The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1877-07-04


pie.
No earthly help was available to her
who still sat as in the quiet, lonely
house in the afternoon, but now quite
dead. People swarmed into the house,
crowdiag into the room and jostling
in the passages, wondering, whisper
ing, ventilating strange theories. AT
8 o'clock the coroner arrived, and
found the corpse untouched, still sit
ting in that awful rigidity.
lie was a hasty, choleric man, and
he before his arrival jumped at the
conclusion that Mrs. Sweneys servants
must have committed the murder, for
the sake Of plumber. He acted upon
this suspicion at once, and ordered the
arrest of old Solomon Goshare and
Aunt Jerusha Sears before even view
ing the body.
They were, however, permitted to
tell their story, and then, as it appear
ed that they alone knew anything
about the mysterious murder, they
we're retained as witnesses. There was
no evidence upon which they could be
committed, but the coroner did not
feel justified in letting them go free.
The funeral took place in due time,
and the excitement which the murder
caused in that quiet community sub.
sided. One CT two strangers about this
time took up their temporary abode
in the village, and as they came quite
unheralded, and without estensible
business, curiosity concerning them
soon banished every other interest.
Mrs. Sweeney had lived among them
as stranger. She'had no friends. few
relatives and NJ visitors. 1t was not
even known whence she came. Her
name was evidently foreign one, but
she was as evidently an American.
Where her life had been spent, or who
was the husband, and who the associ =
ates of her youth, nobody could sue
ceed in-learning. Even old Jerusha
did not know, or, if she knew, did not
impart the secret. Three quiet years,
unmarked by any charge. had Mrs:
Sweeney passed in her cottage neal
Bennington. No strangers had ever
visited her, except on occasions law
yer from a distant city, who came on
business, and who came as soon as It'd
ings of her death reached him, pro-
duced the papers necessary to give
warrant TO his acts, and then took
possession of the cottage and all it con.
tained. He removed Mrs. Sweney's
papers, Jewels and such. valuables as
were most portable, and left the re.
mainder with the house in charge o.
Aunt Jerusha, who was once more al
| liberty. If Mrs. Sweeney had any
friends, they communicated with the
lawyer. Bennington people knew moth.
ing of them. Mrs. Sweeney had lived
among them a mystery, and her death
was the crowning incident Of that mys
terry.
BY direction of the coroner, Aunt
Jerusha had faithfully preserved the
lock of hair which had been clinched
in the dead hand. When the lawyer
came and removed the effects Of th'
deceased lady he ha 1 taken this, much
agairst the will of Aunt Jerusha, wh(
expected some dire penalty Of the Law
to befall her for permitting it to be re
moved from her possession. But nC
disastrous results followed. Day
heightened into weeks, and weeks intC
months, and when the almost forgot
ten murder was mentioned in Ben
nington, it was as q matter destined Il
be forever hidden. Everything haC
assumed its usual monotonous course
The strangers who came soon after tn,
murder had long disappeared. 1t wa
now known that they were detectives
, and had been foiled in their iuvestiga
F tions. Suspicion had never fastened
upon any one i'll Bennington, and nj
stranger had been seen in the neigh
borhood previous to,the murder Ye
no one deuSted that there must hav
been one, who disappeared as soon a
, the fatal deed was eommitted-one T.
whom that lock of hair, clutched il
the victIm's death spasm, belonged
, And so two years went by.
Aunt Jerusha, taking her solitar,
breakfast one morning, was startle'
; by loud, long knocking at the deol
The long unused knocker creaked, IN
, der the vigorous blows dealt by tn
? newcomer, and through tho empt
/ passages and closed up rooms th
E echoes answered loudly to the unac
f customed sound. With many groan
and exclamations Aunt Jerusha has
/ ened to the door.
A dark young man stood there, ev
r dently impatient, for he had just LITE
e his hand to the khocker the secon
] time.
"Mrs. Sweeney" he said, "DOes 81