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

/ Al N8r8ol was aroused.
Les. Thompson, the wealthicst
man IL he village, had been found
dead uaalr his Touring mill, neal
the biz wa.,s wheel.
! Now it did not take long lol
Merdon TO become aroused. 1t was
quiet, sleepy inland village OF per
haps 5JJ souls, two miles distant
from the nearest railway, ard twelve
from the citv' - R0xbaro, from
which a large portion OF the neces-
sarics and nearly all the lQxuries in
dulged in by the Rural Merdonites
were obtained.
1t was on the morning Of Nov. G,
1S12, that Mr Thompson WAS found
dead, and the event created greater
excitement than the entire political
campaign just closed
This state OF affairs can easily be
accounted for as Merdon was pro-
viucialism in its purity. Everybody
knew everybody else. The secrets,
aspirations, hopes and fears Of every
maq and womta OF accountable age
were regularly canvassed in bach,
pariogs, and from behind grocery
stoves, and social status regulated
| by a code as infexible rs that Of
! lLycurgus.
Known then, as the recently de-
/ ceased man had been known, from
a score OF afternoon and evening
Conversations on his merits, short
comings and possessions, 1t was not
surprising that the shock Of the
news Of his death 10 the eJsy-g0iug
/ burghers OF the staid old town was
one which could not be easily for
gotten, and before which the nepen-
the-giying qualities of Young IIyson,
and the grocer's best SOlace was
long powerless.
But the most correct mental in
yentory OF Leslie Thompson, given
by the sagest inhabitant of the
corners, iell far short of accuracy; a
requisite, however, that too seldom
deter5 an opinion when another's
character is under discussion.
Mr.. Thompson, although having
mingled with the villagers, and re-
membered with gratitude for many
acts OF courtesy and substantial aid,
was far from being one of them.
For four years previous to his
death he had passed his summers. |
or part Of them, at least, on one OF
his farms on the outskirts of the |
village in. pleasant old-fashioned !
house, which hehad fitted upto please !
his luxurious bachelor tastes, while |
his winters were passed in Roxboro |
and other cities.
The afternoon of the day before |
his death he was heard to say, "To |
morrow | hallleave Mcrdon for the
season" "
Alasl tomorrow" to him un-
folded the great secret that lies at
the end of the pathway Of every
pilgrim Of earth. Death, the relent- |
less, who knocks at every heart
gate, and enters unbid, devastated
the fair tenement, and where but
/ yesterday reason sat enthroned, and
hope and JOY were happy guests,
Tomorrow found unconscious
dust.
As has been said, the body had bcea
found under the mill near the old
overshot water wheel. When the
mill was in operation quite a guam
tity OF water ran underneath It. but
when the water was shut of, few
pools remained. The body was
found on the rocks outside of the
pools, and, rs a consequence was
somewhat hruised.
The first theory Of the cause Of
death was that it was accidental.
That, visiting the mill, in the alb
sence Of the miller, the deceased
/ had lifted a trap-door in the floor Of
/ the mill, descended the steps which
/ led to the bearings of the wheel, and
in examining the same which Ind
recently been repaired, lost his bal
lance and feel from the slightly pro
teeted landing to the rocks beneath,
receiving injuries sufficient to pro-
duce death.
On the afternoon Of The death Of
/ Mr. Thompson, middle-aged, quiet
lappearing man made his appearance
! IN the village, atonce visited the mill,
from which the body had not yet
| been removed, and made careful
survey ofthe premises.
The next morning it was whisper
led abroad that the stranger WAS a
/ detective, and later in the day Mer-
! don society received its second in
/ staliment Of food for gossip from the
coronor's jury, which was that Les
! lie Thompson had been strangled
10 death by some person or persons
unknown, his body thrown under
1.-The mill, and the trap-door left open
/ to avoid suspicion.
The Jury were doubtless much in
1 fuenoed IN their verdict from the
testimony Of the detective and the
physicians making the post-moriea.
But who was the guilty party ?
1 Nobody believed the deceased had
an enemy in Merdon. 1t certainly
was not for gain, as gold watch
ana about $500 in cash were found
on the body. What, then, was 1t
for? Was it FOR hate2 was it for
jealousy2 was it for love? aye, for
love, the strongest Of all earthly
passion
It at once became apparant TO the
detective that the conviction OF the
alleged murderer, should be arrest
ed was at best predetermined, ..as
nearly all the testimony would,
from the outlook depend on circum-
stantial evidence. Nothing daunted,