The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-03-19
THE MIDNIGHT CRY.
BY T. c nARBAuen.

la toe early days Of certain Wes-
tern State crime was committed
which has gained place among the
annals of dark deeds. IL was mur-
der; bot the circumstances surround
ing it are so noiew orthy that we
shall here transcribe them. They
present the most remarkable instance
Of a young man sealing bis lips when
his own life was in jeopardy, 10 or
der to conceal petty vice-the most
remarkable instance OF the kind on
record
One night in March, 1881, a farm
er named Buskirk left a thriving
town, where, during the day. be had
disposed of lot of hogs. He rode
serrel morse, and carried the proceeds
# his sales in heavy leaIhern saddle
bags. The money was mostly in
silver coin Of the dollar denomina-
zion, aud the amount, therefore, was
quite weighty. Buskirk, a fearless
man, did not go armed, but rode IN
concernedly from town q little under
The influence of liquor, but not drunk
enough to call attention to the fact.
As be lived but twenty miles from
The market, he expected to reach
home about midnight Bot when
the morning dawned Zimri Buskirk
was still absent from his farm His
horse stood at the stable door neigh
ing for admittance The we'll known
saddle bags were missing, which
fact Immediately gave rise to sus-
picion of foul play, and search for
the farmer was at once instituted.
At distance of five miles from
bone the body of Buskirk was found
living by the roadside, and not far
away lay the saddle bags, rifed of
their contents The villain In his
haste TO get at the money bad cut
his way to il, instead of unbuckling
the heavy straps. The farmer was
found to be quite dead /; one side of
bis skull had been crushed as if by q
blow from bludgeon, or some mur-
derous weapon Of that sort, sod bis
pockets, like The saddle bags, had
been desDoiled of their contents.
The excitement from the moment
Of the discovery became intense.
Zimri Buskirk was one OF the most
Influential farmers of the neigbbor-
hood, aud a man universally liked.
He was not known to possess an en-
emv, and no one ever dreamed that
the murder had been committed for
the sake of anything bat that of sub
seqsnt plunder
Though the countFv was sc Dured
for the perpetrsioF Of the deed, 30
traces were discovered; but a clew
was suddenly furnished in startling
manner.
The body of the farmer had been
discovered not far from farm house
occupied by family named Mill
gen, which consisted of the parents
and two children, son and daughter,
who bad passed their minority.
While the excitement still ragged,
Ellen Milligen came forward and de-
sired to make a statement which she
said had tortured ber ever since the
night ofthe murder. She said she
was he possessor of a guilty secret
which she could no losger keep she
could not sleep for it, and it was the
spectre of her waking hours.
The cir! then proceeded to state
that she was up at the hour of balf
past eleven or thereabout, on the
night Of the-tb, and that she heard
q horse coming dcwn the frosty road
from the direction of r. Not regard
ing the sound of any moment, she
was about 10 reenter the house, when
she heard an oath, followed BY q
dull tbud aud grosu Then she
heard name uttered twice in tone
Of mingled agony and supplicstion.
4 moment later the sound of hoofs
came again to her ears, and the horse
seemed to be gaIlopiug toward the
Buskirk farm.
The excitement that followed Miss
Milligen's narration may be mag
ined. for pen cannot describe it, II
was believed that the name which
she had heard WAS that Of the mur-
derer, which had fallen from the lips
OF the victim before insensibility or
death followed the blow. The young
girl visibly hesitated when asked by
tue magistrate to pronounce the
name. She covered her face with
her hsnds. and in all probability
would have fallen if she had not
been supported by her brother Hi-I
ram. She did nos like to utter the
name that might doom one of the
young men Of her acquaintance TO
the gallows, for she could not believe
him guilty, yet she had beard Zimri
Buskirk call on him to spare bis life
on that awful night.
Ellen Milligen was pressed to men,
tion the name, and further the ends
of jus tice, in which the whole co1n-
try was interested, and at last her
Inns married.