The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-04-30
NSBURG, PA, FRIDAY, APRIL 80, 1880.

!
attracted his attention. He had just read an
account of the trial which was in progress in
| Gloucester, and the singular facts he was
naTrating struck him as important.
| They"were deemed so important by the
Sheriff that, instead of ordering the execu-
| tion of Carter to proceed within five days,
the Court deferred it for thirty, in order that
| inquiry might be made.
! Crafts, it was found, had really opened
| saddlery in a back street in Exeter. His
place was watched, and several suspicious
! looking personages were seen to go in and
| out The scrap of paper was identified as
part of a letter written by lawyer in Bris-
! tol to Mr.. Butler
On October 27th, 1882, the detective, who
| had been summoned from London to inves-
tigate the Crafts matter, called at his sad
dlery store disguised as a farmer He in
| quired the price of certain harness, and
bought pair of names. Back of the store
was room with door, the upper part of
which was of stained glass.
! While the supposed farmer was counting
out the money from a leathern purse, another
man entered the store. He was short and
thick set, and looked like WAGNER. Over
his shoulders was some harness, which he
threw on the counter
Mister" he said to the saddler, ''have
you any objections to my looking at that col
lar right back of you?''
''None whatever" said Crafts Come
round and examine it"
The last conner walked round the counter
and appeared to be examining the collar.
/ Crafts was counting the money Just laid out
/ by the farmer
In an instant the man back Of him pinion-
ed Crafts, and at the same moment the
/ farmer in front thrust pistol into his face.
Utter cry, or move, or give the least
signal, and III blow your brains out" said
I the farmer.
The man in the rear drew Crafts hands
behind him and manacled him. The farmer
still pointed the pistol at his head
''Make all sure, " he said and the wagner
/ dexterously slipped gag into Crafts mouth
and tied it behind.
"Now march," said the farmer, "and see
( you don't make too much noise"
The farmer pointed to the door The
/ wagner turned his prisoner toward it and
the farmer moved along with the pistol still
ready for use. The farmer opened the door.
and the next moment the saddIer was in the
/ clutches Of two men outside who placed him
in a coach and drove off Another coach
/ was standing by.
"Now, then" said the farmer, and he and
the wagner re entered the shop. Then the
farmer Knocked loudly on the counter
Presently the door in the rear was opened,
and another man came out
/ Come, man." said the farmer 'swe'H
. a Of fh.
don't look out"
The new conner descended the few steps to
the shop, and looked around as though sur
prised at Crafts absence.
J Let me look at those stirrups, q" the farm
+ er said, and while he was examining them
his companion asked to look at the collar be-
/ hind the man. Permission was given, and
in a few moments the second man was in the
same position as Crafts had been in few
minutes before. Mauacled, gagged and
threatened with instant death if he resisted
or gave an alarm, he was led out, placed in
. the charge Of two men and driven off in a
. cab.
''Now," said the farmer, eve can 90 right
for the other fellow"
! The two men entered the store and walked
to the rear. Each carried pistol ready
. cooked The farmer brought his body to
bear with full force against the door and
burst it in.
/ a man sprang from couch at the far end
/ OF a long, badly-Iighted room, and made a
rush for three pistols which lay on the table
''Hold :" said the farmer "m0ve but an
other foot and I'll shoot you like dog
The man, nothing daunted, seized the
nearest pistol. The farmer and his compan-
ion fired simultaneously, and the man fell
with his arm broken. Then the two officers.
I for such they were, seized and bound him,
and he was removed as the two others had
/ been.
# The detectives had ascertained that these
three men were notorious thieves, burglars
and murderers, VINO had taken every precau-
ton to prevent capture. In a series of years
/ they had operated in the midland counties
and escaped arrest. 4 former associate had
/ informed the authorities that they had re-
/ solved 30 kill any officer who attempted to
+! take them, ana for that purpose wore con
I cealed weapons, and kept them close at hand.
[ The London detective had vowed he would
capture them without their having chance
to injure him, and he had devised the plan
which had proved so successful.
But the most important fact was that these
/ three men were proven to be the perpetra-
/ tors of the murder of Mr.. Butler. In their
possession were found documents missing
from Mr Buffers desk on the night of the
murder, aud moreover Crafts was easily
identified as the man who deposited the three
thousand pounds with the slip of paper
, bearing Mr.. Buffers name.
They were tried, convicted and sentenced
to be hanged, and the sentence was duly ex-
ecuted.
Now comes the explanation OF young Car
/ ter's connection with this strange history.
Miss Emily Butler had been at school at
Bristol, where she lived with an aunt. There
she made the acquaintance of one Charles
| Ransom, a handsome youth a few years older
than herself. They were secretly married
and Immediately separated. Soon after this
Ransom quarreled with his stepfathar and
| went to sea. After an absence Of over a
year he returned, and found means Of see
ing his wife. The very last night of his stay
on shore he went to Weston. and was secret
" admitted by her at the very window by
which the burglars and murderers subse-
quently entered.
Leaning against the window, he left his
stick, intending to recover it on his quitting
the premises. On his leaving his wife, soon
after two o'clock on the morning Of Septem-
Der Is, 1881, lie missed the stick, and could
not gine where it had gone. He returned