Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-06
A ADEATH-BED CONFESSION
AN OHIO MURDER OF 20 YEARS
AGO JUST REVEALED.

One of the Assassins Tells the Story Be-
fore He Dies and an AecOmpIice Ar
rested-A Fortune of $50, 900 the OBJ
| ject of the Crime-Finding the skeI-
etOn.
Wheeling { ". Va;i Special to tie He,o York
Herald. Sd.
The little town of Matamoras. Ohio.
thlrty-hve miles below this city, has lust
experienced singular and unparalleled
| sensation.
In 1864 New York syndicate sent
! man, whose name cannot now be recalled
TO Matamoras to prospect for oil land.
He came with fine team, and had about
nlm S9O,OOO IN greenbacks. He went
from rom Matamoras to Archer's Fork, a
| snort distance above, and stopped with a
man named Ward, whom he took into his
employ. He and Ward prospected about
the country for a time, when suddenly he
disappeared.
His team renamed at Wards. but that
individual said he had absconded
with his employers funds apd had left
him the team in payment for his services.
rms story was secuted, but there was no
evidence of other facts and it therefore
mad TO be accepted. Soon afterwards
W ards circumstances underwent a great
change. He was a poor man and owned
small and sterile farm. which he
disposed of and moved to Matamoras.
where he purchased a hotel property and
branched out amazingly. About three
Years ago Ward, while walking into the
yard from the house, threw his hands up
and eXclalming, "Oh, my GCdv' drOpped
dead. With his death all talk of the dis
appearance of the New Yorker ended. un-
til 1t was brought back in a thrilling way
recently.
James West, good-for-naught about
rlsAl l.aI IL
possession of money long time ago, was
taken down with an illness which proved
10 be fatal. Finding his end approaching.
he SAID: 81 have terrible disclosure TO
make; send for a minister The minister
came, and West poured out the long-hid-
del 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 de-
cided to murder him, and took into their
confidence man named Kirkbride. a
butcher In Matamoras. The three way
laid the stranger one night at Archer's
Forks, and While Ward and West held
him. Kirkbride cut his throat with a
butcher knife. They then robbed him
OF his JeWelry and about $4,000 in
money. On one finger was a gold
ring which fitted so tightly they could not
remove it, and they therefore decided to
allow it to remain. They buried the BODY
under manure pile for a few days, then
dragged 1t up and threw it in a well on
Wards place and filled up the well.
Ward gave out that the well had caved
in in order to cover the crime. The three
divided the money equally and kept their
mouth shut.
West said, in conclusion, they might
find the skeleton IN the well, and could
identify ii by the gold ring. Shortly after
making his confession West gave up the
ghost.
The disclosure created the most intense
CONSERVATION and excitement in Mata-
moras, though no prompt measures were
taken to institute tue search suggested.
kirkbride was there, and denied and ridi-
culed the story, but after some little time
had passed the tilled-up well was looked
for, found and searched, and the excava-
ton brought to light a skeleton, with a
gold ring clinging to the bony finger.
At this the town went wild, and Kirk
bride was placed under arrest to answer
the charge.