The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-03-13

man, agreeing in hight, size and ap-
pearance with cousin William.
! And there was another story told
by the Captain Of q sloop which had
been moored at the mouth of Fish
River, near by Johns sloop, on the
fatal voyage from which cousin
William had not returned.
The Captain said that upon the
4th of July he had heard quarreling
upon Johns sloop all the afternoon,
and had noticed that only two men
were there. He thought the men
had been drinking. At nightfall
there was a little lull; but soon af-
ter dark the noise broke out again.
He could see nothing through the
gloom, but La beard high and angry
words, and at4ength blows, and then
a dull, crushing thud, followed by a
pludge into the water,and then there
was entire silence. He listened for
an hour, in the stiffness of the sum
mer night, but heard no further
sound from the boat. In the early
gray Of the next morning the Cap
tain, looking across the intervening
space to Johns sloop, which he de-
scribed as hardly a stones throw
from his own, saw a hat lying upon
the deck, and using his glass was
confident that he saw "spatters of
blood" He thought it "none of his
BUSINESS" and taking advantage of
a light breeze sailed away and said
nothing. But when the floating
corpse was found he felt sure there
had been a murder, and, as he ex-
pressed it, felt bound to tell his story
like an honest man, and so told it.
Putting these things together, it
soon grew to be the current opinion
upon the lake that Captain John
had murdered bis cousin William.
The dwellers upon the Wilderness
road also came, by slow degrees and
unwillingly, to the same conclusion.
1t was felt and said that John ought
to be arrested.
Accordingly, on a dreary day in
November, two officers, from the
county town twenty miles away
down the lake shore, came and
climbed the steep road to the lonely
log house, and arrested John. 1t
was undoubtedly dreadful blow to
those two lonely people living isola-
ted in the wilderness. Perhaps theq
ought to have been some crying and
a scene, but there was no such thing.
The officers testified that neither
John nor his mother made any fuss
about it. There was a slight twitch-
ing of the strong muscles of her
face, as she talked with the officers,
but no other outward sign.
John gave more evidence of the
wound he felt. He was white and
quivering, yet he silently, and with
out objection, made ready to go with
the officers. He was soon prepared,
and they started. John, as he went
out of the door, turned and said,
"Good-by; it will all be made right,
mother She simply answered,
eyes, good-by; 1 know it, my son. "
The trio went on foot down the
:. road to the next house, where the
officers had left their tSam. Jupiter,
standing up with his fore paws upon
the top of the fence, gazed.wistfully
after them. When they passed
around the bend of the road out Of
sight Jupiter went into the house,
The strong woman was there about
her work, as usual; but the heavy
tears would now and then fall upon
the hard pine floor. She knew that
her own boy would spend the com
, ing nights in the county jail.
At twelve o'clock of that Novem.
her night the woman and the dos
went out of the house; she fastened
, the door, and then they went togeth
er down the dark mountain road
while the autumn winds swept dis
; mally through the great wilderness
! and the midnight voice of the pine
mourned the dying year. The mex
I day at noon a very weary womal
= on foot, with a small bundle and
large dog, put up at the little viliag
9 hotel hard by the county Jail.
. Another day had passed aud theI
Q the preliminary examination cam
on before q Justice to determin
o whether there was sufficient evidenc
Q to hold John in custody until a gran
Jury of the county should be assem-
e bled fol the next Court of Oyer an
Q Terminer.
o Three days were spent in this e1
animation before the Justice; tn
+ Captain of the sloop who had owe
Q heard the quarrel in the night tol
o his story, and the boatmen who ha
Q found the body told theirs. Tw
e men who had been the crew of John
3 little vessel were also called. BI
they could tell little more than tn;
? they were absent on shore upon th
Ie 4th of July, and when they retured
the vessel William had gone, the
knew not where nor why.
The evidence against John seen
: ed to the magistrate clear and col
elusive. But the counsel for the a
T. cused, employed by Johns mOthe
II took the ground that, as the offen'
u was committed in Canada, a JustiC
d in the Unite States had no jurisdi
o. tiOn in the matter.
" This view prevailed, and after fly
days the accused was set at ibert
,e But that voice Of the people, whiC
,d the ancient proverb says is like Il
ne voice ofGod, had decided that Jol
ne was guilty. 1t was under this crui
is ing condemnation that John and b
mother left the country town on
cold December day, turning the
in steps homewards; and at evenil
time they climbed the acclivity so
I'M miliar 20 them, and reached the lOI
th ly log-house upon the mountain
he Their neighbOrs were glad to S
them back again, but were plain
es say that sit appears like as if 10
ed was guilty" These dwellers in t
llv solitudes we're accustomed to spe
I'M truly what they thought. John a
DIS his mother too spoke openly OF Il
I'm matter. 1t was only of showing
al fection and love that these peol
ay we're ashamed and shy. They be
,ut admitted TO their neighbors that
Ca evidence was very strong, but 10
IL, aided nniellv that he vas not gni