The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-02-05
THE MIDNIGHT CRY.
RY T. c. HARBAUGH.

RY T. c. HARBAUGH.
In the early days of certain Western
State, a crime was committed which has
gained place among the annals of dark
deeds. It was murder; but the circum-
stances surrounding it are so noteworthy
that we shall here transcribe them. They
present the most remarkable instance of
a young man sealing his lips when his
own life Was in jeopardy, in order to con-
ceal petty vice-the most charitable
instance of the kind on record.
One night in March, 1881, a farmer
named Busklrk left thriving town
where, during the day, he had disposed
of lot of hogs. He rode sorrel horse,
and carried the proceeds OF his sales in
heavy leathean- bags. The money was
mostly in silver coin of the dollar de-
nomination, and the amount, therefore,
quite weighty. Buskirk, fearless man,
did not go armed, but rode unconcern-
eddy from the town little under the in
fuence of liquor, but not drunk enough
to call attention to the fact.
As he lived but twenty miles from the
market, he expected to reach home about
midnight. But when morning dawned,
Zimrl Buskirk was still absent from his
farm. His horse stood at the stable door
neighing for admittance. The we'll
known saddle-bags were missing, which
fact Immediately gave rise to suspicion
of foul play, and search for the farmer
was at once instituted.
A distance of five miles from home the
body Of Buskirk was found lying by the
roadside, and not far away lay the saddle
bags, rifled of their contents. The william,
Ia his haste to get at the money. had cut
his way to it, instead of unbuckling the
heavy strap. TIE farmer was found to
be quite dead; one side of his skull had
been crushed as if by blow from blud.
geon, or some murderous weapon of that
sort, and his pockets, like the saddle
bags, had been despoiled Of their con-
tents.
The excitement from the moment of
the discovery became intense. Zimri
Buskirk was one of the most influential
farmers of the neighborhood, and man
universally liked. He was not known to
possess an enemy, and no one ever
dreamed that the murder had been COM
mitted for the sake of any thing but that
of subsequent plumber.
Though the country was secured for
the perpetrator of the deed, no traces
were discovered: but a clew was sudden
~ furnished in startling manner.
&c b. L..
covered not far from farm. house occu-
pied by family named Milliken, which
consisted of the parents and two children,
son and daughter, who had passed their
majority. While the excitement still
ragged, Ellen Miliken came forward and
to make statement which she said had
tortured her ever since the night of the
murder. She said she was the possessor
Of a guilty secret which she could no long
er keep; she could not sleep for it, and it
was the spectre of her waking hours.
The girl then proceeded to state that
she was up at the hour of half-past elev-
en- or thereabont, on the night Of the
I'll, and that she heard horse coming
down the frosty road from the direction
of P. Not regarding the sounds of any
moment, she was about to re-enter the
house, when she heard an oath, followed
by dull thud and groan. Then she
heard name uttered twice in tone of
mingled agony and supplication.
A moment later the sounds of hoofs
came to her ears, and the horse seemed
to be gallopiag toward the Buskirk
farm.
The excitment that followed Miss Mil
linens narration may be imagined, for
pen cannot describe it. It was believed
that the name which she had heard was
that of the murderer, which had fallen
from the lips of his victim before insen-
sibility or death followed the blow. The
young girl visibly hesitated when asked
by the magistrate to pronounce the name
She covered her face with her bands
and in all probability would have fallen
IT she had not been supported by hcl
brother Hiram. She did not like to ut
ter the name that mig ht doom one of the
young men of her acquaintance to the
gallows, for she could not believe him
guilty, yet she had heard Zimri Buskirk
call on him to spare his life on that awful
night.
Ellen Mllliken was pressed to mentor
the name, and further the ends of justice
IN which the whole country was inter
ested, and at last her lips parted.
'"God help him, and pity mel'' sht
said. The name heard was Abner Ten
ney's."
If thunder bolt had fallen into tn.
breathless crowd, astonishmedt woulc
not have been more complete. Me1
started at the name, and women uttered
cries that added to the confusion. ,-
Standing near the witness was young
man OF tive-and-twenty, the only son o
the minister who watched over the littl,
flock OF believers that worshipped in tn,
church hard by, and a youth of exem
plarv habits to the outer world HE foo