The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1873-06-03
A KENTUCKY MYSTERY.

~ EARL year ago, when the eyes OF
4 y the whole country had been directed
to old John Harper by the exciting turf
contests in which his famous horses were
engaged, his old Kentucky home became
the scene of a startling and mysterious
tragedy. He had gone with his stable to
attcnd the spring races at Lexington, leav-
ing his aged brother and sister, Jacob and
Betsy Harper, at home.
The three old people had never married,
and were the owners of fine estate, worth
at least half million dollars, to which the
heirs expectant were certain nephews or
other relatives living in the same country,
or but few miles away in the adjoining
county Of Franklin. The first or second
night of the old turfman's absence, Jacob
and Betsy were murdered in their beds
with an old short handled axe that had long
been in use about the wood pile. The
servant found Jacob dead next morning,
and Betsy speechless from mortal wound
in the head, of which she died afterward
without even recovering, consciousness suf-
ficient to give any clue to the mystery.
The same night old John Harper was
aroused from his couch in Longfellow's
stable on the Lexington course, by his hos
tiers, who informed him that a stranger
wanted to see the great race horse. Such a
request at such an unreasonable hour was
both singular and suspicious. 1t seems to
grow out of some evil design against his
fieet-footed prodigy, but when the whole
story of that nights dreadful deed was
spread abroad next morning, the public
generally saw in the curious incident at
Longfellow's stable the partial failure of
plot for the simultaneous murder of all
three of the old Harpers.
1t was rumored that they had made their
wills, and the story had gone forth that these
wills were unfavorable to their nephew,
Adam Harper, of Franklin. All the cir
cumstances indicated that the murder had
been committed by some one familiar with
the premises. The furniture was untouch-
ed, except the particular drawer in which
That had been ransacked and those docu-
ments were gone.
Here was enough to direct suspicion to-
ward Adam Harper, and nothing was ever
discovered to divert it. His conduct dur
ing the Coroner's investigation; his anxiety
to show from the wounds that they never
could have been inflicted by left-handed
person his coming to the place at night
with party ofdisguised men and his futile
efforts to extort some confession from the
the negroes by pretending to hang them,
had the effect of confirming the suspicion
Of his guilt.
All the circumstances put ordinary rob
berry entirely out of the question as mo-
tive for the crime. The negroes had been
born slaves of the family and were so
much attached to the old folks that they
refused to leave the place when set free.
Old John Harper set corps Of detectives
at work, and then suddenly dismissed them
under circumstances that tended still more
to confirm the suspicion against his neph-
ew.
The muderers had come on two horses,
which they hitched back of the house,
where no other horses had been for months.
Leading from the house TO this hitching
place were the tracks of two men, one made
by large heavy man the other by small
er man, wearing dandy boot. The de-
tective who followed these horse tracks in
the direction of Adam Harper's house re-
turned, and was closeted with old John
Harper.
The investigation was prosecuted no
further. The detectives disclosures were
not made public but the community infer
red that the trail had become rather too
warm for the old man to run it any further
in that direction. Adam Harper went be-
fore the grand jury of Woodford county,
but that body found no evidence that
would justify them in bringing him to trial
Still the people would talk, and finally
Adam brought suit against his cousin, j.
Wallace Harper for alander, in saying that
Adam Harper and his son John had COM
mitted the murder. Owing to the preju-
! dice against him in the neighborhood, the