Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-11-08

Between two and three years ago two men,
named respectively p. Kimball and w. II. Stout,
left Dallas, Texas, in wagon which was stored
with all sorts and sizes of peddcr's ware, in
tending to sell the latter from place to place, as
they went, for the purpose of paving current
expenses and accommodating a little fund for
their projected long journey to one of the north
western states 1t is known that they traYerSed
Arkansas and Missouri in such amiable partner
ship of progress, diSposing OF the cargo TO salts
factory advantage; but after the team had
crossed the Mississippi at Hannibal in the state
last named, only Stout remained in the wagon
which still bore painted on It's side his partners
name. With what remained of their wares this
man drove through Pike county, immortaIized
in the ballads of Mr.. John Hay, until arriving
at the town of Pttsfeld, where registering him
self at hotel in his full name and without a
word concerning the fate of his recent associate,
he sold both horses and wagon, and subsequent
ly departed for an unknown destination.
1t was soon after this that the dead body of
Kimball was found lying in a swamp of Pike
county, presenting all the CHASTITY marks of bru.
tai murder, and there seemed no room to doubt
that he had julien by the hand of his partner;
but the dread discovery came too late for any
certain tracking OF the alleged murderer from
Pittsheld, and the law was completely at fault
in its scheme of justice. TO stimulate some of
the more pertinaCiOus emissaries OF the latter
divers relatives of the dead man in Pike and an
adjoining county offered very liberal reward
something like 81 ,5OO-for the capture of the ac-
cused man, but it was fully two years before the
eager detectives could strike any fresh trail of
him they sought. At last, however, about six
months ago they ascertained that person call.
ing himself w. II. Stout, and in some particu-
lars answering the description of poor KimbalPs
treacherouS partner was living at Grand Island
in Nebraska Satisfied that he was their man,
they at once telegraphed the authorities of that
place to arrest him on a charge of the murder,
and with a requsltioH of the governor of Mis-
souri,, FASTENED thither like blood hounds to pull
down their prey
BY curious fatality, the Nebraskian, Stout,
was the telegraph operator at Grand Island, and
OF course the telegraph denOuncng him by name
rs the murderer, and calling for his arrest, was
licked out by the lightning, letter by letter, and
under his own eyes, before any other mortal
could see it. Here was a wonderful chance
gwen him TO fly before ought could be known
III his State of the awful charge against him;
the lightning had warned him almost miracn.
lousy; but either from the confidence of heroic
innocence, or matchleSs audacty of guilt, he
despiSed the temptation offered by the subtle
messenger of the GODS and delivered to the au-
thorities tn dispatch which was to place him in
prison. There the officers from Missouri found
hlln, and from thence carried him to the state
in which Kimball had been killed.
The city marshal at Hannibal has positively
identified him as the man who had been with
from that town before. On the other hand
four OF the most respectable citizens of Grand
Island followed him at their own expense, ex-
pressly to testify that for three months before
the time of KimbalPs murder, aud for six
months thereafter, Stout was not and could NOT
have been absent from Grand Island for three
DAYS at any one time. In addition TO this last
uhimpeachable testimony, and the potent fact
That the prisoner had not awaited himself of his
own llrst reading of the dispatch calling for his
arrcst he Solemnly declared that he had never
even seen the man he was accused of having
kiIleu, ana would accept no less PREPARATION for
the cruelty OF such a charge than a unanimous
acquittal by jury
In proof of his disposition in this rcsnoct
after he had been removed, by change of venue
10 Mount Sterling, in Brown county. for trial
be actually refused an offered opportunitv to
escape from prison, when every other cantive
OF the institution broke loose from thence and
was found by the TAILOR waiting, solitary and
alone, to be more securely locked up AT The
trial still other citizens Of Grand Island testified
from personal knowledge, that he was seven
hundred miles away from Pike county, in n
Nebraska hotel, on the very day when Kimball
must have been slain. Yet strange tosay, after
all this, the jury found him guilty and the cir
cult court sentenced him TO the penitentiary for
twenty years. Like Ajax, prince Of Locris, he
dehed the lightning, and the angered gods,
using stupid men as their instruments, have
punished him or his temerity. -Pins5uTg Lead
en-