Louisiana capitolian., 1880-09-14
A HIDDEN CRIME.
MURDERER DYING IN THE WILDs or
ARKANSAS ON THE EVE or
DETECTION.

""" ~ ~ "VV laIe tlI'S W uuu IaVUlIJct
living ton or twelyes apart, aud who see
no human faces except the members OF
their own family circle from one months
end to another Hence ever and anon
many thrilling events occur in these iso.
lated regions that never roach the out
side world. One of these strange and sin
gular life histories has recently been re-
ported toyoar correspondent, together
with facts which form a feast of horror,
aud would afford material for q dime
novel of tho most blood-curdling charac
ter We shall give these briefly: Three
years ago a man and hs wife settled on
piece of land in q des0late stretch of
country some eighteen or twenty miles
from here. He said he came from Mont.
gomery county, Mo-, and that his name
was Thos. Graham. Living in o little
cabin, tendinga patch of corn aud cot
ton, he neither sought nor declined com-
paniouship, and so the few neighbors
around left him to himself Thus affairs
went on nearly two years, at the end of
which time no one knew anything more
about Graham than when he first lOca-
ted in the neighborhood. Silently be
went about his work he asked no ques.
tOus, he answered none if he could helm
it, and, in short,
WAS A LIVING ENIGMA
to his neghbors, who by this time had
begun to feel deep interest in him. His
wife was Spiritualist-a medium-and
upon any other subject of but Spiritual
ism would not or could not converse
Presently it was limited, then said boldly,
that Graham h Il murdered q man 10
Missouri, and that there was big re
ward offered for his capture. The greed
of gain is strong everywhere and it
found no exception in this isolated SEC
tion. Three of his neighbors, armipg
themselves with double barreled shot
guns, laid u plan to take him, and went
to the cabin, ostensbly to Invite him to
hunt deer with them, but in reality in
tending to seize him whenever q good
opportunity presented itself. They put
their plan into effect ten days since.
Quietly surrounding the hut, they called
for Graham to come out. His wife open
cd the door. She took in the situation at
a glance, and her sallow features lighted
up with Il strange smile as she bockoned
the men toward her. When they some
what reluctantly drew nearer she very
Significantly remarked. "Nlen, yer too
late" Asked for an explanation, she
pointed over her shoulder, aud peerlug
into tho house the mon discovered Gra-
ham stretched npon bed, apparently
asleep. A closer examination disclosed
tho fact that he was dead. He had eyi.
IDENTIFY been
A CORPSE FOR MANY HOURS.
The woman related the manner of his
death in mattor-oftact way. She said
he had for years been troubled with
heart disease, and that on the night
previous, while pulling off his boots, he
had suddenly dropped on the floor. She
lifted him up, but found life extinct.
She had remained alon, ia the cabin
with the dead body all night, aud was
getting ready to 20 after some neigh
b0rs when the men balloced. She added
that she would now reveal the mystery
Of his life, concealment no longer being
necessary. For five years he had been
living under an assumed name; his
real name was Desarmore, and he was
born near Wheeling, w. Va, where she
had married him. From there they
dritted to Texas, and in that State he
had killed - man by the name Of For
roster, whom he robbed of $500. For
rester was q native of PENNSYLVANIA.
who had just come to Texas, intending
10 start u sheep ranch, and had hired |
Degarmore to help herd his stock. After
The murder they fled to Missouri, and
for timo did we'll on farm in the
vicinity of St. Charles. But Degarmore
seemed
FOREVER HAUNTED BY THE SPIRIT
OF HIs VICTIM,
md 20 where he would, tho shadow Of
lis crime was never lifted from his
,ath. Fearing arrest, he came TO Ar
where ho lived in seclusion, dy-
ng suddenly just when detection Seem
ID inevitable. Had he lived q few weeks
opger be would have been in the coils
If the law, and would, perhaps, have
'aid the penalty of his crime on the
,allows. His wife claimed tho "spirits"
lad told her just what to do, and in all
hings she had followed their advice