The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-08-02
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
History OF IL Remarkable Murder Case
Truth Stranger than Fiction.
From the st. Louis Democrat.

From the st. Louis Democrat.
On the 18th of September, 1868,
farmers boy discovered on the banks of
White river, about three miles north
Of the city of Indianapolis, the dead
bodies of Jacob Young and Nancy
Young, his wife. two reputable citizens
of that place. The post morton eXami-
nation disclosed the fact that Mrs.
Young had been killed by pistol shot,
the ball entering the back part of the
head and coursing upwards thrsugh the
brain until it lodged upon the inner sur
face of the frontal bone. The ball
proved to be a cartraidge pistol ball. Mr..
Young had been killed bya discharge
from a double baJreled shotgun, which
was found by his side with one barre
exploded, the other barrel heavily
charged with ten buckshot, and stand
ing cooked. The position and course of
the wound upon Young and his wife
proved conclusiyely that they had been
murdered. No pistol was discovered.
The day after the discovery of the muir.
der, il was ascertained that the shot.
gun found by the dead bodies mad been
purchased from pawnbroke in Indian
apolis on the day of the murder. The
gun was identified by means of a broken
thimble and a popularity about the
locks, and the man who had purchased
it was accurately described by the pawn
broker and a negro servant who was
present when the purchase was made.
At the time of the murder a gentleman
and his two children, who were fishing
some distance below the scene of the
murder, heard the report of firearms in
the direction of the place where the
bodies were found Five minutes before
the report was heard the children saw
the deceased and another woman walk.
ing on the sand-baI near where they
were killed. a farmer and his son driv.
ing along the road, within few hun
dred yards of the place, heard two re-
ports, one like a shotgun, the other
sharp like pistol, and so near together
that il was difficult to distinguish them.
A man and his wife, living quarter of
mile from the scene, heard the two
reports, and scream between them.
The witnesses agree that the time was
about o'clock p. m. The horse and
ouggy of the deceased were found
hitched in the road near by.
On examining the neighboring ground,
the well.defned tracks of woman,
wearing new number three gaiter,
making long steps, as in flight, were
traced from a point near the dead bodies
through the woods to place where
they intersected the track of buggy
going in the direction Of indianapolis
and drawn by an animal wearing small
sized interfering shoes. The tracks o
the woman, and the horse and buggy
were all accurately measured. These
were the clues, and the question arose
who bought the gun? Who was thu
woman seen in company with the de
ceased ? Who drove the buggy in which
the murderers fled from the scene OF tn
tragedy?
The pawnbroker sold the gun at
o'clock in the morning. Between tn
hours of 8 and 9 three applications 10
the purchase of secondhand shotgun
had been made at as many auction
stores and pawnbrokers' shops, by
man having sandy hair and complexion
and at the third place had inquired OF
bright little girl, who took him to tn
door, directed him across the street, ant
saw him enter the establishment wher
the gun was purchased, which, in sever
hours afterwards, had slain Young
Five witnesses identified William j
Abrams, a reputable carpenter OF lndl
annapolis, as the man who purchased th'
gun. Mr.. Abrams was arrested, and at
tention was then directed to the sub
ject of the horse and buggy tracks.