The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-08-25
THE CHILD WITNESS.

And seven sons-in-law.
THE CHILD WITNESS.
The Arnolds lived in the old brown
house which you may have noticed at the
right of the road just as you enter the vii
lage of IL, Pennsylvania, from the
south. The house stands back about ten
rods from the road, among peach and apple
trees, and the path running up from the
gate is bordered with pinks and moss.
I should not speak so confidently; it is
five years since I saw the village or the
house, and perhaps the awful. tragedy en-
acted under the moss-covered roof n
and allowed time to tumble it down.
One day in answer to a telegram sent
from the nearest railroad station to La
matter of a dozen miles, I rode into the
quaint old village on the top of the stage,
and at once reported myself to the town au-
therities. Every inhabitant of the village,
even to the ragged urchins sitting N the
tavern porch, carried q grave face and
talked in whispers. Had I not known a
double murder had been committed the
night before, I could have read some news
almost as bad by %glancing at the faces Of
the towns people.
While I was eating my supper at the on
y hotel the town clerk and the president
ofthe village sat opposite and told me the
story. It seems that Arnold, who was
nearly sixty years old, had two sons in an
other part Of the state, and, wishing to di-
vide up his property before his death, had
a few days before the murder, disposed OF
a farm and some manufacturing interests
III Pittsburg, realizing several thousand
dollars in cash. He intended visiting the
sons and dividing the money between
them, but had placed it in the village bank
until he should be ready to 60. Mrs. Arm
old was old and gray-headed, and the
couple would have been all alone had it
not been for little Jack. as he was called, a
child four years old. The child had been
abandoned by a woman passing through the
village, and the Arnolds had taken it for
company; in fact, had made provision to
adopt it.
II The night before at 9 o'clock a citizen
had seen Arnold at his gate smoking his
pipe. No one heard any alarm from the
house during the night, but about sunrise
little Jack crept down into the village, his
night gown red with blood, and told the
first one he met Somebody had hit grand
pa and grandma on the head with an axe"
There was an investigation, and the aged
couple were found at the house dead and
terribly mutilated. The old mans head
was nearly split in two, and Mrs. Arnold
had a horrible wound on the temple, which
had caused death almost instantly. The
child was not in the least injured, but
seemed to have been badly frightened.
This was the gist of the story I got while
eating, but I found that none Of the sensa-
tional points had been overdrawn, when I
reached the house. The corpses had been
kI,o ,,,h;oo% ~ ~ o,oo& IY,t tho r1nroc ho1
not been disturbed. A constable had been
present all the time to see thatany clue that
might have been left Of the murderer should
not be erased by careless hands or feet.
The room where the tragedy occurred
was a double bedroom on the ground floor
It containedtw beds, one of which was oc-
cupied by the old lady alone and the Other
by the old man and little Jack. The muir
derer had come in at the back door, bring.
Ing along the ak from the wood pile. He
had passed into the bedroom, lighted q
candle which stood IN the stand, and beer
some time in the room before using thu
weapon. I knew this because the top draw
er Of the old bureau was pulled out, it's con
tents tumbled over, and there were NJ
bloody finger marks on anything. The
other drawers were dabbed with blood
showing that he searched these after tn
murder.
Something had aroused the old man fron
his sleep. lie had started to get out o
bed when struck by an axe. The old lad.
had just heard the noise when the crue
implement descended on her head, tn
positions in which the bodies were foun
bearing out my theory. The night ha
been chilly and little Jack probably snug
gled down under the quilts, and had thu
escaped harm, though as afterwards show
he had been q silent witness Of part Of tn
proceedings.
The murderer a made thorough search q
the house, taking his time about it, Il
had first felt under the old mans pillo'
after money and then under Mrs. Arnold'l
daubing his finger with blood and leavin
marks on the pillows. I counted fv
different places where he rested his le
hand OF the pillows searching with tn
right, and in every case there were fol
daubs or spots. There should have bee
five. He would not put four fingers dow
and hold up his thumb. No; the thum
on the left hand was m~issing-cut off
least at the first joint.
This was a clue, and all my subsequel
investigations proved that I was correct j
believing so. There was another thin
The man had torn up the carpet of the be-
room in several places; and had got out IL
DlDlo ana lOOkeQ DoIWoen lCS cOVorSs III
taken down and searched the clothing
the closet, and had been so cool and tho
ough in his search that I knew he was
ordinary offender. A common thief wou
have fed after committing murder, or
most stopped only long enough to scar
the bureau. Whoever the man was, he b
not secured a dollar in money. He ha
however, taken away an old-fashioned &c
watch belonging to Arnold, which was 9
of repair, and chiefly preserved as an he
loom. A dozen persons could identify t
watch, if found, and here was somethi
that might prove a good clue.
I could not expect to get much out of I
boy, owing to his youth. Taking him
my knee l made his acquaintance, ga
him some pennies and then asked b
what he saw.
"You see" began the child, very grave
II heard grandpa talking and getting u
and then 1 saw a big robDer jump up a
hit him with the axe. Then grandpa
down and the big man went over a
struck grandma. Then he looked in
bureau, on the bed, i'll grandpa's box
the closet and then went off, and the
went to sleep"
l dreaded to ask how the man look
for nonch 6annnda6 on his answer II