The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-04-01

then serving as Jail. When he woke up
the next morning he heard for the first
time what he was charged with.
He Indignantly denied that he had
fired at the girl, but declared his ina
bility to account for what he had done
during the time between his departure
from Watson's store and his return to his
fathers house. ua Afsl - .lH,
s"I don't know how ] get home," he
said, "but ! am positive that | did not
shoot the girl" -.r-s
No one, however, believed him. The
circumstantial evidence against him was
overwhelming-for had he not quarreled
with Sallie, who was known not to have
an enemy in the world t5,.
Popular indignation ran high against
kim, and threats Of lynching him were
freely made. The young prisoner was
heart-broken. For hours he would lie
sobbing on his couch, and he never
tired Of protesting his innocence.
Sallies betrothed, Marcus Ames, came
from Lafayette. lie visited Bross in his
prison, and he swore to him that, if he
was not hung by the Sheriff, be would
shoot him like dog. ,p -
A month later John Bross was tried,
convicted, and sentenced to be hung.
His father hastened to Indianapolis
and begged the Governor, on his knees,
to commute his sons dreadful sentence,
but his supplications werc unavailing ;
and, on the I'd of November following,
John Bross was swung off!
To the last he asserted his innocence.
His dying declaration was:
"You murder me! i did not kill the
grip ttf b
Time rolled on. Old Bross died heart
broken. His widow and daughters
moved back to Ohio, whence they had
come, and everybody near Logansport
looked with ill-disguised hatred upon
them. .i-. ~. ~
The father of the murdered girl became
soured and misanthropic. He sold out
his store, and lived in almost entire Sc
clusion in small house on the outskirts
of the town. One night in 1886 man
knocked at his door. Watson came out.
"Pierce," he said, recognizing his Wis
itor, "what brings you here so late"
Something awful" replied Pierce, in
tone of great excitement. "Let us &c
in, and will tell you ALL"
When they were in the room, Pierce,
who was very pale, seized Watson's arm
and said to him, almost in whisper:
"Billy, have just found out that
John Bross was innOcently hung!
"What!" cried Watson, starting back
in dismay. "What do you say, Pierce p
"I tell you Bross was hung innocently
l was at the Miskelly Tavern. There
was Nat Bayliss with James Parke. The
two were very drunk. They sat down
i'm the back room and began talking about
something. NAT said Parkc, ! want
you to get me the hundred dollars, or I'll
blow on you.' These words made me
curious, and crept up to the door, which
was aiar. They could not see me, and
did not know that l was listening. Baylis,
retorted in anger. Curse YOU, he saio
to Parke, Il am sick of your bleed
ing-I have a notion to put bullet
through your heart, too, you white
livered skunk. No one ever insulted me
not even q woman Look out re
Joined Parke, you can't put hol'
through me as easily as you did through
Sallie Watson, and then put it on an in
nocent man.! When heard this l raj
out to you, and hear / am"
Old Watson was profoundly shocked
but his mind was at once made up. LII
went with Pierce to Miskelly Taverl
and found Bayliss and Parke still there
} When Bayliss caught sight of Watson
deadly pallor overspread his face. IL
tried to rise from his chair, but his fee
refused to support him. The old Ken
, tuckian grasped his arm and said to hin
in terrible voice.
"Nat Bayliss, did you murder m,
) daughterf'
. Bayliss stammered reply, Parke trie
; to escape from the room, but Pierce pre-
3 vented him.
' The landlord was called in, and tn
Q two fellows were secured.
Parke, frightened to death. state
: that Bayliss had confessed to him thi
he had killed Sallie Watson because st
e had rejected him as a suitOr.
a Old Watson remembered that Bayli
had courted his daughter. -.
!, Bayliss, however, as soon as he had r.
covered from his first terror, declare
,. that he had said so in jest. -.
O The neighbors speedily heard of Il
e affair, and an excited crowd was SOC
n assembled at the Tavern.
d Bayliss still persisted in his denis
but lie was taken to the neighborlI
grove, where he was suspended by Il
wrist to a tree, and then fire was bui
,s under his feet. The pain was so atrocio
that he offered to make a full confessio
,e He said on the night of the murder
[e had been lying in wait for Sallie Watts
/. near her fathers front gate. John Bro
had come out, and leaned on the fen
,e in drunken way. His rifle had dropp
from his hands. At this moment Sal
3 had stepped out, and, quick aslightnir
m the idea of shooting her with Bross' ri
had flashed on him. He had done
ID pushing the rifle back into the drow
n Bross' hands, aroused him, and start
&c him on his way home. :.
at Having made this horrible confessi'
10 the cowardly assassin was immediate
2 hung. The Legislature of Indiana, at
IN next session, passed unanimously I
'ts deploring the judicial error that h
en- been unwittingly committed, and
at habilitating the memory of poor you
of Bross.