The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-10-12
HUSTLED UP.

HUSTLED UP.
The verdict at the Coroner's inquest was
that the ACKNOWLEDGMENT Fletcher-Baldwvn
-"came to his death by the accidental burst
ing of certain gun. That the said gun was
fired by the deceased; but for what purpose,
or at what object, there was no evidence to
show"
A London jury would probably have gone
out of their way to censure the owner OF the
gun for allowing the charge to rust into it, and
for leaving it where any one ignorant of its
condition could get possession of it; but this
jury was a country jury, who found what the
Coroner told them to find; and this Coroner
was one of those wise men who do not 90
seeking after things which are likely to make
trouble. And really there was no one to
blame except the unfortunate, who was now
beyond the reach of censure. A ledger in the
farmhouse where the fatal accident hap
pened, he had no business with that gun. The
place where it hung was out of his domain
was not even in the same building which he
inhabited. No one had spoken to him of any
gun. Nevertheless he had discovered the
neglected weapon, and on the day of his death
without saying word to any one) he had
taken it up to his room, had opened the win
dow and fired. That is all.
This took place at Elberon Farm, then in
the occupation of Mr.. James Byles, in the
County of York on the last dav of the wear
1870, about O'Clock on a fine, bright frosty
evening.
Most of the witnesses examined at the in
quest spoke OF two reports in quick success
sion; thus contradicting slightly the evidence
of Farmer Byles, who was almost positive that
the gun had only one charge in it when it was
put away. The theory generally accepted was
that he had made mistake; that both barrels
were loaded, and that the deceased had either
fired them both, or else that the one first fired
had exploded the other.
When the reports were heard, and the farm
nr1 family ran II n tn hat had IA GOD
they found the door locked. The only an
swers that came to their knocking and ques-
tions were some feeble means.
Then they forced the door, and found their
lodger speechless with a terrible wound on
the temple, caused apparently by fragment
of the lock of the burst gun His right hand
was blown almost off. He lived-that is to
say, he breathed-for about four hours: but
he never regained consciousness.
From the nature of his injuries it was evil
dent that the gun had not gone off unexpect-
eddy. 1t had been fired from the shoulder,
and with deliberation; for the eye had been
brought over the breech, and close to it. The
charge had of course scattered so widely that
it was not even possible to say in what direc-
tion he had aimed. What could he have
aimed at! The Coroner was right. There
was no evidence to show. The shooting sea-
son-now almost OVERHEAD no charms for
him, and he was certainly not the sort of man
to utilize the close of fine day by opening his
window to kill something. On the contrary
he had an almost morbid horror of taking life.
He would not eat poultry, because Gas he said
he might have seen the raw material of his
dinner walking about,n and hated the idea
that it should be slaughtered for him. There
was a stream, full of excellent trout, within
quarter OF a mile of the farm: but he never
would fish, or taste the spoils of others
sports, for similar reasons. He had seen the
speckled beauties flashing over the shadows,
or leaping in the quiet pools on the banks of
which he often loved to sit and muse, although
the weather was not always suitable for such
outdoor medtations. He was impatient over
the slightest cruelty to animals. Could such
man have shot at some wretched sparrow on
the road for the mere pleasure of destruction.
Had he fired out of the childish love for max
ing noise, or was it a practical joke!
"Wel," said Mr.. Byles, the farmer, when
the latter proposition was put to him, " it
might have been, for he was in high spirits
that day. higher than he'd been in ever
since he came We'd been teasing him
at dinner, telling him he mustn't go about,
lest he'd see something he might have to eat,
and maybe he thought he'd give us start.n
subsequently the farmer stated, as his opin-
ion, that the poor gentleman was evidently
'otf his head" and when asked why he had
not told the Coroner, replied by another
query:
What was the use? The inquest was held
to see il anybody was to blame. No one was
to blame. If the deceased had wanted to shoot
himself, he would have held the gun very
differently. 1t was just an accident, so why
hurt the feelings of the family by suggesting
insanity"
Thus said Mr.. Byles ;and thus the reader will
surmise that he was a cut above the average
farmer, and be correct in his presumption.
The inquest was attended by Mr.. Hugh Nc
Donuell, the brother-in-law of the deceased
who also took possession of his luggage, THE
greater part of which had been purchased
on 1off far
tended the removal of the corpse. One curl
GUS fact in the case, which had escaped the at
tention of the Coroner, was that the deceased
had all his clothes and effects packed up, as
though he wee going away directly. But he
had said nothing to his host about leaving: on
the contrary, he had led him to believe that
he would remain over New-Year's Day.
Soon after the funeral Mr.. Mcdonnell re-
turned, accompanied by the widow, who desired
all possible details of her late husband life and
death, which affectionate curiosity was graft
fed to the utmost 1t would be wearsome to
give the result, with all its questions, answers,
and interruptions, therefore l will condense it
into narrative.
81 saw him first" said Farmer Byles, "on
the road about six miles from here, when
was driving home from Clitheroe, on the 9th
of last October. 1t was a very wet day, and
he seemed weary. He was sitting on his bag
by the side of the road, and looked up at me
as | came along in sort of dazed way, like a
man that mad lost himself. | asked him If ]
could give him a lift the way he was going.
He laughed, and said it didn't matter which
way he went, and so got in.
81" As we drove along he told me he hadn't
been well, had overworked himself, and
wanted to find some quiet place where he
could stay for amonth or two and have moth
ing to bother him. Now, we often have gen
tlemen stopping at the farm in the summer
time for the sake of trout-fshing, and so |
told him we could board and lodge him if he
liked. He thanked me, but did not seem to
take the idea till he saw the house and heard
we had no neighbors and were a good way
from any town. Then he jumped at it.
1.-THE very place. he said, half TO him
self, for hiding
"' Hidingp said !, getting a little suspi-
cious.