The bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-1877, 1877-07-26
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course, there was no certainty.
My wife seemed greatly relieved when
she had revealed the secret 10 me, and
concluded that for time, at any rate,
would let the matter rest between US
for | saw no good that could come from
making 1t a pubic fact.
Not long after our marriage again
became watchman, trayersing the same
old beat. believe know every store
in it. Never did pass the old store
which still remained unoccuped, the
owner still remaining abroad, and hay.
ing no agent for letting without an
unpleasant sensation. Sometimes | felt
curious to enter and search the premises
to see If the money was still there; but
| was restrained by the thought of the
worlds consciousness, and that my
curiosity might be construed inJnriously.
SO | let il alone altogether
One evening, for all the world Just
such an evening as that when my wife
first spoke to me, was standing in
deep doorway, next to number So, and
thinking Of the fact that sloop-of-wars
crew had been discharged that very day,
ard wondering whether the rogues had
been amorg them, when | heard the
sound of approaching feet, and looking
out, and re rtmarking that the two men
approaching appeared to be sailors, "a
little in for it" shrank back into the
darkness and listened
When they got abreast of the store,
one said to the the other in low
tone:
",y eyes, Tom, if there aren't the
very old store, looking as if nobody had
gone into it from that time to this And
mayhaps there haven't been. Do you
suppose the man died ?"
shut up, Bob, and heave ahead, and
let's make he.iayern. II wont do to be
loose in talk while we're in this port.
The man dead, blast your eyes Didn't
he get the knife in his heart, or near it,
for deceiying us? Ii the store has never
been open since hat time, bis skeleton,
most like, is in there now. A bad job
we made Of it, Come along"
might have been worse" said the
first speaker. as he staggered along, and
heard something muttered about" "necks
stretched"
| followed, stealthily, at distance
convinced, from what had heard, who
they were. But who thought l, will be
a witness against them? My wife's evil
dence would be hardly sufficient, even
for circumstantial proof. Still, resolv-
ed to mark where they lodged,a ,and on the
way hit upon plan.
When arrived at the sailors boarding
house where they stopped, while they
were drinking, gaming and swearing
near the bar, sent a man for assistance,
and when it came the two were seized,
without word of explanation from US,
and conveyed to Jail. They made des-
perate resistance, and were at first assis-
ted by some of their shipmates, who
were soon, however restrained by the
landlord, whose assurance that Justice
should he done was enough for them.
We put the men in separate cells and
allowed not word to be said to them,
and meanwhile related my suspicious,
and the plan proposed for their detect
ion; and on the following day it was ap-
proved and adopted, and at night put in
execution.
In the course of the day we visited
them, and TO the inquiries as to why
they were arrested, we answered that it
was for theft, committed on the preced-
ing day This intended TO lull their sus-
picions of the truth, end prevent, if pos
sble, any premedtated defence against
the charge of murder. 1t did so and the
men, relieved of their chief anxiety, laugh
ed,cursed, danced and sang all day in their
cells, confident that they would be ablo
to establish their innocence of the
charge.
One of the two, we discovered, in the
course of carefully worded conyer-
satioD, was Of nervous and superstilious
nature, and upon him we fixed as the
instrument for the success of our STRAIT
agem. At night he was taken from his
cell, suddenly gagged and blindfolded,
in silence, placed in carriage, and con-
veyed to the store where the murder had
been done, over three years before.
Some dozen in all, officers and others,