The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-05-09

movement toward the detention Of the
murderer. Going to the rear, we found
the Missourian curled up in his seat, his
friend also being in the outside seat, and
both being apparently asleep.
AS we looked upon the Missourian we
heard him mutter, I'll kill him, I'll kill
him." as if half asleep and awake. We
were turning away when the doctors
quick eye caught glimpse of something
the man had in his hand, and reaching
over gently drew it from his fingers ex-
claiming, and this is what the deed was
done with" holding up to me a thin
leather string, about the size of small
whip-lash, and used by drovers as a belt
around their waist, and also to hopple an
unruly OK, or to tie the legs of calf.
As we left the drunken man, the doctor
said, That brute has crept up behind
the Kentuckian, when in the darkness of
the tunnel, and throwing his strap around
his throat, has jerked his head back and
broken his neck at once. The body had
then fallen forward against the door
while the murderer had groped his way
back to his seat and had accidentally
caught the bell-rope in his drunken grasp
and SC pulled it."
AS we passed the next station, l threw
off telegram to our headquarters, asking
for some police to be on hand on my ar
rival, and as we came into the depot, a
force of men surrounded the cars, while
we went into it and made the arrest.
The drovers we're still sleeping their or
gies off when we entered, the dead Ken
tuckian lying in the corner just as we had
left him. We arrested the Missourian
on charge of murder, and also his friend
who sat by him, as an accomplice, as it
did not seem probable that the drunken
fellow could have passed out of his seat
and into it again without awakening his
companion.
The rest of the drovers were examined
and testified strongly against the prisoner
as to the quarrel and the threats he had
used, and the doctor swore that the neck
of the murdered man had been broken by
sudden jerk, and the mark made ON his
throat by just such strap or thong as
was found in the grasp of the Mssourian.
The prisoner produced good testimony
as to his character, and his counsel fought
bravely for him. He showed that the
thong was in use by every drover, and
that each man in the car had one or more
on his person. The words we heard" I'll
kill him." from the murderer he argued,
meant what he would do and not what he
had done. He showed the Missourian to
be wealthy. of good character and of a
peaceable disposition except when in his
cups, but it was Of no avail, and the
wretched man was sentenced to be hung
in six weeks from the time of his trial
| went to visit him several times in his
condemned cell, and somehow or another
the declaration of innocence the fellow
made to me shook my belief in his
guilt, although l had witnessed strongly
against him in his trial. and at last /
found myself fully confirmed in my new
belief of his entire innocence. | could
see no way to save him however, and five
weeks of his time on earth had rolled by
and yet the mystery was as great a one
as ever. ..n.r .iI
One morning about that time | was
running the same train, only as it hap
pened, we had no particular drovers' car.
In the last car was our superintendent,
tall, lean Yankee, fully six feet two
inches in height, and of about the same
height as the murdered Kentuckian.
i 1t so happened that he occupied the
same seat as the Kentuckian had done
and was also in my old place in the bag
gage-car. When exactly in the same
place in the tunnel, just when the engi.
neer had put on steam to carry us through
the bell-rope again ratified, and the engi-
neer whistled for the brakes Springing
to my feet ran to the rear car, firmly
persuaded that now | could solve this
mystery. Reaching it / found the super
intendent sitting back in his seat, and
holding his hand to his throat while he
gasped for breath. One or two passen-
gers were attempting to be of some use
to him. bnt he could only moan aud hold
tightly to his throat. .Ia.H .D..-.
At last herecovered sufficiently to take
his hand away, aud then saw the slight
liyid blue mark which had seen before
in most exact similar position on the
neck of the Kentuckian. As the superin,
tendent got over the shock, he proceeded
to tell us how he received the mark
and its fearful effects. He had been asleep
and was awakened by the train entering
the tunnel Half asleep he stepped
to the car door and stood looking,
or trying to look through the door win