The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-02-20
A CHASTITY RECITAL.
The Horrible Confession of Mrs. Brown, q
Indianapolis.

ID
Indianapolis.
On the morning of the 9Th of Febru
airy the boGy of John G. f. Brown, q
farmer living near Indianapolis, was
found by the roadside, cold and inani.
mate. Life had evidently been extinct
some hours. The condition of the body
indicated that foul murder had been
committed, and circumstances pointed
to the wife of the murdered man and a
hired man, named Joseph Wade, as the
authors of the damnable deed. Both
were placed under arrest, but denied
their guilt. After weeks close con-
finement, however, Mrs. Brown made a
clean breast of the matter, and told the
whole story. Her confession is a most
extraordinary one. It is to the effect
that at the table on the night of the
murder Wade asked Brown for the use
: OF the horse and buggy to go to Irving
ton, and, permission being given, he
went out to hitch up. After he had
gone she left Brown in the front room
and took her young child to the back
yard, because it wanted to go out, and
when she returned to the house Mr..
Brown was lying with his feet about the
middle of the gate, and his head toward
the buggy, close to the hind wheel She
continued:
The buggy robe was under him, and
the blanket over him, so that L could
not see his head After L took the
child In and returned, Brown was still
grooming as he was when first came to
the gate. 1 said MY God, Joe. what
have you done?" He said: Darling,
this is what love will do" and threw his
arms around my shoulders. He said:
- love every hair of your head better
than my HE" Mr.. Brown was still
groaning, and Joe said: "Shall L hit
him?" l said "No." He said: Il
shall have to finish it now He added:
Il will have to hit him or use my
knife" 1 said: ooh, my Godl no;
don't touch him; let me take him in the
house." l had not seen his head, and
did not know he was so badly hurt
Wade said: mo, this has got to be
finished" and added: "You go into
the house and take the child in" The
child had got half way to the gate, run
ming to me. j went into the house and
took the child with me. L was scream
ing and crying, and the child said:
"What, ma, what?" and began crying.
/ told her some one had killed her pa,
but did not tell who. Iclosed the door
when L went in. Wade came in and
said he wanted Browns overcoat and
cap.
Here the cap was produced, and wit
ness identified it as the one she gave
Wade at his request.
asked what coat he wanted, as Brown
had no overcoat. He said the one
Brown had the evening before. He
did not tell where he was going with
Brown. He said he was going over on
the road. asked him when he would
return. He said "Just as soon as
can get back" He told me to clean up
things and remove the blood at the
gate. told him couldn't. He said !:
"You had better" 1 got down on my
knees and begged him to bring the
body back into the house, and 1 turned
down the bed. He said: "Never mind,
dear; I'll take care Of you while live"
said; poor old man; did ne know
that You hit him?" Wade said NO
I took hold of Wade and begged him
uOt W tdhc IoIOWH away, dhi iiC bolt
me to let go or he would do the same
to me. He kissed me and said: "This
will be all right. I will prove myself
clear" He then started. 1 went into
the house, took the baby on my lap and
cried. 1 sat there and cried while,
and then got up and washed the dishes
On the way over to Smiths, after his
return, we talked of the murder. 1
told him he had left me in a bad way,
with my three children. He said
"Never mind; 1 will be a father to
them" asked what he thought would
be done. He said: "They will arrest
me, but there is no danger for you," and
that he would prove himself clear by
the Smiths. That was where Wade
played the fiddle for the amusement of
the children, and appeared in such fine
spirits when they came back from
Smiths. The mallet that crushed
Browns head was burned. After Brown
came home from prison, l told him L |
thought Wade would kill him. I did
not expect Wade to murder Brown
when it occurred. 1 sent the children
over to Smiths because had promised |
them they might go the previous even
ing, but it showed. When l went out
with the child I was not expecting any
conflict between Brown and Wade.
no. CT,