The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1876-06-09

held. and the detective exhibited his
scrap of paper. As before said, it was
part Of an envelope, and on it was writ
ing. The writing was blurred and al
most illegible, but the words "Priyate
john could be deciphered.
Whether the writing was mans or
woman's it was hard to say, but the
general impression was that it was a
woman's. Coulter instinctively associ-
ated the letter with young Armstrong,
Rates former lover, who, as before
stated. had been driven from the house
bv her father, and had, as was supposed,
enlisted The jeering words of Arm
strongs mother came up fresh to Coul-
ter's memory.
:. All, Mr.. Coulter, so you've lost your
pretty miss Now we're even. You
drove away my boy, and the devil has
driven away your girl"
The officers resolved to search Mrs.
Armstrong; cottage, as there might be
some indication of her sons having been
recently there. They went down at
once. and aroused the old woman, who
was doing by the fire. -,
" What dive want with me and miner
she asked querulously this Is no time
o. night to disturb body"
On being informed that officers of the
law demanded admission, she opened the
door. and boldly confronted them.
Take what you can find, she said,
''tlat belongs to other than me-"
The officers began a careful search OF
the place, and were rewarded by finding
a pair of boots slowed away under the
aaor. bearing on them the traces of the
peculiar black mud found on the borders
of the Black Tarn, from which, and the
singularly dark hue of its waters, 1T de-
rived its name.
"Whose boots are these ?" the officer
asked.
"They were my sons" replied the
old woman, "before they drove him
away from horae." 4
When did he leaK' bI,iaR, % the Sc
tective inquired.
Z" In November, "a the old woman
answered, quickly.
" Did he put the boots under the
hoor@' the officer asked
"Deed did he, the very day he left
home" Mrs. Armstrong replied.
" You saw him do it ?' the detective
inquired.
"Saw him with my own eyes," was
the reply.
"And that was when ?" the officer
asked
1.-The very day he left home. Novem-
Der 5, "a" Mrs. Armstrong answered.
And he wrapped up the boots then
as they were when | found them, and
put them under the floor % the officer
said.
So help me God, that's what he
did, sir" the old woman answered.
= I.
which the boots were wrapped and it
bears date February 9, 1S75-the very
day on the night of which Kate Coulter
was murdered"
Before the officer had finished the
sentence, Mrs. Armstrong dropped to
the ground in a swoon. A neighbor
was called to attend her and the officers
left. There was no doubt on their
minds that Armstrong was the man
VIZ visited the shoemaker's in Bromp-
ton, that he was the % Private John"
whose name had been on the half-burnt
and that he was the outrager
and murderer of Kate Coulter.
But how had he communicated with
his victim, as he must have done And
how had she been enticed to the Black
Tsrn?
These were questions to which the
officers sought an answer in vain. They
went to work, however, Immediately TO
hunt down the perpetratSr OF the abomi
nable crime.
Mrs. Armstrong refused stubbornly to
answer any questions, although it was
judged proper to arrest her as accessory
after the crime. All that could be got
out of her were these bitter words:
He drove away my son, and the
devil drove away his daughter ~
1t was easily ascertained that one phi
vate John Armstrong had deserted from
the 18th regiment of infantry, stationed
at Manchester, in February, and that
had been heard of him since.
His description answered to the person
of young Armstrong, Hates former lover,
in every particular. What puzzled the
detectives most was that nobody had
seen Armstrong on the road or in the
village before the murder, and that, al
though he had evidently been home to
his mothers after the crime was perpe-
trated, he had been seen by no one.
Descriptions of the man had been sent
by telegraph all over England, and the |
officers awaited i'll Carlisle some informa- |
lion that would give them clew to his |
That information came in |
IN unexpected manner
Mrs. Armstrong, who was confined in !
Carlisle Jail, asked that her brother, |
who was a shipwright at Cockermouth, |
seaport not far distant, might be in |
ormed of her condition. This was done, |
md letter was sent by the iailers to his |
address The same day the officers were |
of the fact, and they resolved |
o go down 10 COckermouth, entertain |
ng faint hope that the man for whom
hey were looking might be there. They |
eund Mrs. Armstrong; brother, whose
lame was Reuben, at his work, and rep
ESQ nted themselves as two lawyers who
lad undertaken his sisters case, without
what her trouble was.
expected it would get her into
rouble," was Reuben's remark, which
howed that he knew about the crime
This information he might have got
rom newspapers, but still it struck the
detective as Indicative of a knowledge
acquired from another source. As thew
we're conversing with Reuben, they OBJ
erved man watching them from an adj
dining smithy
=" You had better come with us and
zee your sister" one of the officers said.
Go and ask the foreman's leave. and
'efer him to us, if necessary, for an ex-
1lanation''
Reuben said he would do so. and
urned toward the officer near the gate.
g Now let us see what is in that
mithy," one of the detectives said, and
crasping their revolvers in the pockets
# their overcoats, they moved in the
direction indicated. As they reached
he door they heard a crash, and saw the
igure of man passing through the roof
lear the chimney
Round there and watch the outside"
aid one of the officers as he sDranc into
he smithy. But the man had disap
'eared, and rushing forth the officer was
ust in time 10 see the Sflieitive spring
rom the roof As hesr6acl. be oraund
le fell, and before he could rise the grip4'
f both detectives was upon him.
He was secured in a moment, and
proved to be the man they wanted.
He was tried at the Carlisle Assizes in
April last, and convicted by overwhelm-
ng evidence. Before the time for his
Execution arrived, he wrenched apart
me of the bars of his cell door, and with
he jagged edge inflicted a terrible wound
N his throat, from the effects of which
Re died in a few hours
BY what means he induced Kate CouI-
er To quit the house with him on the
atal night and accompany him to
he Black Tarn remains a mystery
4 IL proba bIa bou-o,.o- IL ~.