The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-09-30

Squire. 1t was plain that she had bee
murdered by strangulation, and tossed
dressed as she was at the moment of he
violent death, into the rude grave wher
the dog had found her.
The neighbor, Pauls, now recalled tn
quarrel of the preceding day, and toll
how Captain John had stood before tn
angry woman, playing with the whir
cord. The cottage was searched, and
cord was found lying on the floor of tn
room, which, when tried on the woman
neck, fitted exactly the rigid and livi,
circle. In the cellar was quantity of
white substance precisely similar to tha
found in the grave, and those article
belonging to Mrs. Buckson found upol
the corpse were missing from the house
There could be no more doubt as to tn,
criminal than the crime.
Captain John Buckson was not foun(
in the village or in Providence; but i
was ascertained that he had sailed with
his sloop, and the presumption wa,
raised that he intended to touch at New
York, and there, leaving the vessel, seel
to elude the officers of the law in the
labyrinths of the great city. A mes
senger was therefore dispatched, in great
haste, to reach the city before him, with
a requisition for his arrest.
His authority was placed in the hand.
of Police Captain Leonard, who searched
diligently among the shipping, until he
found the sloop Oregon moored at an
East River pier. Going on board. Can.
tain Leonard greeted Buckson, who was
seated on the deck.
"Good day, sir"
The sailor scarcely looked up, as he
mechanically returned the salutation.
"Pm sorry to trouble you, but I've a
warrant for your arrest"
"Arrest! For whatT
The exclamation and succeeding ques-
tiOn were those of phlegmatic man
slightly astonished.
For the murder of your wife,"
"Murder of my wife! Squire, that
can't be. Nancy isn't dead"
Yes, she is-strangled with a cord"
Buckson rose to his feet, and, looking
the officer steadily in the face, said,
slowly and solemnly:
esquire, if Nancy's dead, don't
know it. ] had quarrel with her the
night left, ard gave her a piece of nv
mind, but God is my witness that l didn't
put hand upon her"
The officer looked with some interest
upon man who could thus deny a crime
with which he was so clearly linked by
circumstantial evidence; but, without
parley, took him from the sloop, and
placed him in cell of the station house.
He made no resistance, and did not again
volunteer any protestation of his iDno-
cence. While in the station. house, and
during the journey to Providence, when
ever the question was directly put to
him, he always denied his guilt in the
same emphatic terms, but he was never
the first to broach the subject, and it
was especially noticed that he never
made any inquiry for the details of the
murder.
When the officer and his charge ar
rived ct Seakonk, the latter seemed
amazed to find himself the object of uni
versal execration. When he reached
the village, and while he walked beside
his captor through the street to the Jail,
he was surrounded by a hooting mob,
that pelted him with opprobrious epi-
thets, and with difficulty was restrained
from doing violence to his person. He
bore himself bravely and undismayed
through it all. But his conduct was
noted only to his discredit, and the citi-
zens could not remember any hardened
wretch who had ever 80 faunted his
crime in the face of an outraged people.
In due time the Grand Jury was con-
vened and his case considered. There
was no more doubt of his guilt in that
official body than in the community at
large, and he was formally indicted for
the murder of Nancy Buckson.
When the news was taken to him in
mis- cell he only said, Goods will be
lone! !"
His perfect resignation had, by this
time, won slightly on the jailer's heart,
ind he inquired if he did not wish to
Engage counsel to defend him at the ap-
preaching trial. Buckson's face bright.
med with this first faint sign of sympa-
ny, but he answered:
thank you, friend, but / don't need
! lawyer. God knows am innocent of
his crime, and He will prove it in His
'wn good time"
The day appointed for the trial of the
prisoner was close at hand when the
luiet village was startled by new ter
or. One pleasant September morning
ghost descended from the eastern coach.
nd walked leisurely, and with every
emblaDce Of life, up the street toward |
he long-deserted cottage. It was a |
lorrible ghost, for it nodded familiar
reetings to several persons it met upon
he way, and once tried to pat shrink
ng child. 1t almost seemed endowed
nth human passions, for many were
eady to make oath that they saw its |
heck flush with anger when it found the |
ntire town avoiding it in unconcealed
error But it was persistent ghost, for
walked steadily on until it reached the
ate of the cottage-garden, which it found
allied up; and it became a talkative
host when it discovered the pigs running
lot in the garden. In the very voice Of
be dead Nancy Buckson, it said, in
eevish tone:
"That John Buckson III be the death
{ me yet Just see how he lets these
esky hogs root up things"
1t was, indeed, Nancy Buckson herself.
1t Is needless to prolong the story. On
ne night of the quarrel Captain John had
ut, as usual, to take out his sloop, and
'ancy, smarting under. the severe CEN
nre he had, for the first time. expressed,
ad gone off on foot, during the night, to
neighboring town, where she was un-
nown, and had there taken a coach to
egin a journey to Maine to visit sister.
Ter absence from the cottage was not
nown until after the firding of the
ody, and its identifcationfwas so abso-
ite that, of course, no search was made
" woman known to be dead. On the
her hand, she had heard nothing, In
stirred spot of distant State, Of her
opposed death and the subsequent