Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-09-23
A MYSTERY SOLVED.
TIE Confession Of An OHIO MUIR
derer,
VIII Oh Explains the Strange Disappearance
Of HensIey, the Batavia Hermit, in
1865 - Killed for His
Money.

BATAVIA, O., September 22'-About
1866 there came a stranger to the neigh
borhood of Luck's mill, in this county,
some four miles back of Moscow on the
| Ohio river. He rented of a farmer
named Abrams a log house standing
ON the bank of Indian creek. In this
wretched tenement the stranger, David
HensIey, lived alone forthree years. He
is said to have been of a sullen DISPOSE
ton, and never inclined to talk with
his neighbors, who all believed he had
seer better days and possessed large
Gums of money. In the summer of 1853
This Strange Man Disappeared
as mysteliously as he had come, leav-
ing his rough furniture, scanty bedding,
aud a few cooking utensils undisturbed.
1t was the opinion of most OF
the neighbors that with some notorious
band of counterfeiters, he had secret y
fled to avoid arrest, or escape sems dan
ger that threatened him. After Hens
ley's disappearance suspicion fell upon
q man named Collier, as one who might
have dealt foully with Hensley. The
great mystery has at last been solved by
a letter received a few days ago, which
clears up the whole matter and unearths
a brutal murder. 1t was from William
Beckstead, of Silver Greek, Nevada, and
stated that on March 10 he had hired
one James Lewis, a stranger, as q farm
hand. On August % his team run
away and Lewis was thrown from his
wagon and so injured that
He Died. Next Day.
Before he died he made a confession, in
which he gave some details Of his life,
and said that in 1858 he was travelling
in southern Ohio and approached a
house to get some food, when he saw a
light in the cellar and saw a man cOn
cealing something under a stone which
he believed to be money. He after
ward called on the man, and recogniZ-
ed him as David Hensley, whom he
knew in Tennessee, and that night
broke into the cellar and had just un-
earthed a box of money from is hiding
place when Hensley entered, and in
the scuflle which ensued was killed. He
hid Hensley's body in a deep gulley,
took s., 700 in gold and currency, and
buried a large part of the money in gold
and silver, describing the place. The
confession was printed in q Moscow pa
per,and for the past four days the whole
region adjacent to the murder has been
tramped over by thousands Of excited
people, looking for the secreted specie.
These visitors have dug up acres of
ground, and are still engaged in their
explorations.
There il a Suspicion
in the minds of somethat it was diScov-
ed last night and taken away by a party
from Campbell county, Kentucky. This
arrived Sunday noon and departed at
midnight very m~ysteriously, and the
ferryman who took them over the Ohio
river, said their sack had something in
it that ratified, and he believes it con-
tanned silver. The site of the murder is
near the rendezvous of Ben Hess, the
leader of the greatest band Of counter
feiters that ever infested the Ohio val
ley, and who, halls century ago, vas
sent to the penitentiary, and when his
term exspired, fled to the southwest,
where his exploits became celebrated
OH q still greater scale.