Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-11-20

Instead of using hounds in this
country to scent out the painting,
frightened, slave, fleeing for freedom,
with his eye upon the north star, that
animal has been brought into requi-
sition in the laudable effort to track
out the ghouls who robbed the grave
of A. T. Stewart ofits dead. Here is
the account as given to the public:
Ats o'clock there was q strange
gathering in the old church yard
such one IS rarely appeared there
until the crime Of Thursday morning
invested it with 80 peculiar an inter-
est. There were commissioner Mich
OILS, inspector Murray, Captain Nc
Cullough, and his two aids, detectives
Rrobinson and Dyer. Another in.
truder was there, too, and q strange
one for such place. Held in leash
by the commissioner, 1t stood above
the open vsult-a huge bloodhound,
with sinewy limbs and heavy, hang
ing jaws. The crowd outside the
railing peered in with curious CLAN
ces, while the commissioner slacken-
mals movements. For . moment the
hound shifted in the stunted grass
about the vault, and then with . deep
bay started off towards the church.
The gate opening upon the portico
was closed as the animal came along,
but the bolt was shot back and it
swung open az he reached 1t. Anoth-
er low, savage growl, and breaking
from the restraining hand the hound
rushed up the steps and stood beside
the first shaft under the facade. with
head bent to the ground. There are
four columns to the portico and the
dogs stuppage at the first was but
momentary. A sniff at the stone
work, another deep, prolonged bay,
and he sprang to the middle shaft and
stopped close to il. The officials
were at his side in q moment, and
there they saw the confirmation of
the police captains discovery. The
animal was scenting spot upon the
stones-a greasy-looking blotch-the
same that had nauseated the captain
with its fetid odor, and evidently the
putrid drippings Of the robbers
ghastly burden. Beside the first COL
onsde where the hound had made .
stoppage some similar, but smaller
blotches were descernable, and others
lay across the portico to the westerly
section Of the graveyard.
Toward it the great dog next made
his way till the iron gate at one end
barred his passage. Here something
which was not generally known was
learned. The lock of the gate and
the chain which fastened had boon
forced of, and it was subsequently
sscertained that they had been found
lying near the vault by the sections
assistant. When the gate was flung
open the hound rushed in among the
grass-snuffed uneasily for an instant
and then made straight across the
open space to the southwest corner.
Here, under the shadow of . tree that
grows close to the railing, he stop.
ped, scented the ground, and stood
still, uttering at intervals his deep
savage growl. The brute's instinct
had guided the investigators to the
spot where the traces of the robbers
work were most numerous and where
human intelligence could easily inter-
pref them. The furrow where the
body had been trailed through the
grass was there, the spot upon which
it had been laid previous to its trans
fer outside was visible and upon the
ratings and walls the marks Of the
robbers muddy shoes and daubs of
Of their fingers everywhere mingled
with the traces of that dreadful ooze.
There was even . faint Of it's chsrnal
effuvium remaining still. There
could be no further doubt about the
robbers movements: they were all
distinctly revealed.