The Idaho world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1864-1918, 1874-01-08
she herself should soon have q filial

prolonged absence. That communica
ton never came; the increasing anar
chy of that hapless region might have
prevented the postal transmission
fact the mystery was no further SOLVED
for another whole year, or until 1865
At the latter date prominent lawyer
now of Eastern Kentucky, who relates
the ensuing facts to the Louisville
Cou,1er-Jouunal, was made States at
torney of the judicial district of the
above scenes, and repaired to the long
perturbed region to re-establish there
the first Circuit Court held in that coun
ty for four years. When it was known
that at last the law had regained its
sovereign power, and Grand Jury
would be summoned to bring offenders
to stern account for all the reckless in
iniquitics wrought by them since 1861,
the excitement was intense. "Men had
been murdered in cold blood by the
Dozen" says the States attorney, and
nothing had been done with the muir.
derers. Robbery, arson and all the
other crimes of the blacklist catalogue
had been committed with impunity by
men of every class, for vengeance, for
plumber, or in sheer wantonness. All
these villanies and shames were now to
be accounted for. The Court and Grand
Jury convened in the town of B., the
the seat of O. county, on Monday,
November s, 1865, and the Courtroom
and approaches were speedily thronged
by long-suf1ering victims demanding
Justice, and heavily armed guerrillas,
bushwhackers and other desperate
characters, who swore to be revenged
if their friends or themselves were in
dicted." Not to be deferred from his
duty by mob threats, the resolute pros
ecuting officer determined that every
outrage of the past four years should
be brought home to the perpetrator
and'one Of the first cases for which he
witnesses to the jury-room
was that of the missing Belknap. The
widowed mother, once again sure that
her son had been murdered by robbers,
,etold her story To be sure, Mosely
lad assured her that he had heard from
he young man in town, but when she
lad gone to his house subsequently TO
tee the letter it could not be found, and
The felt sure that her old friend had at
empted to deceive her with a fiction
which he supposed might temporarily |
stay her distracting grief. There was
literally no evidence in the case to prove |
hat murder had been committed The |
,ody had never been recovered; no ira
'es of Bclknap's money or horse had
'een discovered or limited at; yet after
! few hours reflection upon the matter
he States attorney was So sure not
My of a murder, but also Of muir
crcr, that he drew and presented to
he Grand Jury an indictment in which
9th crime and criminal were boldly
peciiied. This, however, he kept pro-
ound secret of the iury-room, until
Eighteen additional bills for murder had
cen found in as many other cases.
treat tumult followed the arrests in
hcse other cases. The friends Of the
risoncrs vapored and threatened to
urn the town; but the majesty of the
wv had unqucstionably gained the up
or hand at last, and the guilty Of all
rades lost courage pcrccptibly In ;
le dead of night, on the day of all these
ldictments, tcrror-stricken wretch {
AIMED Colby, sought the public prose
ntor in his bed-chambcr and abjectly t
onfessed that he had helped to bury t
he dead body of Belknap at midnight, II
ter the murderer had taken from his S
ctim the money he had himself paid S
m the day before on mortgage, and t
I'd run his horse into the lines of the v
bel army a few miles away. The s
'ung man was trcacherously shot down b
lille in way-sidc conversation, and his b
lrial delayed until the dead of night.
pom hearing this ghastly revelation,
ID compelling the man to repeat it be- G
re the Sheriff, and then go and bring a
G bones of the murdered Belknap from "
cir secret sepulchrc in sack, the of. p
er Of the law was ready for action. v
ne remainder of the story may be told 81
ost effectively in his own Words Ct
When Court convened the next morn d
g, and as / stepped into the Court
ON, Mosely was the first man | saw.
lad the Grand Jury called and they W