Wilmington journal., 1872-12-27
AROMANCE IN REAL LIFE.
Reappearan of a Nan
Supposed to- have been
Murdered.

> eappearance Of u Man
g.! Supposed to- have been
Murdered.
i CENTREyILLE, OnOndaga County, n. y .,
December 16.-Never since the discovery
| of the Cardiff giant in this county has any
| thing occurred ia It's boundaries to attract
! such general interest in this vicinity as the
return to his home in the town of De Witt,
near the village Of Collamer, of an old
! farmer named Blodgett, who, 1t was sup
! posed on strong circumstantiai evidence,
had been brutally murdered by unknown
assassins one night about five years ago.
The circumstances attending this case
are extraordinary, and seem more like a
! fictitious tale than ungarniShed truth.
BlOdgett, who has suddenly appeared
. among bis old neighbOls, for many wears
owned and lived on a fine farm Of about
one hundred and fifty acres mile or so
from CollameT. He was generally consid-
. cred wealthy, a. lad the entire conf.
i donce CT lie whole community, having held
. offices Il trust III the town, being Assessor
at the time Of his disappearance.
Five years ago he left home one FRIDAY
evening TO go to Collainer, where he was
to get a considerable sum Of money to pay
d number Of WOrkmen the next night v no
were constructing a building for him. He
did not return that night nor the next day,
and his family became alarmed: a III essen
ger WAS sent 10 COllamer to ascertain if
possible LIS whereabouts. Tie messenger
went to tic place where Mr. Blodgett, was
To get his money, and was informed that
the old farmer had drawn the money and
departed, apparently tor home, This news
was carried to the family Of the missing
man, and it was at on'e suspected that he
had Leen murdered. The supposition that
he was murdered became almost certainty
By the story Of Mrs. Joseph Breed, living
near the village cf COliainor, OH tic road to
BlOdGctt's, and 1T a lonely point. Mrs.
Breed, when she heard day OF so after
wards Of the disappearance Of Mr.. Bl0dGett,
stated to the family that s0mew here about
ten or eleven O'Clock, on Friday Light,
about the time Tue old man would naturally
be passing her house on lis way home, he
having left C0ilarnti al Il late hour, she was
awakened by noise in tie road directly
in front Of her house. Listening, she be-
came convinced that il was caused bv A
party Of lnen struggling In the road She
heard voice which she did not recognize
say, 81 Knock him in the head ; quick" ="
She tlen heard Shrill, loud cry of .s Muir
der!' ending in a sort of gurgle, as if some
ore was being stranS led. Shortly af.er,
if running in the direction Of Colamer,
were heard, and then all was silent. Mrs
Breed was too much frightened to make
any attempt to see what was being done in
the road, but after the men had gone away
she looked ont of the window, but it was
too daik for her to see anything. She was
afraid to go out to the scene of the STRUGGLE
at the time, but went out i'll the morning
and discovered evidence of a severe contest
h u
thing to lead to a knowledge of who the
contestants We're. She was confident: how
ever, that a murder had been committed,
and when she heard OF the sudden disap-
pearance of NIr. BlOdgett there was no
doubt in her mind that he was the victim.
Dilgent search was made for the body of
the murdered man, and traces of the mur-
dereTs were suuylIt cvcry hand, bat oil
to no purpose.
One of the lnen who Was suspected as
being leader in the supposed murder of
Mr.. Blodgett was bad character named
Carey. Some time after the disappearance
of Mr.. Blodgett, Carey was arrested on
suspicion CT being the murderer of one
johnson, in COllamer. He was convicted
OF the crime, and sentenced TO be hanged,
which sentence was cOmmuted to impric-
onment for life in the Penitentiary at
Auburn. This strengthened the belief that
he was the murderer of the old farmer.
A year or two after the supposed murder
the skull and other parts of a human skele
ton were found on the shore of Oneida
Lake, on the upper boundary of this
county. This was believed to be part of
the remains of Mr.. Blodgett, it being
thought that he had been thrown into that
body Of water, CT stream emptying into
it, in order that his murtlnrers might battle
detection. If there remained the shadow
of doubt that Blodgett as dead this dis
PEELED It, and the heirs of the old farmer
petitiOned the courts for the appointment
of administrators Of his estate They were
appointed, and the property remaining
after the settlement of the old mans affairs
was divided among the children.
The astOnishment of the Blodgett fam
lily may be imagined when they received
letter some two weeks ago from a man
III the oil regions purpOrting to be the sup
posed murdered man, detailing the Cir
cumstances of his disappearance and re-
Questing a sum CT money to be sent him
IN order that he might return home, as he
was penniless and did not wish to die away
from home. One Of the SOILS was sent to
Pennsylvania to make a personal investi-
CATION, and after considerable search found
the write, aud he turned out to be Mr.
Blodgett. Although lie was greatly
changed, the son found no difficulty in re-
cognizing hin, and he last week returned
with the old man 10 the farm. BioJ9ctt
says that 10 attempt was ever made on
his lif., but gives no reason for his uncere-
monio'ls going away. or &c account or lis
life during the five years he was absent
The affairs of the family are someH hat
mixed M by the appearance Of the old
farmer. His property had been divided
among the heirs, and they were in posses
sion # their fI.SllaCtiEp Sh2I-z N ami
cable adjust,nent will probably be made,
as the Ulodcett'si are ali warmly attached
to each other, and orcrioycG at thc return
Of their father.
The moral eGect Of the towering presence
OF the prison at Auburn, y. Y, is not so
salutary as Il might be. y fourteen-year
old burciar Is the latest result Ct Ills moral
effect in that CITY.