The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-08-08
MURDERGD FOR HIS MONEY .
Startling and Mysterious Sensation In an
Ohio Town.

Startling and Mysterious Sensation In an
Ohio Town.
The little town of MatamOras, o., 80
miles below Wheeling, has Just expert
enced singular and unparalleled SEN
satiOn.
In 1864 New YORK syndicate sent a
man, whose name cannot now be recall
ed, to MatamOras to prospect for oil
land. He came with fine team, and had
about him $4,000 In greenbacks. He
went from MatamOras to Archer's Fork,
a short distance above, and stopped with
a man named Ward, whom he took into
his employ. He and Ward prOspected
about the country for time, when sud-
denly he disappeared.
WARDS CHANGE OF FORTUNE.
His team remained at Wards, but that
individual said he had abscOnded with
his employers funds and had left him
the team in payment for his services.
This story was secuted, but there was no
evidence of other facts and it therefore
had to be accepted. Soon afterward
Wards circumstances underwent
great change. He was a poor man and
owned a small and sterile farm, which
he disposed of and moved to MatamOras,
where he purchased hotel property and
branched out amazingly. About three
years ago Ward, while walking into the
yard from the house threw his hands up,
and exclaiming, "0h, my GOdP' dropped
dead. With his death all talk of the dis
appearance of the New Yorker ended,
until 1t was brought back in thrilling
way recently.
MURDERER'S CONFESSION.
James West, gOod-fOr-naught about
MatamOras, who had suddenly come into
nOlqnQQinn nf lOnn timn
was taken down with an illness which
proved to be fatal. Finding his end ap-
preaching he said, 81 have terrible dis
closure to make; send for a minister ''
The minister came, and West poured out
the long hidden mystery concerning the
stranger. Ward had come to West and
told him of the prOspector's money and
how easily they might obtain it. The
two men decided to murder him, and
took into their confidence a man named
Kirkbride, a butcher in MatamOras. The
three waylaid the stranger one dark
night at Archer's Forks, and, while
Ward and West held him, Kirkbride cut
his throat with butcher knife. They
then robbed him of his jewelry and
| about $4,000 in money. On one finger
was gold ring which fitted so tightly
they could not remove it, and they there
fore decided to allow it to remain. They
buried the body under manure pile fol
| few days, then dragged 1t up and
threw it into a we'll on Wards place anC
filled up the we'll. Ward gave out thai
the well had caVed in, in order to cover
the crime. The three divided the money
equally and kept their mouths shut.
DISCOVERY OF THE REMAINS.
West said, in conclusion, they might
| find the skeleton in the well, and could
identify it by the gold ring. Shortly
after making this confession West gave
up the ghost.
The disclosure created the most in
tense excitement in MatamOras, though
no prompt measures were taken to in
stitute the search suggested. KirkbridC
was there, and denied and ridiculed thC
story; but after some little time haC
passed the filled up we'll was looked for
found and searched, and the excavation
brought to light skeleton, with golC
ring clinging to the bOny finger. Al
| this the town went wild, and Kirkbrid(
was placed under arrest to answer thC
charges,