for Francis Wrexham, who
was found there, and who came
home in great haste, overwhelmed
with grief and horror. a..
The statement of the demente(
son that his uncle was the mur
derer of his father of course wen
! for nothing. Nobody believed it
for, besides the fact that Francis
was a good, honest, pious man, i
, was known that he was in Bostoi
, on the night of the murder, AM
, did not leave that city until calle'
home by the tragic news.
, The hired man was at first sus
!. pected and arrested; but he, toe
, was able to prove that he was il
,, the city at the time the deed wa
: : committed. So the verdict of tn
!, jury was in accordance with thes
I facts.
a A large reward was offered fo
. the detection of the murderer
which resulted in nothing. Tim
passed on, and the author of tn
! fearful crime remained undetecteC
Walter Wrexham, the Graz
youth, grew up to manhood
harmless maniac. AS he was ne'
q er violent, no restraint was put VI
- on him, and he wandered abol
= y his native place an object of pit,
: In only one thing was he obst
4 nate. No persuasion could ev'
~ get him inside of his uncle's hou'
,a or store; and whenever he chance
=, ~ to see his kinsman he would GOV,
~ his face with his hands and RI
4 away, declaring that he was IL
~ man who had murdered and robb'
. his father, and that he had the S
- cret safely hid away, which son
~ time he would reveal.
- OF course nobody wi
- knew anything of the facts gave
" 70 moments consideration to SUE
. - idle gibberish.
: u Thirteen years passed away, al
~ ~ Walter Wrexham attained the a!
,~ /, of thirty. One day about this p
y riod he had a fall, and struck b
= head on the ground, where he Ii
:, as if stunned. His mother, wi
~ saw him, ran to him in alarm al
T assisted him to rise. As he G
no slowly upon his feet, he looked
~ her in a wondering but intellige
- !" way, and instantly exclaimed:
"S "Mother, how you have change
" " You have suddenly become old Al
Lo gray, and you look as if you hi
% os some great trouble on your min
" - What has happened, motherP H
y my dream, he quickly added in e
= = cited alarm, "Father, father! whe
"A ~ is heY"
~ The mother instantly compl
ns s hended that her sons reason W
Io restored, and that all the long yes
~ ~ of his insanity was a blank.
~ Trembling with joy, yet afraid
7" hope, she answered him in a ki
" and soothing way, and among ol
A. er things told him that his fatf
W o was not at home.
es ss "Oh, yes, l remember, he shu
'n dered; "he was murdered last mig
~ by my uncle. Twas with him, a
In n was shot too. How did ]
~ here"
at was not last night, dear w
ne le ter, but years ago." retur9ed I
ne mother, with a burst Of tears.
NY "Years agoP' he repeated. "(
,uS ~. no-not years ago-scarcely I
toy hours! l saw it all. The will
lul thought me dead, but l was n
On .. and have the proof to convict h
~ Where is the bodyP What
no. llo been done With it2' e4
" II ,nar aaailu ha IMAGINED h