The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-11-26

Before the officer had finished th9 SEN
tcnce, Mrs. Armstrong dropped to the
ground i'm a swoop. A neighbor was called
to attend her and the officers left. There
was no doubt on their minds that ARM
strong was the man who visited the shoe
makers in Brompton, that he was the
'Private john whose name had been on
the balf-burnt envelope, and that lie was
the outrager and murderer of Kate Coulter.
But how had he communicated with his
victim, as he must have done? And how
had she been enticed to the Black Taru2
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 this abominable
crime.
Mrs. Armstrong refused stubbofnls 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 easily ascertained that one Pri-
vate John Armstrong had deserted from the
45th Regiment of inf.ntry, stationed at
Maaohestss, in February, and that Moth
ing bad been heard Of him since. His de-
scription answered to the person of young
Armstrong, kate's former lover, in every
particular. What puzzled the detectives
most was that nobody had seen Armstrong
on the road or i'm the village before the
murder, and that, although he had evident
ly been at 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 Carlisle some
information that would give them a clew
to his whereabouts. That information
came in An uneXpHUtpd manner
Mrs. Armstrong, who was confined in
Carlisle JAIL asked that her brother, who
was a shipwright at COckcrmouth, a sea-
port NOT far distant, might be Informed of
heI condition. This was done, and a let
ter was sent by the jailors to his address.
The same day the officers were Informed
of the fact, and they resolved 10 go down
to Cockermouth, entertaining a faint hope
that the man for whom they were looking
might he there. They found Mrs. Arm
sti Ong's brother, whose name was Reuben,
at his work, and represented themselves as
two lawyers who had undertaken his Sis
ter's case without mentioning what the
trouble was.
81 expected it would get her into trou-
Bile" was Reuben's remark, which showed
that he knew something about the crime
This information he might have got from
the newspapers, but still it struck the de-
tectives as indicative of knowledge &C
quired from another source. AS they were
cOnversing with Reuben, they observed a
man watching them from an adjoining
smithy.
''You had better come with us and see
your sister," bne 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 80 aud turned
toward the office near the gate.
''Now let us see what is i'm that smithy,"
one of the detectives said, and grasping
their revolvers in the pockets of their over
coats, they moved in the direction indica-
ted. AS they reached the door they heard
a crash, and saw the figure of a man pass
ing through the roof near the chimney.
Ground 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 up n him.
He was secured In 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 terrible wonnd 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
Tarh remains 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 cloth
ing can only be guessed. The Tam was
frozen over, and here aud 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.