The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-03-12
A SCRAP OF PAPER.
One of the Most Extraordinary Criminal
Plots Record


A SCRAP OF PAPER.
| One of the Most Extraordinary Criminal
Plots on Record.
| The following remarkable story has
never before been published in its COM
| plete form. Years ago the main features
of it were published in the New York
| COurant, but for the sake of certain par
ties involved, the full narrative was sup
| pressed:
George Layman was farmer, residing
near Selby, in Yorkshire, England.
| Though not an educated man, by any
means, he was above the average farmer
of the time. He had Il good home, we'll
| furnished, and 4 fine farm, eXcellently
stocked. He was twenty-eight years old
and unmarried. With him resided an
only sister OF seventeen, and a girl of re-
markable beauty In 1926, when this
| narrative opens, brother and sister were
| living in the greatest affection and har-
mony. In those days it was customary
for farmers to employ young men, gener-
| ally the sons of other farmers, and to
board and lodge them in the house.
| George Layman had seven such. One
of them was named Thomas Miller. He
was about nineteen or twenty, well built
anu cACSpllOndlI1 SOOu 1OOkluS anu dt-
| tractiVe. He was exceedingly well in
| formed, and spoke without any of the
| peculiarities of dialect for which York
/ sSire snen are noicei. His connections
| were unknown. He came to the farm
| house with a stick in his hand and u
bundle on his shoulder, and obtained a
nights lodging. He got into CONVERSE
ton with the farmer and hands, and
| though he admitted that he knew moth
ing OF farming, but had worked at the
trade of gun-smith, he expressed de-
sire to remain and make himself useful
| about the place. Layman consented.
Miller joined the other young men, and
was apparently soon deeply interested in
/ his work.
| An acquaintance soon sprang up be-
tween Miller and Fanny Layman, the
| farmers sister. Unfortunately it took
a clandestIne form, and the lOvers-for
srch they soon became-met in secret.
The consequences which might be ex-
pected followed, and Miller soon after
ward disappeared. When it was appar-
ent to her brother and neighbors that
she was to become mother, she solemn
| ly averred that she had been married to
| Miller, and produced a certificate, show
ing such to be the fact Miller disap-
| peared March 90, 1926, when they had
been married some six months.
On April 18th following, u stranger
arrived at the small inn in the adjacent
village, and sent for farmer Layman.
| He represented that he was anxious to
hire run for cattle, and had heard that
| Layman's land was peculiarly adapted.
| 4 long conversation followed, and Lay
man did not return home till rather late.
On the road thither, and not more than
a half a mile from his home, he came
| upon carriage standing in the road
| Several men were around, and one held
a lantern, while the others were putting
on the fore off wheel, which had come
off in rut. Layman paused moment,
and as he did so, heard stificd groan
from the vehicle
"What is the matter? 81 he asked. 'Any
one hurt ?"
''Oh, no." was the reply; "thc lady is
only alarmed-that's all''
| "Help-helpi'' was heard in tones that
seemed TO indicate struggle TO free the
| speakers mouth from muffiing hood.
What means this ?" Layman inquired,
| eXcitedly, springing from his horse and
going toward the door of the carriage.
He was confronted by stalwart, gray
haired man in a capacious cloak, who
thrust him aside with his left hand, and
said:
"Do not interfere, my friend; the lady
is my daughter and she is slightly alarm
ed-that is ALL"
AT the same time another person step
ped up to Lyaman and whispered.
"She has long been confined in luna
| tic asylum, and we are Just conveying
her home. Make no alarm, or she may
have to return"
Thus appealed to, the farmer passed
on, and before two minutes had elapsed
/ 4 1.
| ing in an opposite direction.
When the farmer reached home he
| found that his sister was missing. Soon
after he left for the inn, a person brought
a message for her. and she walked down
the road with him. That was the last
seen OF her.
| Search was made all over the neigh
borhood, but it was unavailinc. The
| man at the hotel, who had sent for Lay
man, vanished the same night, and it
was believed he was in conspiracy with
the abductors of the girl, and on him de
volved the part 20 get the farmer out of
| the way while his sister was removed.
What was the object of the abduction +?
That was the interesting question Sew
eral days passed, and the neighborhood
was still in excitement over the missing
| girl, when q servant, cleaning out the
| CRATE in the room occupied by the strang-
er al the inn, found a scrap of paper
| clinging to the chimney, 1t had been
| partly burned with others, but had been
carried up the Chimney by draft, and
chung to protuberance. This scrap of
paper was thought nothing of by the
servant, and would have been thrown
away if the landlord had not seen it and
Observed on it the name "Layman."
| This attracted his attention, and he read
all that was there. 1t was as follows:
............g get the. .Layman
49,. the way, you can easily entice Fan
ny. Use what aids. find
need, SEIDoN.
The paper had been folded along the
fourth line, and then tore off at the cor
ner. It was conveyed TO Layman, and
kept by him as likely to be of value.
There was small doubt that Fanny was
in the vehicle which Layman overlook
on his way home, and that the screams
which he heard were her cries for
help.
Could it be that Miller was at the bot
tom of this abduction? Laynan remem
bered that Miller had frequently written
m an album heloagiug 10 Fanny, and in
comparing that writing with the writing
on the scrap of paper, they were found to
be lndentical- Layman made his way to
York, to consult 3 lawyer as to the best
means ofrecovering his sister. When he
reached that city. almost the first thing
he saw in newspaper was the account
of the discovery OF the body of MUIR
dered woman in the River Aire, just