The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-06-26
A BLIGHTED LIFE.
The Story of a Murder Twenty
Five Years Ago.
A DARK PLOT REVIEWED
A Narrow Escape From the CAL
lOWs-Murder Will Out.

OMAHA, Neb., June 23-TSpecial. IA few
days ago a local paper printed brief notice Of
the death of a former Omaha woman in a
neighboring city, at the same time mentioning
that her entire life seemed to have been
shrouded in mystery. To a few of her nearest
friends she, before death, confded :the secret
of having been once connected with n murder.
This recalls crime committed many years
ago, in which she was a central figure.
Along in the sixtiesa murder was committed
near this city, and a young man narrowly es-
capped the galows by sealing his lips when his
life was in jeopardy, in order to conceal petty
vice.
One night in March. 1862, a farmer named
Heymann left the town where, during the
day, he bad disposed of lot Of sheep. lie
carried the proceeds of lis sales in heavy sad
dIe-bags. The money was mostly in coin.
Heymann did not go armed, but rode from
town little under the influence OF liquor,
but not drunk enough to call attention to the
fact.
AS he lived but twenty miles from the mar
ket, lie expected to reach home about mid
night But when the morning dawned Elias
Heymann was still absent from his farm. His
horse, however stood at the stable door, but
the saddle bags were missing, which naturally
gave rise to suspicious of foul play.
AT distance of five miles from his home
the body of Heymann was found lying by the
roadside, and not far away lay the saddle.bags,
rifled of their contents. The murderer, in his
haste to get the money had cut his way to it,
instead of unbuckling the straps. The farmer
was found to be quite dead one side of his
skull had been crushed as If by blow from
b!udgeon or some murderous weapon OF that
sort and his pockets like the saddle-bags, had
been emptied.
Though the country was secured for the per-
petrators of the deed, no traces We're discov-
cred but clue was suddenly furnished in q
most startling manner.
ELLEN GRAY's STORY.
The body of the farmer had been discovered
not far from the farmhouse occupied by a fam
lily named Gray, which consisted of the par
entss and two children Ellen Gray came for
ward and desired to make statement, which
she said had tortured her ever since the night
Of the murder. The girl stated that she heard
q horse coming down the frosty road from the
direction of Silverton. Not regarding the
sound of any moment, she was about to re-
enter the house when she heard an OATH fol-
lowed by a fall and groan Then she heard
a name uttered twice in q tone of mingled
agony and supplication. A moment later the
sound of hoOfs came to her ears, and the
horse seemed to be galloping toward the Hey
man farm.
1t was believed that the name which she
had heard wasthat Of the murderer, which had
fallen from the lips of the victim before inSen-
sibilty or death followed the blow. The girl
visibly hesitated when asked by the magistrate
to pronounce the name. She covered her
face with her hands and in all probability
would have fallen if she would not have been
supported by her brother Hiram. She did
not like to utter the name that might doom
one of the young men of her acquaintance to
the gallows, for she could not believe him
guilty, yet she heard Edward Heymann call
on him to spare his life. She was pressed to
mention the name and further the ends of
justice, in which tho whole country was inter-
estod, and at last her lips parted.
"God help him and pity mel" she said
"The name l heard was Abner Tenny's"
Ii tllunderbolt had struck into the crowd
astonishment would not have been more COM
plete, Men started at the name and women
uttered cries that added to the confusion.
Standing near the witness was a young man
of five and twenty, the only son of n minister
who watched over the little flock of his be-
levers that worshipped i'll the village church
hard by, and youth Of exemplary habits to
the outer world. His face was as pale as DEATH
and at the mention of his name he started back
with cry and found all eyes fixed upon him.
His namo was Abner Tenny.
lie made no effort to escape, bat told the
people he would face the accusation.
The young man was formally arrested on
Ellen Gray's statement and brought to the bar
of Justice. He denied the crime but astonish-
ed everybody with his answer as To where he
had been on the fatal night of the crime.
81 admit that was not at home but where
l was on that night, | will not tell"
This answer was twisted az il could easily
be by tho excited community, into broad
strands of guilt, and the young man was re-
manded by the magistrate for regular trial
at the next term OF court.
There were Il few who believed that he
might be innocent. When it became gener-
ally known that he had been suitor for Eva
HIeymann' S hand without the consent of her
father, revenge was added to the motive of
murder Ellen Grays word was believed.
She was girl Of violent passions, but her ve-
racity in this case was not questioned, She
Acknowledged that
SHE LOVED ABNER TENNY,