The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-05-21
THE FATAL NAIL.

On the evening of June 20, 1887, q
peddler on horseback stopped at the
smithy of one John Steele, on the out
skirts of the town of Tickhil, near
Doncaster, England. Several persons
were in the smithy at the time, beside
the blacksmith and his son Richard.
The peddler asked Steele to shoe his
horse as quickly as he could, as he wished
to reach Doncaster early, and get a bed
at his old place; for next day being
Statues, or Fair, number OF visitors
would be looking for accommodation.
While the smith was attending to the
peddler's horse, another stranger ar
rived, also on horseback, and likewise
horse had cast shoe.
The two strangers and the loungers
got into conversation, and the peddler
finally opened mahogany case which
was suspended by a strap from his shoul
der, and exhibited his wares, which con-
sisted of rings, gold and silver chains,
watches, and SO forth. On the last
comer's hearing that the peddler was 60
ing on to Doncaster, he offered to accom-
pany him, as he was going in the same
direction; adding that as he was a stran-
ger the peddler might take him TO some
house wnere he could get accommoda-
ton. The peddler replied that he was
going TO 1.-The Travellers Rest" ON the
outskirts of Doncaster, as il was a good
house and he knew the landlord.
When the smith removed the shoe
from the horse of the last conner, he ex-
amined it closely, remarking that it had
been made in Holderness, pointing out
the fact that the nail was peculiarly
made, having a half split in the head,
and saying that that was a Holderness
fancy.
"I'n keep this nail," the smith said,
and he drove it as wedge into the han
die of small hammer, where it passed
through the head.
The peddler sent out for a hagon of
ale, and they stood drinking and talking
for some time. When the blacksmith
ioked the peddler about being in such
hurry when he first came III, he laughed
and said
"Oh, that's all right. I've made up
my mind to sleep in the big outhouse,
where I've often slept before; it's COM
Portable, and you take anybody you like
in there, you know" the peddler added,
with wink.
When the two men were ready to de-
part, the peddler took large wallet
from the valise on his saddle-bow and
paid the smith. The peddler seemed to
make q rather osteutatious exhibition of
this wallet, which was crammed with
bank notes and gold.
The two men rode off together, and
the smith cleared his place and closed it
for the night.
In due time the peddler and his new
friend reached the Travellers Rest, and
told the landlord they would sleep in
the outbuilding in the rear, in which
there were several beds. The landlord
said there was good accommodation
there, and promised TO make them COM
Portable. The peddler retired first, and
the stranger remained behind to have
supper and linger over his ale. At eleven
o'clock he went to the outbuilding, and
five minutes later the landlord observed
the light put out.
Next morning neither the peddler nor
his friend appeared, and the landlord
WChb W luO W
He found the door open, and on entering
the room discovered the peddler in his
shirt, lying on the floor at the far end in
pool of blood. His head was battered
in, and near him was lying a hammer
with blood and hair on the head. He
was dead and cold.
When the alarm was given it was
found that the horse belonging to the
man who had accompanied the peddler
to the inn and occupied the same room
with him, was missing, and suspicion at
once fell on him as the murderer. The
authorities were notified, and officers were
in pursuit of the supposed assassin be-
fore the day was an hour older. They
tracked him TO Coninbro', but lost trace
of him just outside that town, on the
road to Sheffield. The keen eyes of the
officers, however, caught sight of horse