Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1881-02-10
The Phantom Denouncer.

A settler in New South Wales was
missing from his farm. his convict
overseer gave out that he had gone on
privately TO England, and left the prop
erty in his care. This was thought ex-
traordinary, as the settler was not IN dlf-
ficulties, and was steady, prudent man;
but the affair was almost forgotten, when,
one Saturday night, another settler was
returning with his horse and cart from
market. On arriving at part OF the
road near the farm of his absent neigh
Dor. he thought he saw him sitting on
the fence; Immediately the farmer pulled
ND and hailed his friend, and receiving
no answer, got out of the cart, and went
toward the fence. His neighbor Gas he
plainly appeared to be) quilted the fence,
and crossed the field toward pond IN the
direction of his home, which it was sup
posed he had deserted. The farmer re-
mounted his cart and proceeded home.
The next morning he went to his
neighbor's cottage. expecting to see him,
but he saw only the overseer who
laughed at the story, and said that his
master was at that time near the shores
of England. The circumstances was SO
inexplieable that the farmer went to the
nearest Justice of the peace, related the
circumstances and added that he feared
foul play had taken place. A native
black, who was attached to the station
as a constable, was sent with some OF
the mounted police, and accompanied
the farmer to the rails where the latter
thought he had seen his friend The
spot was pointed out to the black, with
ont showing him the direction which the
lost person apparently took after quitting
the fence.
On close inspection, part of the up
per rail was observed 90 be discolored; ii
was scraped with knife by the black,
who next smelled at it, and tasted it.
Immediately after he crossed the fence,
and walked straight to the pond near the
cottage. On its surface was a scum,
which he took up in a leaf, and, after
tasting and smelling, he declared 1t to be
'swhite mans fat.
Several times, somewhat after the man.
nerof ablood-hound, he coursedround the
lake; at last he darted into the neighbor-
ing thickot, and halted at a place con-
tanning some loose and decayed brush
wood. On moving this. he thrust down
the ram-rod of his nusket into the earth,
smelled it, and then desired the spectators
to dig there. Instantly spades were
brought from the cottage, and the body
of the settler was found, with his skull
fractured, and presenting every indica-
ton of having been for some time i'm
mersed in water.
The overseer was arrested and tried
for murder. The foregoing circum-
stantial evidence formed the main proofs.
He was found guilty, sentenced to death,
and proceeded to the scaffold protesting
his innocence. Here, however, his
hardihood forsook him. He acknowl-
edged the murder of his late master. He
had come behind him when he was
crossing the identical rail on which the
farmer fancied he saw the deceased, and,
with one blow on the head, killed him.
He then dragged the body to the pond,
and threw it in; but, after some days,
took it out again, and buried it where il
was found. The sagacity of the native
black was remarkable; the more so as he
averred that he didn't know how he came
by it; he 'just felt that what he said and
did was right, was the only explanation
he could give.