The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-11-18


writing was blurred and almost illegible,
but the words "Private John" could be
deciphered.
Whether the writing was a mans or
woman's it was hard to say, but the gen
eral impression was that it was wom
ans. Coulter instinctively associated the
letter with young Armstrong, kate's
former lover, who, as before stated, had
been driven from the house by her father
and had, as was supposed, enlisted. The
jeering words of Armstrong; mother
came up fresh to Coulter's memory. "Ah,
Mr.. Coulter, so you've lost your pretty
miss! Now we're even. You drove away
my boy and the devil has driven away
your girl
The officers resolved to search Mrs.
Armstrong; cottage, as there might be
some indication of her sons having been
recently there. They went down at once
and aroused the old woman, who was doz-
ing by the fire.
"What dye want with me and mine?"
she asked, querulously; "this is no time
o. night to disturb a body"
On being informed that officers of the
law demanded admission, she opened the
door and boldly confronted them.
Take what you can tind," she said,
that belongs to other than me-"
The officers began careful search of
the place and were rewarded by finding
a pair of boots slowed away under the
floor, bearing ON them the traces of the
peculiar black mud found on the borders
of the Black Tarn, from which, and the
singularly dark hue Of its waters, it de-
rived its name.
Whose boots are these" the officer
asked.
They were my sons" replied the old
woman, "before they drove him away
II UIr hoIno.''
when did he leave home?" the de
tective inquired.
"In Novembe IA" the old woman
answered, quickly.
Did he put the boots under the floor"
the officer asked.
"Deed did he, the very day he left
home" Mrs. Armstrong replied.
You saw him do it," the detective N
quired.
Saw him with my own eyes was the
reply.
And that was when?" the officer
asked
"The very day he left home, Nov. ),
IA" Mrs. Armstrong answered.
"And he wrapped up the boots then as
they were when l found them, and put
them under the foor?' the officer said.
$50 help me God, that's what he did,
sir" the old woman answered.
"This is Carlisle newspaper in which
the boots were wrapped, and it bears date
Feb. 8, 1S75-the very day on the night of
which Kate Coulter was murdered"
Before the officer had finished the SEN
tence Mrs. Armstrong dropped to the
ground in a swoon. A neighbor was
called to attend her and the officers left
There was no doubt on their minds that
Armstrong was the man who visited the
shoemaker's in Brompton that he was the
Private John" whose name had been on
the half burnt envelope, and that he was
the 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
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 daughterr'
1t was easily 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
Armstrong on the road or IN the village
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 shipwright at Cockermouth, 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 go 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.
81 expected it would gether into trouble, '
was Reuben's remark, which showed
that he knew about the crime. This in
formation he might have got from the news
papers, but still it struck the detectives a.
| indicative of knowledge acquired from
another source. As they were conversint
with Reuben they observed man watch
| ing them from an adjoining smithy.
| "You had better come with US and SEE
your sister," one Of the officers said. "Gt