The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-05-15
A MURDERED PEDDLER
BY JUDGE CLARK

Au old-time Pennsylvania Govern
or was once interviewed as to the
methods he proposed proposing in
his forth coming message.
"Virst and voremost." be said, 81
dink of recommentin' bill to panish
Yankee pettlers vrom de Shate.
You see dem fellers does noting but
go apout hoompackin' de beeple nit
deir pocus chimcracks, such as bass
voot nutmegs; .vereas anypoty, as
knows anyding, knows dot de ciuny-
wine nutmeck is made out of sassy
Track"
Had such a law been passed and
strictly enforced, it would have saved
Jed Sinkey world of trouble.
Il was my first murder. Don't be
startled, reader--I only mean it was
my fret ease of that kind the afore-
said Jed being the accused party,
and bis alleged victim a Yankee ped
dIer.
Jed was too poor to employ cousel;
50 the court con fScated my services
in his behalf. Ia other words | was
assigned the horrible duty of con-
ducting his defense gratis. We
young lawyers got most of that sort
of business, aud we willingly accept
ed it; it served to bring us out you
see.
The case was tough one. In
brief, it was this;
On a certain evening a Yankee
peddler, who had been making a
profitable tour of the neigborhood,
found himself at Jed's door, and ap.
piled for a nights lodging.
Jed gave him hearty welcome.
lie would have done SO at any time !;
but on this occasion, this greeting
was the more cordial because be was
alone, his wife having gone 20 at
tend sick neigbbor, and Jed was q
man fond of company.
He and his guest, and neighbor
who dropped iD, spent jolly even
ing. and when the last mentioned
had gone, Jed-at least that was his
story-snd the peddler bade each
ether good night and goodbye, the
latter intending to make an early
start next morning.
The sun was some hours high,
when Jed, who was never an early
riser, and whose late hours the night
before had probably deepened his
morning slnmbers, was aroused. af-
ter some effort, by crowd of excited
neighbors gathered about his bed.
"The peddler the peddler !" were
the words in everybody's mouth.
"a plague on the peddler J" growl-
ed Jed, rubbing bis eyes; "he left
afore daylight-leastways he said he
would, and | suppose he kept his
word, tho | warn't fool enough to
lay awake to see"
"But his horse in your stable"
"In course he is. Didn't him and
me swap yesterday evenin'? Guess
the Yankee didn't get much the best
of it, nLther. Old RocKey's fifteen,
eff he's dav, and if his eyes keeps
on, be'll hev to take to specs soon
besides he's had the hampers these
ten year But it was fair and
square trade. ,Iem Burkitt here
stood by and seed it."
But Jem Burkitt, the neighbor
who had called on the previous even
ing, failed to confirm this statement.
"I didn't see no swap" said Jem;
''and wot's more, Old Rockey's out
there in the lot ROW"
"You don't say so, cried Jed, start
ing up; ] wonder if that tarnal
Yankees coming back to me-"
The Yankee won't never come
back" uttered hall dozen voices in
solemn concert.
"It's to be hoped he won't" said
Jed, "bat if be comes back on such a
fools arrant-a trades trade the
world over"
He won't never come back-not
10 this world" gravely repeated a
gray-haired. earnest man = "he's
dead : murdered - his head ell
split to pieces, and it's only right to
say there's strong suspicion that
you done it,"
The light Of that morning had. in
truth, revealed a horrible deed of
crime. The peddler's lifeless body,
covered with sickening wounds, had
been discovered in ravlne, not far
from Jed's cabin A bloody hatchet
lying near, evidently the instrument
employed in the murder, was identi-
fed as Jed's property, while in his
stable was found the horse the ped
dler had ridden.
Jed was more prcfuse than cohe-
rent in his explanations He protest
ed that after retiring for the night, be
had neither seen nor spoken to the
peddler, that the latter, in accordance
with his previously expressed pur-
pose, must have left before daylight,
and the story of the swap Jed stuck
TO with logged pertinacity, in the
face of Jem Burkitt's fiat contradic-
tion.
Black as Je1's case looked at first,
it was not long un.il it looked black.
er. A search OF the premises was iu-
stiluted and under pile Of straw in
the stable was found the dead ped
dler's pack. The murdered man was
known TO have had o considerable
sum of money, none OF which was
found, either on the body OF in Jed's
possession-a circumstance which
weighed but little in the lat,er's fa-
vor, for money is thing easily
concealed
Everybody believed Jed guilty
everybody but his poor wife, who
reached home just in time to see her |
husband led off to Jail. She elung to
him to the last, sobbing out, Indeed,
indeed, be never did it."