The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-09-15

! tween the driver aud the hostlers, the usual
| getting out of passengers to ''moisten up at
the bar, and the hustle of getting ready to
/ start.
At ten minutes of ten, as the landlord
averred the stage was driven off. and ratified
away up the street into the darkness of the
mountain road to Montrose
Scarcely was the stage out of sight when
Jack Shaw, the head hostler, rushed into the
bar-roOm with blanehed face, his ewes dis
tended with terror and trembling in every
limb.
''My God There's been a murder Come
quick-1n the stable yard-quick ~
Those present at once ran out, following
the frightened hostler, who led the way hold
ing up his lantern in his quivering hand
Sure enough there was murder.
There, directly behind his fancifully- paint
ed wagon, in the darkness and on the soft
stable ground, lay the fast stiffening form of
George Riker, the peddler, one Of his hands
clenching as in death grip the tin lantern
he had taken out with him. and his lower
limbs drawn up in his last agony The ap-
palled group, their faces strangely paIlid in
the dim light Of the hostler's lantern. looked
down at the motiouless form. The face of
the dead man was covered with blood. the
eyes wide open and stoniIv staring upward.
His throat had been cut from ear to ear.
An hour later the body WINS wing on a
wooden settee in little room adjoining the
bar-roOm. Upon examination il was found
that the peddler's money, of which he had
considerable in his pocket, was undisturbed:
his watch and all his valuables were upon his
person as he wore them in life Therefore
robbery was not the motive Of the assassin.
Suspicion pointed az Elliott His threats
in his rage at the peddler the assertion that
there would be one vote less in his (the ped
dleT's) party his surly nature, and his evil
dent retention Of his anger after She Quarrel
all indicated to those presentthat he was the
assassin. Added to this was the now partic-
ularly remembered facts that he had zone
out Of the bar-roOm a few minutes after the
peddler had started for the stables. and when
the stage drove up he had. apparently great
ly excited, paid the landlord his bill and de-
parted for Montrose
In the early morning examination of the
ground where the peddIer's body was found
resulted in the discovery Of an ordinary
pocket knife, and on the little siIvered piate
inserted in the bone handle were the initials
ga f."
"Why, it's EIHott.s knife-Amos Elliott >,
was the exclamation. mental or spoken. of
all present.
The tavern suffered from no lack of custom
on that day, for it was thronge by the ex-
cited townspeople- The sheriff and three Of
his deputies mounted horses and started in
pursuit Of Amos Elliott Down the rugged
descents of the road, up the winding turns of
the way around the mountains, thew rode at
breakneck speed. At Montrose they found
the driver OF the coach, some of the passen-
gers, and among these the stranger who had
been so quiet spectator of the bar-room
quarrel, but no sight of Elliott
Did he come to MontrOse? D.? Yes, the driver
said, so did the passengers. The town was
searched. At length he was found at the
house OF Mr.. Blodgett, whom he claimed as
relative, and to whom he was as he claimed
paying brief visit. He was pinfoned. des
ptte his prOtestations of innocence and yJp-
orous denial OF all knowledge of the crime
and taken back, strongly guarded, to Tunk
hammock He seemed from that time until
bis trial in October. to be completely broken
In spirit, and at the bar he stood up weak.
a
being of life.
Briefly, the defense offered by his attorney
was that he had always been friendly with
the peddler that there was nothing more
than passing anger in his threats that he did
not again see the peddler after he went to
the stable yard with his lantern, and that he
had loaned the Knife found near the peddIer
an hour before the political quarrel occurred
He also proved his life to have been ire.
proachable; his disposition to be peaceable
except when arguing politics.
Despite all efforts, the evidence against
him was unbrOken, and when added tn tbie
came She testimony of the sheriff. that when
arrested there was found stains of bnman
blood upon his coat sleeve. which Elliott
claimed was from bleeding of the nose to
which he was subject-the verdict of the iurv
was guilty. Elliott was sentenced to he
hanged the following December.
In the latter part of November there CANA
to the Turkhannock tavern stage passenger
who was recognized by the landlord as one
OF the guests present in the bar-rOom on the
night OF the murder of the peddler; he was
none other than the stranger, the dry goods
commercial traveller, who had sat apart. and
was so notably quiet for one Of his class. He
was pale and haggard, as uncommunicatiye
as ever, and was evidently suffering from III
ness OF some kind, either mental or physical
He proposed to rest over night, and proceed
on his former journey over his route in the
next days stage.
In the morning the landlord went to his
room to wake him. The stranger-his name
was Cartwright-was too weak to rise. A
terrible change had come upon him. A phy
sician was sent for Immediately. He pro-
nOunced the disease to be quick consumption
and informed the landlord that with his guest
it was a question of but few hours so far
as death was concerned.
'Have you any relative to whom 1 can send
word ?" asked the landlord
"Only one-the woman that was my wife
And thank God she is in a lunatic asvlum
hopelessly insane-made mad by her own
damnable SIM, was the reply made in low.
broken tone
"You know that the doctor has but little
hope OF your recovery ?"
"Ges, l overheard what he said Send for
the judge of the court or the prosecuting at
torney who held the trial of Amos Elliott
wish-wish to see them-or-one of them ?''
The wondering landlord found the attor-
ney the judge was away on circuit duty.
you are Mr. Leban ?" said the dying
traveller.
"Yes"
you believe Amos Elliott murdered the
peddIer9' 9''