Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-09-24
4 HIDDEN CRIME.
= Murderer Dying in the Wiids OF
Arkansas on the very I've OF Dctec.

" SCttlCt, anu IL Is not n rare tnlng 10
find families living ten and twelve miles
apart, and who see no human faces ex-
cCpt the members of their own circle
from une months end tn another.
Hence, ever and anon many thrilling
events occur in these isolated regions
that never teach the outside world.
One ot these strange and singular life
| histories has recently hecn reported to
Your correspondent together with facts
which form n feast ot horror, and would
afford material for n dime novel OF the
mos, hlood-cmdling character, We shall
give these briefly, Three wears ago n
man and his wife settled ON n piece of
| land ina d~ohtc stretch of country
eighteen OF twenty miles from here.
| lie said he came from Montgomery
county, Missouri, and that his name
was Thomas Graham Living IN " lit.
tic cabin, tending patch of corn and
cotton, he neither sought nor declined
compNuiouShip and so the few neigh.
horS around HIM le0 him to himself,
| Thus things went on for near.
| ~ two years ut the end vt which
time ne one knew anything moro
about Graham than when first located
IN the neighhorhood silently he went
about his work he asked no questions,
Ne answered none if he could help it,and
IN short, Was \ living enigma to his
luvighhurs, who by this time had begun
Ia feel II deep interest in him. His wife
was sWutualist, medium, and upon
amy other subject but Spirtualism would
not, or could not converse. Presently
| it WAS hintcd. then said boldly. that
Graham had murdered n man in Mis-.
souri,, and that there WAS hig reward
offered FOR his capture, The greed of
gain IS strong eserNwherc, and It found
no exception in this isolated section.
Three or Ills ncighhorS nrming thcnl-
selves with douhle-hnrrclCd shot-guas.
! laid n plan to take him and went to the
cabin ostcusihly to nvitc him to hunt
deer with them, hut in reality intend.
! ing to seize him Whenever good up-
portunlty presented itself they put
their phn into effect ten days since.
Quietly surrounding the hut, they
called for Graham to come ont, Ills
wife opened the door. She took in the
situation nj glance, and her snllow
features lighted up with strange smile
as She hcekuned the men toward her.
When they somewhat reluctantly drew
nearer She very Significantly remarked,
"Mcn yer too htc!' Asked for an
explanations She pointed over her
shoulder, and, pcering into the house,
the men discovered Graham stretched
upon y bed apparently asleep 4
closer examination disclosed the Grt
that hc was dead llc Ind evidently
been il corpse for many hours.
The Woman related the manner Of
his death in n mattcr-ormCt why. She
said hc had for years been troubled
with h Nmt disease, and that on the
night previous. while pulling of his
boots, he had suddenly dropped on the
floor, She lifted him up but found
life extinct. Shcrcmained alone in the
cabin with the dend body I'LL night,
and was getting rondy TO 20 after some
lncighhorr when the mon halluocd
She added that she would now reveal
the mystery of his life, conconmont
no longer being necessary For five
years he had been living under mn as-
summed name, his real nnno was Dcgnr-
more, and he was born near Wheeling
W. Va. where she had married him.
From there they driltcd to Texas, and
in TINT state he killed man hy the
name Of Forester whom he robbed Of
VI 900 Forester was il native Of
Pennsylvania, who had just come to
Texas, intending To start sheep ranch,
and had hired Degarmorc to help herd
his stock After the murder they fled
to Missouri, and for time did we'll ON
II farm in the vicinity OF st. Charles.
But Dcgarmore seemed forever hunt.
ed hy the spirit Of his victim, and 90
where lie would, the shadow Of his
crime was neyerlllcd from his pnth.
Fearing arrest he camc to Arkansas,
where he lived in sccusion, dying sud
denly just when detection seemed
inevitable lIad he lived n few weeks
longer he would have been in the coils
of the nw and would, perhaps, have
paid the penalty of his crime on the
gallows. His wife claimed the Spirits
had told her just what 10 do, and in nil
things she had followed their advice
and had been guided entirely by them.
Sharing his guilty secret, they Ind told
her 10 remain with him Ia tho end and
all would be well, The price Of his
crime, she said Ind long since been
lost, his ill-gotten gains slipping through
his hands like water, and doing him
no good whatever Very rapidly the
three men spread the news ofCira ans
death aud his wifc's solution Of the
mystery which hung around him, and
quite u crowd Of ncighbors gave his re-
mains hurinl Some sort or inquest
wis held 1T the desire Of his wife, pre-
yious to interment. MS she did not wish,
she said, 20 lac deemed guilty Of his
death OF course the whole affair was
n nine days wonder, but when some
one suggested that Mr.. Graham or
Dcgamorc had better be arrested she
quietly sold her effects went to the
nearest ailway depot, and took the
train for II. Louis, and that IL the last
that Inns been seen Of her. And with
her disappearance yanishes the living
figure If the long hidden crime, while
the tragedy itself, with all its details.
becomes matter Of local history,
A son Of Cakes Amos, Of Credit-Mo-
| 4 ar = 4. a