The Osceola times., 1884-08-09
THE STORY OF A HUMAN SKULL.

| Ah
THE STORY OF A HUMAN SKULL.
Sold to = Junk Dealer and Connected with
aMystery.
| New York Sun,
A few days ago Norwalk junk man,
who travels through the towns in the
western portion of Fairfield County,
Conn.,, buying bones, was in Westport.
The boys in that place anticipate his
coming, and make it business to collect
every bone they can find, as they are
sure of the cash at ! cent a pound the
moment the goods are weighed and de-
livered. In the "poor-town" district the
the dealer fell in with two Patterson
boys, of when he purchased bones that
had evidently laid in the ground for
some time, and had become bleached
and moldy. The boys said they had col
lected them from dooryards in the neigh
borhood. The dealer by long familiarity
with his business, is able to detect in.
stantly the kind Of bones he is handling,
and while throwing the bones into the
wagon he SAID: "This is an OK bone, this
is cows bone, these belong to sheep,
and these to swine," explaining the pc
culiarities of each. Then lie came to
bone larger than the Others, and said
"Th;.t is human bone and came from
the thigh Of man." A moment later
mans skull came TO yiew, and the boys
were horrfied. On examining the skull
hole was found between the eyes,
which looked as though it had been
made with bullet. The skull indicat.
ed that the person to whom it belonged
must have been about 80 years of age.
The boys were not aware until that mo-
ment of the existence of the skull. and
coulo not tell where they had picked it
up.
On his way TO Norwalk the dealer
stopped at Ephraim Osborn's market on
the west size of the bridge in Westport,
skull. Osborn said that the store he oc-
cupied wasa grocery and liquor store
many years ago, and that thirty years
ago Robert Raymond shoemaker, visit
ed the store on Saturday night and was
never afterward seen. At The time of
his disappearance il is alleged that he
had considerable money, a portion of
which he had received nom William L.
Dikeman, large shoe manufacturer.
Raymond lived in Norwalk near Peat
swamp. He worked at home, anu on
the last Gay OF each week took his shoes
to Dikeman and got his pay. On the
night in question he went TO the village,
but did not return. The Wednesday fol-
lowing Mrs. Raymond, who had an in
iant weeks old, called on Dikeman,
much agitated, and wanted to know if
he had not seen her husband He had
not, nor had Solomon Gray, his foreman.
The last they had seen of him he was
walking toward the village Search was
made, but no trace of him could be found.
1t was known to many, however, that he
had entered the quor store.
Time ran on, and the story of Ray
mond's disappearance was often told,
and many theories advanced as to the
cause. Some said that there was little
doubt OF foul play; others that he had
committed suicide. The general opinion
was that he met his fate in the liquor
store. II was place there stolen goods
had been recclvel, and many dark deeds
had been tran Sacted there. A story gaiu-
ed credcnce, and is yet bel eyed, that a
man Was murdered there at the time
Raymond disappeared, and was buried
in the cellar.
Tie theory is that Raymond was shot
in the store, his pockets rihed, and his
body loaded up with olial from the
shambles, and taken TO the Poor town
district to place where refuse was de-
posited, and there thrown into a hog.
pen or buried in shallow grave The
date of Raym ,nd's disappearance, the
character OF the place where he was last
seen, ard that of the man in charge OF
it, the further fact that the proprietor
soon afterward spent almost his entire
estate to save himself from state prison,
aud, finally, the skull which bears re-
semblance in form and size to tnat of the
missing man, all seems to strengthen the
belief that the junk dealers purchase
contains clew which may lead to the
solution of the mystery of Raymond's
disappearance.
Mrs. Raymond still lives in the house
where she last saw her husband, and,
though tottering with age, is still anx
ious forl intelligence Of the long miss
ing man. The proprietor of the liquor
store lives about four miles north of
Westport. A man named Downes, of
Cranberry PLAIN, in Norwalk, was in
the store on the night that Raymond dis
appeared, and, while he will disclose
nothing OF what is alleged to have oc-
Cured there, ne makes free to say that
il the walls could speak, each particular
hair of the listener would stand on end