Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-06-14
UNRAVELING A MYSTERY.
Murders of Ninety Years Ago Brought to
Light.

| UNGA EL1NU A MYSTERY.
Murders of Ninety Years Ago Brought to
| Light.
Philadelphia Herald May 20
In 1890, Sir William Putney having
placed in the market his vast posses.
sions In what is now Steuben county
New York, hundreds of emigrants
from the east hocked to the section to
take up land. One route to the Putney
patent passed through Pennsylvania,
and the old ruined road near this place
was part of the route.
About that time Frenchman,
named Pierre Latourette, built log
tavern on the above road, two miles
west OF this place. In his employ was
another Frenchman named Pepow,
and his wife. The location of the
tavern was such that it became favor
tie stopping place of emigrants. La
tourette was an old French soldier, and
his disposition was such that he was
very unpopular with his guests. He
had not been long in this tavern before
stories OF an ugly nature became cur
rent among the emigrants. Many of
them were robbed at the Frenchman's,
of money and valuables. Cattle left
in his Enclosure at night would be miss
ing IN the morning, and could not be
found until the owner paid Latourette
for looking them up, he claiming that
they had escaped and were roaming in
the woods. It was also alleged that
men stopping at the tavern had mys-
teriously disappeared, and never heard
of afterward.
Some months after the Frenchman
put up his inn man named Vail, with
his wife and two children, were among
party of emigrants ON their way to
the Putney property. Noticing that
the Frenchman was a grinding land
lord, and only patronized from neces-
sity, he conceived the idea of building
house near by, on the road, for the
accommodation of emigrants. He Sc
cured some land about three-quarters
of mile further west, and erected a
tavern. This took nearly all the
Frenchmans business away. Three
months afterward there was a tenn
porary lull in the travel. The tide soon
started up again, and one night party
stopped at Wallis, but found the house
closed. Returning to Latourettes the
emigrants were told that Vail had be-
come tired of keeping tavern and had
gone to Steuben county.
Nothing Was ever seen or heard of
Vail or his family afterward, and it was
generally believed that Latourette had
murdered Vail and his family and
pillaged the house. Latourette remain
ed in the tavern until emigration had
almost ceased, and grew rich. Pepow
died on the place, and his wife contin-
| ued to live with Latourette. At the
breaking out of the war of 1912 Latou-
rette sold his property and departed in
company with his late assistants wife.
The old log tavern was demolished
years ago, and the site is now occupied
by alarm house.
The above "reminiscences of century
ago have been recalled by a startling
discovery made few days since. A
hoop-pole cutter named Hof was walk
ing In the woods about two miles from
the site of the old Latourette tavern.
In clearing away thicket at the foot
Of a. ledge of rocks he came upon a
large fiat stone standing upon it's edge
against the rocks Out of idle curiosity
he pried it over, and was surprised to
see that it had concealed an opening in
the ledge, some three feet in circum-
ference. Hof crept into the opening
on his hands and knees, and found that
it gradually grew larger. He went in
several feet, when his hand came in
contact with a hard, round substance.
He brought it out into the light, and
was astonished to find that it was hu-
man skull. Hof dropped the skull and
hurried to another part of the woods,
where two other choppers were at work.
They returned to the cave with him.
One of them Lighted a pine knot and
crawled into the opening, followed by
the others. They found a cavern where
they could stand upright and about
twenty feet in circumference. By the
glare of the torch they discovered four
human skeletons lying on the floor of
the cave. The men hastily retreated,
and came to this place and told of their
discovery. Several men repaired to the
spot and an attempt was made to bring
the skeletons out entire, but they fell to
pieces on being disturbed. DR.. Kenne-
dy examined the bones and said they
were the remains of three males lone
full grown and Of one female. They
were brought to this place. and, after
being viewed by hundreds of people,
were buried.
All the old stories connected with the
Latourette tavern, which have been
handed down for several generations,
were at once set ahoat. There is no
doubt in the minds of any that the skel-
etons are those of the Vail family, who
were murdered by Latourette ninety
years ago.
A Healthy Village.
An English paper says: Those who