Connecticut western news., 1876-03-17
A RURAL ENOCH ARDEN.

Return---James Swin9le's Mysterious
 Disappearance---The Midnight Cry of
 Murder---Disc0yery of Skeleton.
 Marriage Complications.
 The death of James Swingle, two miles from Silver Station, Pa., says a letter from that place, saved his family from the consequences of most serious business and social complications.
 The Swingle family is one of the wealthiest in this sectiono James Swim gle was farmer and had lived on the farm where he died forsthirty- five years. Twelve years ago his wife died, and 8 year and half afterward, being sixty years of age, he married young woman who had lived in his family for several years. She was twenty-twO years old. He had six children, all older than his second wife, and three of them married. She being an estimable woman, how ever, the match was acceptable to all. Old Mir. Swingle was @ prominent man in the township, 8 devout member of the Baptist church and 6 man gener- ally respected.
 In the fall of 1865 MT. Swingle pur- chased an addition to his farm for 1900. One rainy evening in October of that year he left home with the above sum of money, telling his wife that he was going to the station to pay it to Wiltsey. He did not return that night, but the fact created no uneasiness, as he occasionally remained over night in the village. Not appearing the next day, however, inquiry was made for him at Silver Station. He had paid the money for his purchase and received his deed, and had been seen to mount his horse about nine o'clock in the evening, and although it was very dark and stormy, start toward home. At that time there was an organized gang of desperadoes in this region, whose exploits in horse and cattle stealing and other depreda- tions had made them a terror to the people. They were under the lead of 8 man named Jim Smith, and it was be- ieved by many that they were guilty of blacker crimes than stealing horses.
 When it became generally known that Farmer Swingle had mysteriously dis appeared it was stated by several that two of the worst members of Smith s gang" Feeny" Gowan and @ French man named Dubois-had been seen at the station that night, and it at once be- came the general belief that the farmer had been waylaid by them, robbed and murdered, and his body hidden in the woods. This theory was given still stronger foundation by the statement of Mrs. Mary Mosher, 8 widow lady, who occupied a house in a lonely place on the road about midway between the sta. tion and the farmers. She appeared in | the village in the midst of the excite ment caused by the supposed murder, and said that somewhere about twelve o'clock on the night in question she was awakened by the sound of voices in the road in front of her house. She got up and looked out, but it was SO dark she could see nothing. As she was return ing to bed she heard the cry "Mur- der 1" repeated twice; then the sound of groans, and footsteps hurrying away down the road. Afraid to go to sleep again, with the cries ringing in her ears, Mrs. Mosher awaited the return of day, confident that it would reveal to her the mutilated corpse of murdered man-a victim, no doubt, of Jim Smiths gang of cutthroats. As soon as 1t was light she looked out, but saw no evidence of murder. Going out into the road, however, she discovered signs of astrug- gle, and several pools of blood.
 This story settled any doubt that might have existed as to the murder of the farmer, and armed bodies of men hunted the woods for miles, seeking the supposed murderers and the body of the murdered man. The feeling of the public agai st the Smith gang was so in tense that the leader left the vicinity, which resulted in the breaking up of the organization, no member of which has ever been seen hereabouts since. The day after the disappearance of the farmer his horse was found tied in the woods near the road, about half mile from his house.. The search for his body was kept up for weeks, and large rewards were offered for any information that would lead to traces of his murder CTS, all to no purpose. The matter al last ceased to excite any interest in the community, and was almost forgotten save by his family and immediate friends, when 8 circumstance occurred which brought it again forward as { popular topic.
 Some eighteen months after the farm er's disappearance man named Gable while fishing in Topee pond, on lands belonging to the Swingle farm, mil
 or so from the house, discovered the skeleton of man lying on the wes shore of the pond. A cabin which hao been long known as rendezvous of the Smith gang stood about quarter of { mile from the spot, in dense part O. the woods. Gable made his discovery known, and the remains were gathered up by the farmers family. they belev ing that they were his, although there was nothing found fixing their identity
 They were buried in the family grave yard, and stone setting forth the cir
 cumstances connected with SwingleI death was placed at the head of thu , grave. administrator of the estat' of the deceased was appointed, and hi property equally divided among thu ; children. The homestead fell to thu
 lot of the old farmers widow, and thu , youngest son, also named James, con tinued to live there and superintent l operations on the farm.
 In 1869 he married the widow of hi ; father, and the couple were living in un ruf1ed ease with three children that hat been born to them, when in the earl. part of last month the young father wa given a letter at the village post-offi addressed "To any living member o the Swingle family" The letter wa postmarked at Cleveland, Ohio. Open
 ing the letter the farmer was astoundet
 to find that it purported to be written b:
 his father, long believed to be dead. l was as follows:
 CLEVELAND, Dec. 30. I am very sick and penniless among
 strangers. I was on my way home whel , taken sick. Some of you come to me Q once and will explain all. I am at
 sailors lodging house by the lake.
 JAMES SwINaLE. , The letter was written in a crampe' and trembling hand, but it resembles