Huntsville gazette., 1884-08-23
AN UNPROvOKED MURDER.

An Illinois Farmer FoulIy Murdered by His
Hired Man for the Purpose of Robbery
A Scheme of Plunder that Miscarried in
the observation-disclosures Citizens Search.
ing for the Murderer.
NATION, ILL, August 10.
Nicholas Hubbart was murdered at his
nome, three miles east of Humboldt,
| Sunday evening, and the assassin had not
been arrested at last accounts. The vic
tim was bachelor farmer who usually
had family living in the house with him
upon the 240-acre farm which he had
rented, but during the past two weeks
no one was with him but a hired man,
Thomas Chapman, who recently came
| from Arkansas, according to his
story. Sunday, Hubbart took a
neighbours family with him in his buggy
to camp-meeting and left his hired man
to look after the household affairs in his
absence. They did not return home from
| camp-meeting until dark, and Hubbart
drove his neighborS to their homes and
then returned to his. Soon thereafter
the neighbors heard pistol shots at Hub
bart's home and later cries OF distress.
They repaired to the house and cautiously
approached, but all was quiet the bach
elor's dogs not even noticing their ap-
proach.
HIDEOUS DISCOVERY.
Between the house and barn they found
Hubbart's hat and buggy robe. They
proceeded to the house, where lamp
was lighted, but there were no other
signs of life. Going on into the yard they
saw the house dogs were in one corner,
and there they found the lifeless body of
Hubbart, bullet hole in his skull behind
Z ha Iaft ha N
the dead mans left hand he gripped an
axe tightly as though he had attempted
to defend himself against his assailant.
Upon examining the hat they found it
powder-burned and a hole in it CORE
spending with the one in the victims
head.
THE SLAYER.
Many neighbors gathered at the scene
and the premises were searched for the
hired man, Chapman, but he was not to
be found though several of the neighbors
had noticed him there only short time
before Hubbart'S return. In the house
they found chair lying on table and
paper spread over the chair to hide the
view of the lamp from the back en-
trance of the house, and in the middle
of the floor they found valise which
was opened and contained several letters
by Chapman, and one addressed to
his wife, in which he promised
to return to her soon with plenty of
money, team and other necessities. In
the vallse was one of Hubbart's suits, his
knives and forks and other articles of
value from the household effects. A
trunk, heavily packed, also stood in the
middle of the floor, and it was known to
be the property of Chapman, but upon
investigation it was found to contain
books aud other articles belonging to the
Men were at UIrU0 ursr,--------------
directions over the country in search OF
the fugitive, but no trace of him had been
found at last accounts.
THE INQUEST.
At the coroner's inquest held yesterday
afternoon it was discovered that second
ball had passed through the body under
the arms, from one side, passing through
the lungs. State Attorney Leitch lmme-
diately telegraphed to Governor Hamil-
ton with view to offering reward Tor
the capture of the assassin. Hubbart's
neighbors would make short work OF the
fiend shouId they be able to catch him,
but he has probably reached his home in
Arkansas ere this.