The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1882-03-28
A Strange Story.


A Strange Story.
In the winter Of 1860 Congress for the
first time extended the maritime and ad-
miralty jurisdiction over the lakes III the
same manner and to the same extent as on
the high seas. Down W this period of
time the several States of Michigan, Ohio
Indiana and Illinois, lying on the great
lakes, bounded the several border >,untles
by low-water mark, and thus left all that
portion Of land covered with water y, |
Michigan, Huron, Erie and st Clair lying
within the limits OF the several States, but
outside of any of ths counties, 30 that in
case crimes were committed on the a0dfers
of the lakes they could not be punished
because not within the locus IN quo of
any county. Tho act of Congress OF 1850
it was supposed would correct this evil by
giving Jurisdiction to the Federal courts
over all crimes committed on the lakes, III
the same manner as upon the high seas.
The result proved that this supposition was
u mistaken one, but ouch was the popular
opinion in the early spring Of 1851.
1t was very bright, beautiful morning
about the last of May, 1861, the Detroit
Kiver harbor looked moro lovely than ever,
aud the steamer Southerner, as she lay
like the yacht Of the Sultan on the. Bos-
pA ,rus. But something unusual seemed
10 hnve occurred, and mystery huug over
this beautiful craft. Capt. Pierce, her
dashiug commander, moved about as elc-
CANT and sailor. like as ever, but his brow
was overcast, his form unusually upright
and his step like that Of a commodore Oh a
shtp-of war going into action. Those dia-
mond studs glittcred in his faultlcss bosom;
his jaunty hat hung over his right ear,
while his stunn:ng neck-tie and trim, white,
< ,roundaDOut told or q rrerh water saiIo,& ~.
ns dui tyre A tn ehe ssss and on
one by one to the captains Office then
locked In, low mutterings were heard, and
as each returned 10 duty looks dark and
bloody were exchanged. The hurricane
deck was carefully examined and large
spot of blood midships on the port side
examined by the microscope was studied
from every possible standpoint. Finally a
tall stranger, passenger from Cleveland
to Detroit, on the steamer which had ar
rived just too late for the Michigan Cen
tral railway was spied On the dock and was
carefully shadowed by Capt. Pierce and
crew as he went into the Cass hotel and
secured room No. 46 in the upper story:
al q then Capt. Pierce ordering the entire
crew to quarters, save one man to watch
the stranger in 46, walked quickly, but
very earnestly, to the United States Dis
trict Attorneys Office, then IN the base
ment Of the old Farmers s. Mechanics
bank Of Jefferson avenue, just above the
Michigan Exchange. The Hon. Samuel
Ii. Watson was then United States Com
missioner, and occupied the front room,
While the United States District Attorney
had the back office, and these two gentle.
men were then and there paltners Ia the
law.
Ushered into tho back room, the door
locked to keep away cowens and caves
droppcrs, Capt. Pierce made the following
statement to the United States District At
torney: "That about Q O'clock the
previous day at Cleveland, Ohio, u stranger
came on board tho Southener and secured
stateroom A, having two berths therein,
for Detroit, saying that his companion
would come later in the day and pay for
his berth IN that room; that this man who
took the statc-rcom was apparently a
Quaker-dressed in drab othes.
with q drab hat and draD
satchcl, which he left IN his berth. That
some three hours atterWard another gen.
tleman, claiming to bo his companion.
came dressed III black with black hat and
black satchel, inquired for berth No.
2, state-room A, paid for that berth, and
that about o'clock that night the South
erner Lett Cleveland en- route for DctroiS.
that she encountered a very heavy gale
OH the island, and that while rolling and
pitching In the sea, with NO one on deck
save the man at the wheel and tho look
outs clear forward, the two passengers
from state-room A were seen on deck.
seeming 70 be aea sick, and that while one
OF them, the drab man, was vomiting, the
man In black struck HIM a very heavy
blow and then pushed Inn overheard; that
as he sank in the lake the dra6 hat fioatcd
away, and the man at the wheel and the
lookouts on deck heard cry for help and
saw HIM sink; but the sea was 80 heavy,
the storm 80 fierce, thu, nothing could be
then done to save him; that large spot OF
blood on the deck showed where the blow
was given and the murder commenced
which ended in the lako. .
The Captain's statement was reduced to
writing by Commissioner Watson, sworn
10 by Capt. P.erce, and then the District
Attorney repaired at once to the steamer,
still lying at the Central Railroad dock,
and there took the deposl,ions Of all the
crew, who scvcraly sworc to their actual
knowledge OF the!e facts.
lHc "ueciStHci ana iopkoutS cnCD SWOrc
that they saw the drab mau 60 over the
ships SIDE, heard his cries for help, saw
lis hat floating on the waves and found In
tho morning fresh blood on the very spot
where he stood ere ho went overheard In
addition to all this, it turned out that tho
murderer then In 46 had with hun the dra6
tatchei, a new one, brcupht on board by
the man in drab, then supposed TO be at
the bottom of lake Erie.
Here was clear case Of clrcumstsntlal
evidence Of murder on the high sc ,s, Oh side
OF any county, and the evidence was CON
olusive--apparently. The United Statos
District Attorny applied for United