The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-05-31

oURIoSI7IES or CRIME.

The grave opened in Lawrenceburg
yesterday morning, and this morning its
people will be agog.
Five years ago the people Of Lawrence
burg were terribly shocked over suppos'
cd foul murder that was believed to have
occurred in the night between that place
and Sunmansville, small station on the
indianapolis, Cincinnati and Lafayette
Railroad, about thirty.fve miles from
Cincinnati. The victim was John Buck
horst, a farmer living on the Manchester
pike, about one mile and half north of
Lawrenceburg Buckhorst, had sold his
farm to man living near Sunmansville,
and sold it at considerable sacrifice, OBJ
tanning his wife's signature to the deed
with some difficulty. His great anxiety
appeared to be to secure cash for the bar.
gain. On the day prior to the supposed
tragedy he visited Summensvile and
succeeded in collection between $500 and
$1,000. This he flourished about Consid.
erably, and then on the evening of that
day left Sunmansville, ostensible for
home. The next day, not far from this
place, and on the road to Lawrenceburg,
Buckhorsts coat, hats and shirt were found
torn to shreds, and lying near q spot
which bore evidence Of a terrible struggle
The discovery aroused the community
and an old farmer named Fake, living
near this locality, was arrested on suspi-
Cion oil having perpetrated horrible
murder for the sake of plunder. A creek
running near the spot where the clothing
was found was dragged for the body but
without result.
40 The fact that Fake was flush with
money was regarded as sufficient circum-
stantial evidence to warrant summary
action. A Vigilance Committee was
therefore organized, arope prepared, and
but for the earnest pleadings of some
sober-minded men present, poor Fake
would have been launched into eternity
as the murderer of Buckhorst Excite
ment, however, gradually subsided, and
Fake was finally released without trial.
Meantime the wife of the missing man
was dependent upon charity for her bread
the farm having been sold and the money
for the same collected. She has thus
lived ever since and mourned for her hus-
band as one dead. And now comes the
denouement One day last week an old
neighbor Of Buckhorst, one who figured
prominently in the vigilance Committee,
but whose name for sundry reasons we
withhold, was in attendance upon funer-
al in Louisville, when he discovered a
man driving a hack who looked very
much like his old neighbor Buckhorst.
Indeed, the resemblance was 80 marked
that the hack driver was Immediately ad-
dressed as John Buckhorst." The salu.
tation was not received with good grace,
but the old neighbor pressed the man,
when he owned up and acknowledged
himself as the same who had disappeared
from Lawrenceburg FIVE years ago. He
is working in Louisville livery stable
and takes new alias every few weeks.
He has been known in Louisville as ]. j.
Williamson. He is now living with
another woman, and talks about his old
escape as good joke.
The same gentleman who brought the
intelligence to LawrenCeburg yesterday,
which can be relied upon, also brought
news ofthe existence ofanother man who
few years since vigorous young man
named Mat Schott, living in Yorkville,
Dearborn County, Indiana, disappeared
suddenly, leaving behind him wife, five
children and a thousand dollars worth of
bad debts. He had been addicted to the
habit of drinking "bug-juice" to excess,
and it was at first believed that he had
been drowned while drunk, and then in
telligence was received that he had died
ofdeljrium tremenS. His family was thrown
on the town, and finally dritted into the
County Poor-house.
Not long after this event Schott's
mother died. and then old man Schott, |
who was supposed to be worth fifteen or
twenty thousand dollars, took Mats wife
and children out of the Poor.beuse to his
home, where Mrs. Schott was to act as
his house keeper. Here she lived rather
unhappily, since her old father-in-law !
was also man who tarried at the cup
ard suffered women to interfere with his |
peace of mind not little, being several
times arrested for "concubinage." The |
old man died last year, leavinglall hiSpro.
perty to the wife of Mat and her children,
The will has been contested, and now |
Mat, the dead man. threatens to turn up |
He was also discovered last week living |
in a hovel near Sulphur Spring, back Of |
Louisville, and bearing the name of
George SChott. He was living with a
second wife, young woman, who has
one child by him, babe, and the three
were in the most wretched condition |
imaginable, the woman and child not
having sufficient clothing to hide their
nakedness. Schott had never heard of
the death of his father or mother, and |
did not care for the fate of his first wife |
and children until he was informed that |
she and the children were now sole heirs
to the old mans estate. This information
excited his cupidity, and he announced |
his determination to come to Lawrence
burg, brave the chances of an arrest for
bigamy, and put in his claim for share
of the estate. His whereabouts and the
knowledge of the fact that he still lives
will be information rather unexpected to |
those familiar with Mat Schott's old |
stampinp pround.-Gn. I'm. h0