Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-11-18

how had she been enticed to the Black
| Tarn?
These were questions TO which the Off
GERS sought an answer in vain. They
went to work, however, Immediately to
hunt down the perpetrator Of the abomi-
nable crime.
Mrs. Armstrong refused stubbornly to
| answer any questions, although it was
| judged proper to arrest her as accessory
after the crime. All that could be got out
of her were those bitter words:
"He drove away my son and the devil
drove away his daughter''
1t was eaoiiiy ascertained that one Pri-
vate John Armstrong had deserted from
| the Forty fifth Regiment of Infantry, sta
| toned at Manchester, in February, and
| that nothing had been heard of him since.
His description answered to the person of
young Armstrong, Kate's former lover, in
every particular. What puzzled the de-
! tectives most was that nobody had seen
| before the murder and that although he
| had evidently been home to his mothers
after the crime was perpetrated he had
been seen by no one. Descriptions Of the
man had been sent by telegraph all over
England and the officers awaited in Car
Isle some information that would give
| them cleW to his Whereabouts. That in
| formation came in an unexpected manner.
! Mrs. Armstrong, who was confined in
| Carlisle jail, asked that her brother, who
was a shipwright at Cockermouth, a sea-
port not far distant, might be informed Of
her condition. This was done, and let
ter was sent by the jailers to his address.
| The same day the officers were informed
of the fact, and they resolved to 90 down
| to Cockermouth, entertaining faint hope
that the man for whom they were looking
might be there. They found Mrs. Arm
strong's brother, whose name was Reuben,
at his work, and represented themselves
as two lawyers who had undertaken his
| sisters case, without mentioning what
! her trouble was.
expected itwould gether into trouble"
was Reuben's remark, which showed
that he knew about the crime. This in
! formation he ight lave got from the news
| papers, but still it struck the detectives as
| indicative of a knowledge acquired from
another source. AS they were cOnversing
with Reuben they observed a man watch
| ing them from an adjoining smithy.
" You had better come with us and see
your sister," one of the officers said Go
and ask the foreman's leave, and refer
him to us, if necessary, for an explana-
ton"
Reuben said he would do so, and turned
toward the office near the gate.
"Now let us see what is in that
smithy," one of the detectives said, and
grasping their revolvers in the pockets
Of their overcoats they moved in the di-
rection indicated. AS they reached the
door they heard a crash, and saw the
figure of man passing through the roof
near the chimney.
/" Round there and watch the outside"
said one of the officers as he sprang into
the smithY. But the man had disappeared,
and rushing forth the officer was just in
time to see the fugitive spring from the
roof. AS he reached the ground he fell,
and before he could rise the grip Of both
detectives was upon him.
He was secured in a moment, and
proved to be the man they wanted.
| He was tried at the Carlisle Assizes in
April last and convicted by overwhelming
evidence. Before the time for his execu-
ton arrived he wrenched apart one of the
bars of his cell door and with the Jagged
edge inflicted a terrible wound on his
throat, from the effects of which he died
| in few hours.
BY what means he induced Kate Coul-
ter to quit the house with him on the fatal
night and accompany him to the Black
| Tarn remains a mystery. 1t is probable,
| however, that the girl had some lingering
regard for her former lover, and was led
out of pure goodness of heart to grant him
an interview. Why he removed her
clothing can only be guessed. The Tarn
was frozen over and here and there holes
had been made for the fish. Through one
of these holes the murderer must have
| forced the body, and finding that the
clothes, which were wooden, stuck to the
ice and prevented the body from going
under, the supposition is that he stripped
| the corpse and concealed the apparel
| where it was subsequently found.