Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-02-14

SIS it posslole rnat you bavenY
heard ?" he said.
Heard what %
''Of the murder -
BLESS aud save us, sir :" she said,
jumping up.
"What are you talking about ?"
He looked intently at her.
Woman" said he" have you seen
Miss Pidgeon lately %
We'll, now that you mention it. /
have not, said Mrs. Hopkins, wonder
ing greatly.
'But I'm told she's gone to Lowell,
a visitin'."
He uttered groan.
Look at this 70 he said-.'a piece of
crumpled paper which found beside a
brook, few miles from here.
Evidently a portion of the guilty
correspondence.
"You will perceive that it is not the
caligraphy of cultured person"
And Mrs. Hopkins read, on torn
and stained piece of note-paper, the
following words
"-poor phebe pidgeon is poysoned.
"Dollie Dutton done did it with Rstt
poyson, don't Tel amy one, she is ber-
ned out under the willow Trea."
All the rest was torn away, but Mrs.
Hopkins had already read more than
enough.
SIT amt possible !" said she turning
very pale.
That letter would be evidence in any
court of law" said Mr.. Duckett.
81 am going for the constable at once!"
Dolly Dutton. sitting singing at her
work, by the window of the Dutton
farmhouse, was nearly frightened to
death by the clasp of the constable's
hand, all of sudden, on her shoulder.
"You are my prisoner" said the con-
stable.
but don be Skeart
"What for % cried Dolly, trembling
all over.
"Fcr murder -
SIS the man crazy p said Dolly.
Whose murder %
"Miss Pigeons, said the constable;
''and the quieter and quicker you come
along with me. the better it Will be for
you.
But 1 never dreamed of such
thing I" cried Dolly
''That's all talk" said the constable.
"That's what they all saw"
81 am innocent" pleaded Dolly, hys-
terically.
"That's for the Judge and jury to de-
eide" he said.
There was great crowd that after
noon around "the old willow Trea,
well known gnarled veteran, on the
edge of a merry little rivuIet
All the spades and picks in the
neighborhood were in requisition.
dolly, the implied murderess, was
at Mrs. Hopkins house, under a strong
guard. until they could take her to the
neighboring jail, and Alphonso Pay
sley, at Mr.. Duekett's suggestion, had
been arrested as an accomplice.
'Why don't they tell me on what evil
dence they have dared to arrest me ?''
said poor Dolly.
'Them weren't my orders, answered
the constable, who, in truth and in fact,
was as much in the dark as Dolly her.
self.
But the spades and the picks, after
much diligent labor, produced no COM
mensurate effect.
"l'm blessed If believe there's any,
thing there = said the biggest of the
excavators and at the same moment,
there was murmur through the little
crowd, and woman pressed her way
through, and Miss Phebe Pidgeon her
self stood in the front rank.
''What on earth are you all doing ?
said she.
ssSim ons told me that 1 was murdered.
'If it really is the case, don't know
it myself yet"
The diggers dropped their imple-
ments the undertaker's wagon began
to back down the road as quietly as
possible 1.-THE crowdstood open-mouthed.
'Then," said Mr.. Duckett, show do
YOU account for this letter p
Just then tiny little hand plucked
at his sleeve.
"It's my letter." said Squire Aliens
little hired boy.
81 wrote it to Billy Bliss.
"It's about my pet pigeon-my
Phebe's dove.
dolly Dutton kept it at her house
for me, and it got poisoned with some
OF the stuff she got for rats. y
"Then," gasped Mr.. Duckett, why
didn't we find it, then P"
"Cause took it up yesterday. said
the boy, whimpering, "and buried IL IN
our own back yard, so could look at
its grave"
There is nothing so quickly turned as
the tide of public feeling.
SITS all Daddy Duckett's own PIE !
sbouted an irreverent young man.
81 hope he's satisfied with the way
he's baked 1t p -,
So Dolly Dutton was released, with
many apologies Alphonso Paysiey was
notified that he need no longer consider
himself under arrest Miss PIdgeon
went hon e. TO find her house in posses
sion of half-a-dozen artists OF illustrated
papers and Mr.. Duckett disappeared
Not mysteriously, however.
He paid his bill at Mr.. hoPkins
co+bared together his scienfl1c lnpie-