The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-05-24
4 MURDERED PEDDLER.

An old time PENNSYLVANIA Governor was
once interviewed as to the methods he pro-
posed proposing in his forthcoming mes
sage.
"Virst and voremos :" he said, al dink
Of recommentin' a bill to panish Yankee
pettlers WON de Shate. You see dem fei-
lers does noting but go apout hoompuckin'
de beeple init deir pocus chimeracks, such
as bassvoot nutmegs vereas anypoty, as
knows auydiug, knows dot de ciuywIne
nutmeck Is made out OF sasSyfrack.''
Had such a law been passed aud strictly
enforced, it would have saved led Sinkey
a world of trouble.
1t was my first murder. Don't be start
led, rcader-I only mean it was my fist
case of that kind :he aforesaid Jed being
the accused party, and his alleged victim
Yankee peddler.
Jed WAS too poor to employ counsel so
the court coHfScated my services in his be
half In other words | was assigned the
horrible duty of conducting his defense
gratis. We young lawyers.got most of that
sort of business, and we willingly accepted
it; il served to bring us out, you see.
The case was a tough one. Iu brief il
was this:
On certain evening a Yankee peddler,
who had been making profitable tour of
the UeighborhOod, found himself at Jed's
door, and applied for 4 nights lodging.
Jed gave him hearty welcome. He
would have dOue so at any other time {; but
on this occasion, his creating the more
cordial because he was alone, his wife hav-
ing gone to attend a sick neig hbor, aud Jed
was a man fond Of company.
He aud his guest, and neighbor who
dropped in, spent a jolly evening, and when
the last mentioned had gone, Jed-at least
that was his stoIy-aud the peddler bade
each other good night and goodbye, the
latter intending to make an eaily 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 slumbers, was
aroused after some effort by crowd of ex-
cited ncighboTs gathered about his bed.
''The peddler the peddlerr' were the
words ia everybody's mouth.
"a plague on the peddleT y growled
Jed, rubbing his eyes lie left afore day
light-leastwise he SAID he would, and
suppose he kept his word. tho | warn't
fool enough to lay awake to see"
But his horse is IN your stable"
"In course he is. Didn't him and me
swap yesterday evenin'? Guess the Yam
kee didn't get much the best of it, uuther.
Old Rockey's fifteen, eff he's day, and if
his eyes keeps on, he'll have to take to
specs soon; besides he's had the hampers
these ten year. Ru: it was fair and
square trade. Jem Burkitt heIe stood by
aud seed it,
But Jem Burkitt, the neighbor who had
called on the previous evening, failed to
C ntirm this statement.
II didn't see no swap" said Jem "and
wo.'s more, Old Rockey's out there in the
lot now.
"You don't say so" cried Jed, starting
up; 81 wonder if that tarnal Yankee $
couinp lack to me-
"The Yankee won't never come back.
ut cred half dozen voices in solemn con-
cert.
"It's TO be hoped lie won't" said Jed,
"but if he comes back on such fools ar
rant--a trades trade the world over"
''He won't never come back-not in this
world" gravely repeated a gray haired,
earnest man-''he's dead Murdered :
his head all split TO pieces, and it's only
right so say there's strong suspicion that
you done it p'
The light Of that morning had, in truth,
revealed horrible deed of crime. The
| peddler's lifeless body, covered With SICK
| ening wounds, had been discovered in a
ravine not far from Jed's cabin. bloody
Ratchet lying near, evidently the instru-
ment employed in the murder, was identi-
| fed as Jed's property, while in his stable
| was found the horse the peddler had rid
| den.
| Jed was more profnse than coherent in
| his explanations. He protested that after
retiring for the night, he had neither seen
| nor spoken to tie peddleI !; that the latter,
| in accordance with his previously express
/ ed pun pose, must have left before daylight,
aud the story of the swap Jed stuck To with
dogecd pertinaciiy, in the face of Jem
Burkitt's fiat contradiction.
| Black as Jed's case looked at first, 1T was
not long until it looked blacker A search
| of the premises was instituted and under a
pile Of straw in the stable was found the
dead peddler's pack. The murdered man
| was known 10 have had a considerable sum
of money, none of which was found, either
on the body or in Jed's possession-a cur
cumstance which weighed but little in the
latter's favor, for money is thing easily
concealed.
Everybody believed Jed guilty-every
body but his poor wife, who reached hop'
just in time to see her husband led of t