The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-06-09
HICKMAN. FULTON COUNTY, KENT


at what his sister said. He carried lit
tie tablet and pencil always about with
him and now he wrote
"rll 90 to Woodley tomorrow, Jane.
The stage from Oalxbourne to WoodIey
Estarts at 6, and III go over"
Mrs. Conway read the sentence and
then smiled and nodded assent. The two
| we've reconciled, and the rest of the
evening passed off pleasantly enough.
JaneN lover. Fred. had to go early. but
Uncle Tom stayed to supper. Jane and
her mother went with him to the gate,
and there babe him goodnight.
Mr.. Ellwood then went straight home
to his lodgings, and after arranging with
his landlady to rouse him early the fol-
lowing morning he went to bed. When
the muIning came he packed up few
necessities, directed his luggage to
/ Woodley-for he was very panctual
mari-snd then, after telling the landlady
4 that be was going to that town for a
1 day or two, he left. He booked from
1eabaaxne by the o'clock stage and
arrived early in Woodley. The next day
his sister received q letter from that
town, stating that after seeing his law
yer he found it necessary TO go on to
Bellair, but would return the next day.
Il
but Thomas Ellwood never came back
again. In his letter he stated that the
business in question might have been
done by an agent, but that Mrs. Con-
ways impotence and angry words had
so agitated him that he had resolved to
go on at once and do everything him.
self. He finished his letter with an ex-
I preston of love, but Mrs. Conway never
forgot or forgaye her own hasty words to
which he alluded.
As day after day passed, Mrs. Con-
way, finding her brother still mysteri-
ously absent from home. and that. as far
as she could learn, he had not only been
away for a much longer time than bust
ness could require, but had never been
seen since, began to be much agitated,
especially as every ole was talking of a
horrible murder in the Bellair coach.
At last she went to Bellair, and when
she learned how the victim had said this
and that she Thought little about it, for
she knew poor Tom had no power to
speak One evening, however, she saw
q drunken man rolling home. Like
| other fools of his class, ne scattered all
he had about him, and Mrs. Conway's
| eyes fell upon small letter-case which
he knew belonged to Ellwood. She
picked it up, followed the drunkard, saw
where he lived and then applied to the
magistrate. The drunkard was arrested.
He proved to be none other than the
coachman, John Rush, who could not,
however, account fairly for the case.
Drunk as he was, he was too sensible to
betray himself. He was, however, held
to bail, which, as he could not give, he
was of course locked up.
| Tho navt 1oxy l,a rroS hrD,,ryhf Haf-,.e,
the magistrate and examined. Mrs.
Conway swore that the letter-case be-
longed to her missing brother. The
goodman swore that he bought it, with
some other trifes, of peddler whom
/ he met IN the street, and, as there was no
| evidence ~ refute this statement. he was
at one discnargeu. Rush now saw that
he VAS likely to become an object of
Suspicion and prepared to flee.
Meanwhile the detective police, hav-
ing at last a clew which even q blind
man could not help but follow. set to
work again In earnest. They saw Mrs.
Conway and suggested to her that it was
her brother Ellwood who had been MUIR
dered, and that perhaps the goodman
knew more of the affair than he chose
to allow. This suspicion she of course
declared groundless, as her brother, be-
ing deaf and dumb, could not have
spoken as the coachmen asserted. A
warrant, however, was obtained for ex-
huming the body of the murdered man.
Mrs. Conway at once recognized her
brother.
Rush was now again arrested, al
though the magistrate was greatly OPP
posed to the proceeding. as he Justly
stated that there was not sufficient evil
1anea n 1r1Sfifv a WALL
known lawyer, Mr.. Chancery, however,
| came forward and clearly showed that if
Rush, having every facility for forming
q proper Judgment, had sworn solemnly
| that the deceased had said such and
| such things, the deceased being-as was
now fully proved-deaf and dumb from
| birth, he must either have deliberately
| committed perjury or else he must have
| some completely IN the bloody deed, or
| possibly he might be guilty of both.
| This argument, coming from a man like
| Mr.. Chancery, was listened to with
proper attention. The coachman was
| again taken into custody and committed
| for trial.
| He was arraigned at the next sessions.
| Had ne only murdered the unfortunate
Mr.. Ellwood and said nothing about it
| he might possibly have escaped. But he
condemned himself out of his own mouth
by swearing at the inquest that a man
now proved to have been born dumb had
said certain things to him. When
brought up for trial he came with an air
of defiance and proposed to brazen out
the whole matter. But when. after he
had again been infinitely questioned
about what the murdered man said, and
had sworn to it, other witnesses of un-
doubted character proved that the un-
fortunate man never could speak then,
turning to the Judge. the criminal said,
" The game is played out" and tainted.
The jury brought in verdict of will
| ful murder against John Rush.
1t would, however, appear that all
| that the guilty man said about the be-
ginning Of the fatal journey was true.
| Mr.. Eilwood did really leave his hotel
| to 90 to the post, but being anxious to
arrive in Bellair that day, and seeing the
| staoe. already started, rounding the
corner. ne got into 1t without returning
| for his luggage. The other passengers
! alighted at their several destinations,
| and he was left alone. Rush had some
slight knowledge of him, and believing
| him to carry large sum had, when he
found his victim left without protection,
stopped the coach, and In an unguarded
moment stabbed him in the neck. His
first idea after pillaging the murdered
man was to bury him on the spot; but,
fearing discovery, he hid his spoils a
little way off in the woods, and then con-
cocted q story to account for the delay
of the coach-wounding the horse him
self. so as to bear out his tale.
!