The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-03-30
The Author of a Murder Committed
Nine Years Ago Discovered.

STEWAETsVILLE, n. J.. March Is.
| The quaint little village of Stewarsyile is
| located Oh the Morris and Essex division of the
| Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad,
about five miles from its terminus at Easton,
! Pa. Though surrounded by the most rugged
and picturesque scenery, and though nestled in
/ the lap OF one of the most beautiful and pro
| ductive valleys of the State. there is, perhaps
no other village along the line of the road that
| is 80 seldom heard Of, nor another which fur
/ ni>hes such scanty amusement to the OCCASION
al visitor. Not that Stewartsvillc is entirely
| shut of from visitation for many city sports
| man casts the ninble fly ill her tumbling
! brooks i'll the spring time, and many of her
| quail and rabbit go cityWard in the fall; but
aside from these SteWartsville stands almost as
much aoof from the outside world as il no out
side world existed and flourishes to-day under
| pretty nearly the same conditions as it flour
| l>hed thirty, forty, ay, even sixty years ago.
| The majority of its coo inhabitants are farmers,
who congregate at even-tide about the four
| corners Of the village square, where is discuss
| ed everything of interest that has transpired
| during the day. AS night comes and the
conversation slightly flags hasty good nights
are spoken and the hardy farmer boys tumble
| into early and honest beds Life is slow at
Stewartsyille, truly and it is only at rare in
tervaIs that anything happens to ru1lle lis ="
| pose.
STARTLING RUMOR.
On February u, 1867, Just nine wears ago,
| however, at an hour when more than half the
| village was preparing for sleep. there arose Il
| cry that sent chill of horror to every heart,
| and which, echoing against the mountain side,
| was swept through the valley and heard all
over the United States 1t WAS the cry that
| Young ana amiable wife, well known to all,
| had been struck, mutilated and finally murder
ed with Ratchet; that her body had been
| found, rolled up as if it had been a bale. then
crammed through a narrow trap door in the
floor and concealed beneath the foundation of
her home.
l will leave the reader to imagine the effect
which this dreadful Intelligence wrought upon
the town, The name of the murdered woman
was Margaret Keys; the name Of her husband
was John. Their house was located along the
Morris Canal, at the foot of incline plane No.
=, upon the farm Of Mr.. Philip 5. kase.
THE DISCOVERY.
40 sooner had the cry rung through the vii
lage than hundreds of feet hurried to the spot,
While the women, reused from their beds,
awaited the return Of the men, When the lat
ter arrived at the little house they beheld
terrible sight.
There. upon the floor, lying in pool of
blood, was outstretched in death the pale and
delicate figure of Margaret Keys, her clothing
soaked in gore and her hair matted and torn.
Her lett temple had been crushed in with the
| blunt end of a Ratchet, which was found in the
! house, and her face was laid open here and
there in many frightful cash. There were
bruises upon her shoulders and upon her
bosom, while one Of her fingers WAS bitten en-
| tirely through. There was every indication
that Margaret Keys had defended her home
heroically, and that she had yielded up her life
| only after the most terrific struggle, The
murderer after finishing his work, raised up d
little trap door in the floor concealed hi. Vic
TIM beneath it and then disappeared.
THE MYSTERY.
The villagers took up the body tendrry and
bore it TO the barroom of the hotel, where the
inquest WAS held. Kind hands attended the
corpse shroud anu a coffin We're given by
the towns folks and few days after she was
| buried SO heavy was the shock these people
sustained from the affair. and so great their
grief upon beholding one of their number so
mangled and mGtaed that it was some time
before they ever thought O1 looking for tile
murderer.
SUSPICIOUS.
John Keys, the husband Of the murdered
woman, was a laborer upon the Moir> and
Essex railroad. lie was steady and nduStr-
GUS his credit was good at the stores, and, as
far rs the people knew, he had always careful
ly provided for and tenderly loved his wife
His grief over her corpse was heartrending
He seemed utterly crazed His anguish could
not brook control. The last that had been
seen Of Mrs. Keys by any Of the Villagers WAS
early N the morning. prior TO her death She
| had gone to a nelghhOr to buy some milk and
during the conversation she mentioned how
kindly her husband had always treated her
though the body was mol found until evening
the murder had been committed about noon,
and it is actually the TACT that John KEYS came
home, went in his house. got bite Of lunch
ate ii directly over the body Of his dead Wife
concealed by the lTapdoor, and went Off to his
work again in the afternoon without seeing the
blood upon the bed where the struggle took
place or without suspecting that the absence OF
his wife was owing to any tragic cause.
When he returned at night. however, the
confirmed absence Of his wife ii rl,a1I
that he went all over the village looking for
her. No one knew where She was; no one
indeed, had seen her since early morning An
acquaintance of John Keys, however went
back to the little house along the canal. and
upon lifting up the trap door disclosed the
murdered and maDgled body.
TIE HUSBAND ACCUSED.
John Keys was accused of the murder ct III,
wife. 1t was natural that he should be- and
he accepted the accusation as if he had expect
ed it, lie acted strangely, some people said
How could he act Otherwise with such grief
at his heart and such Il charge upon his Shout
eers?H others asked Hence popular opinion
was divided, though all demanded IA thorough
trial. The best detective skill in the country
was secured. \ ct the most experienced oil
GERS acknowledged themselves baiiled at the
end. They too, laid the crime at the hlls-
bands door, and made him Do the most unnat-
ura things. They even insisted that he should
enter the little house, raise up the bloody tran
door at midnight and call the name of his wife
three times. Try rs they would the inl. be
tween him and the murder was missing. and
he was finally discharged.
TINE AND DISTANCE.
one year passed, and then another; still no
ceW to the murderer though the story OF the
deed in the interim has been told a thousand
tunes,