The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1881-04-27

! however, William Hawkins Sc
about his task, strong in the faitl
that murder win OUT and tha
sooner or later the guilty part,
would be brought to justice.
1t WAS supposed that Mr.. ThomP
son had entered the mill to have
/ business talk with his miller PIE
vious to his departure and been over
powered by some one il the mill, o
perhaps the miller himself Blu
the miller proved by several wit
nesses that at the time OF the muir
/ der, between 3 and 10 o'clock in th,
morning, he was absent at a black
smiths shop assisting in making
some necessary repairs on the ma
chinery. On his return he at oHct
noticed the open trap-door, and con.
tinuihg his observations discovered
the body of his employer.
The detective certainly had very
little ground to work on. He had
one clew, in fact two, which he care
fully guarded and devoted all his
energies 10 enraveling them.
The night before the murder, f9r
such it WIS believed to be, the
around froze considerably and be-
fore morning a slight snow-storm
ragged, which barely hid the brown
earth from view where the wind had
allowed it to remain undisturbed.
One such place was found back OF
the mill, protected by high board
fence, and here the detective found
/ several tracks, evidently made BY 4
man in a hurry who had left the
mill By Il rear window. The pecu-
liarity Of the tracks consisted in the
decided manner in which they
"toed out, as well as in the nail
marks on the outer edge of the right
boot-hcel, four round headed mills
having been driven there by the
cobbler as a preventive to the own
cr's excessive wear at that point
The tracks were accurately meas
ured and drawing of the same pre-
served.
Just a week had passed without
bringing any new developments,
and Hawkins was becoming some
what morosc if not dispiFited, when
a new scent was given him by the
receipt OF a letter bearing The Merdon
postmark aud enclosing a so bin.
The letter was very brief and writ
ten in q female hand. i was ss
follows:
NOVEMBER 13, 1872.
Mn. HAWKIXs Sr:-Leave
no stone umturned until tie mGr-
derer OF Leslie Thompson is discov
cred. N.
As Mr. Thompson's estate was
ample to compensate any or all ef-
forts made to discover his murderer,
The receipt OF $50 from an unknown
women left the detective in a guam !
lary Of doubt spiced with romancc. !
The eighth day was passing rapid |
y away and nothing new had been /
lcyeloped, when as the detective |
yas taking a short walk amid the |
alling snow, his eyes bent on the |
yround in an abstracted manner, |
hose very footprints be had been |
ooking for appeared before him.
Ihey were the same and vet they |
we're no,. The four nail marks !
we're there, but they were on the
eft heel now, and the feet making
he tracks had 'toed in" after the
manner Of the most untutored saw
lge.
Following up the footprints,
Hawkins boldly knocked at the
ioor they led to and asked if a
had entered there recent
v; he was answered in the mega
i've, and to prove her assertion the
ady of the ho1se invited the detec-
i've in, knowing who he was, and,
IS she afterward said, to show tho
gentlemen she was telling the truth.
10 man appeared in sight, the com
,any present consisting of Aunt
10, known by every man, woman
nd child in Merdon as the most
)enurious and shiitless housekeeper
u the village, who by the way was
he aunt of Mrs. Bertman, who had
'eccived many similar calls from
he female in question during disa-
greeable weather, when a stay at
lome would necessitate an extra
stick Of wood in the tumblc-down
.levated oven stove.
Hawkins remained a short time
md departed more at sea than ever,
although he did not consider bis
risit lost by any means.
Aunt 10, who was an endless
gossip and did not allow her click
ng knitting-needle to outstrip the
-apidity of her tongue at least, be-
gan conversation regarding the
murder almost as soon as the visit
)r was seated. From her converse
ion the detective learned that her
,on. Jonas McIntyr, had known
Leslie Thompson, while in the Rox-
ooro university, that they had
quarrel while there, and that the
riendship existing between the
wo had not been of the pleasantest.
The old lady, thinking doubtless
hat she had said too much, or that
{ might be wrongly be construed
nto an injury to her son, hastened
o supplement her admission with
not that there was any lasting ha-
red between my son and Mr.. rhonp-
son, far from it. They always pas
;ed the time of day with each other,
out that was ali" The detective
ilso learned from Aunt JOS pratile
.hat Il was currently believed that
he wife of Marvin Wilcox, living
)ut at the Oak Openings, had at one |
line been engaged to Thompson,
Dnt that the match had fallen
from some unknown cause,
md that the floral wreath that had |
the easket containing |
.he BODY when it Law in state in thel