The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1879-01-09

w men LD6 AldIm was 6i'Chj ~ was
found that the man who had accompanied
the peddIer and occupied the same room
with him was missing, and suspicion at
once fell on him as the murderer. The
authorities were notified, and officers
were in pursuit of the supposed assassin
before the day was an hour older They
tracked him to Coninbro, but lost trace
of him Just outside of that town, on the
road to She field. The keen eyes of the
officers, however, caught sight of a horse
among the brsmbles in the valley to the
left of the road, and there the man was
captured. He was terribly frightened,
SO much SO as to be unable to articulate
for some time. Strapped to his saddle
bow was a,,vAlise, and, on opening it, a
heavily filled wallet, Identified as the
peddler's, was found.
Before the coroner, the prisoner, who
said his name was Henry Scott, told a
most astonishing story. He said that
when he went to the clubhouse the ped.
dler had already gone to his bed, which
was high, old>fashioned tent bed with
curtains. Scott took bed at the oppo-
site end of the room. This bed had cur
tsins, too, as the room was large snd
droughty. He placed his clothes on a
chair and flung his valise, or holster, on
a bit of carpet at the tide of the bed.
When he put out the light he observed
that the moon was shining full into the
room. He lay awake for sOrne time, and
presently heard footsteps in the room.
The next moment the curtain of his bed
was gently drawn and he saw face
looking down upon him. He lay quite
still, though greatly alarmed, The face
disappeared and retreating steps were
heard. He arose on his elbow and peere
through the curtain. He distinctly
saw two men at the further end of the
room near the peddler's bed. They
passed around the foot of it and disap-
peared at the other side. That moment
he heard a scream and saw the face OF
the peddler prOtrude from the curtain
There was a scuffle and suppressed cry,
and the next moment the peddler
bounded from the bed and ran, screaming
murder" toward Scott's bed, holding
his valise at arms length. The two
men followed the fugitive, and Scott,
Mortified and fear stricken, slipped from
his bed on the other side and hid him
self in closet. He heard the groans and
blows and the sound of retreatiDg foot
steps, then all was still. The next in
slant, however, the door opened, other
footstepSwere heard along the floor and
the curtains of SCOTS bed were hastily
drawn. The visitant, whoever be was,
uttered an oath of disappointment and
fed from the room.
After waiting some time Scott came
forth from the closet and found the ped
der lying on the ground dead, Scott
was in terrible dilemma and saw at q
glance that he would be suspected of
having murdered the peddler. Panic
stricken, he hastily dressed himself,
picked up his valise from the floor, took
his horse from the stable and departed
from the inn, resolving to seek safety in
fight. 1t was daylight when be reached
ConinbrO, and then for the first time he
discovered that the valise he had taken
from the floor was not his, but the ped
dler's, which he had no doubt dropped
when the murderers fell upon him, and
in place of which they doubtless seized
and carried eff SeOtt's, which lay on the
carpet close by.
This extraordinary story was not be-
lieved by the coroner's jury in the face
of the damning evidence against Scott.
1t wssshown that he had.seen the peddler
produce his wallet from the valise in the
blacksmith shop; that he offered TO
accompany the peddler to Doncaster,
and that he had taken up his quarters at
the same inn, and slept in the same room
with the murdered nan. Besides this,
ne was captured with the vslise in his
pos session and what better evidence of
his guilt could there be?
Scott was sent to Jail. and in due
course tried fer willful murder. Out OF
charity young lawyer undertook his
defense The evidence for the prosecu-
ton was clear and convincing, and Mr..
O'Brien, the prisoners counsel, saw no
chance ior his clients escape The
principal witnesses against him were the
John Steele, his son Richard,
The men that were in the smithy when
The peddler and Scott first met, the
landlord of the inn, who swore that
Scott urged the peddler to go to another
nm, and the office who found Scott with
he peddler's valise in his possession.
The hammer with which the murder !
vas committed was produced on the
rial, and shown to the jury. One of
hem remarked to the court that it was
sshceing hammer. Mr.. o. Br.en
Iuietly ssked TO be allowed to look
It it, and be examined it closely. Then !
le stood up and handed it TO the pris-
'ner. Scott glanced his eye over it for
ide of the prosecuting officer, then spoke
Nth the judge, and, after few seconds,