Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-03-23
The New ZeaIanders Badly HOaxed.

From the New York Times
If the people of New Zealand place
any reliance upon the reports spread
before them in their newspapers, they
are not likely to have very exalted
opinion of the American nation. In the
Auckland Herald, received by the last
mail, we find the startling announce
ment that q single individual, named
Brown, had performed the extraordi-
nary feat of poisoning to death all the
inhabitants-l, 20O-of the township
of Weepawha, Kentucky State Mr..
Brown, it seems, had succeeded in
amassing a good deal OF money as Il
miner, and went to Weepawha for the
purpose of entering new life. Shortly
after arriving, he became acquainted
with the daughter of a Judge, and in
due time made a proposition OF mar
riage, which was indignantly repealed
by the father. At this slight "all the
evil in his nature rose TO the surface"
and he resolved to wash away the insult
in the blood Of the entire population.
With this dark purpose in view, he re-
paired to neighboring city and secured
a bag of arsenic, large enough to poison
ten thousand people. His next move
was to the lake from which the Weepa-
whas drew their supply of water There
he deposited "his deadly burden in
such way that it would be sure to flow
with the current to the reservoir.
While engaged in this absorbing occu-
patton, Brown was surprised by the
sudden appearance of the head waiter
Of the "Stuyvesant Hotel" the prin-
cipal place of resort in Weepawha, but
to dispatch him with "huge knife
was only the work of moment. In
few days afterward, ga postman from
Vermont" went to Weepawha, with let
tiers for Major Ephraim Blggs, the
hotel keeper, whose dead body he
found stretched across the threshold OF
the front door. At this sight we are
told that he became alarmed, and cried
murder at the top of his voice. How
ever, after waiting several minutes
without hearing response, he rushed
from house to house, and soon dlscov-
cred that the people were all dead !!
Now comes part of the narrative
without which the greatest slmpleton
could not be induced to believe it.
While galloping away from the town,
tne pOSt1nan discovered tle ulllOTluHdle
waiter lying III pool of blood on the
border OF the lake. By the application
of cold water he restored him to con-
sciousness sufficiently to enable him to
relate what he had seen Bi own do with
the poison. " Immediately afterward
he fe.l back and died" The farmers
from the surrounding country We're
then collected together, and in a twink
ling Brown was traced to hiding place
close by, where they "prevailed upon
him" to make a full and complete con-
fession OF his terrible crime. By way of
absolution, they then strung him up to
a tree as II warning to all would-be
prisoners in the future. This work
done, the farmers collected the bodies
of the Inflated 200, and buried them
in one grave, so that they might be
able to perpetuate the memory of the
dreadful deed by erecting mausoleum
upon the spot. TO those who have
been in the habit of reading the news to
of the day, it will scarcely be necessary
say that the foregoing details have no
foundation whatever in fact, although
the Auckland Herald very modestly
credits them to the Milwaukee I1depen
dent, journal which has never existed
outside the brains of the unprincipled
individual with whom this extraordinary
hoax originated.