Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-02-18
A MURDERER'S NEMESIS.
THE FATE WHICH HAS OVER
TAKEN THOMAS ARMSTRONG.
Killing His Stepfather and Driven
From Place to Place by a Femi-
nine Avenger-A Strange Tale.

nine Avenger-A Strange Tale.
On the 10th of August, 1885, in the
city of Brooklyn, young Thomas Arm
strong killed his stepfather, Albert Her
rick, son of w. C. HerriclS, who resides
in Nashua, N. II. To-day lie drags a
twenty-pound iron ball, forged TO his
ankle, through the streets of Brisbane,
Queensland, Australia.
There are but two years between the
two dates, yetin that time this nineteen.
year-old boy has lived whole lives of re-
morse and turmoil. His hair has
whitened under the terrible curse that
always followed him. From land to land,
across seas and deserts, back in the will
dernesses far from civilization, putting
thousands of miles between him and his
home, he hurried along, but no peace
came. And now he is breaking stone in
the public highway, branded felon.
Brought up in ease and luxury, Thomas
Armstrong found ample time to learn the
wees of great city. Wild and vicious
when but a mere child, he grew up vim
dictive, quarrelsome, treacherous and
malignant. lie ran away from home
time after time, each time turning up in
Jail for some oifense far beyond his
years.
While Thomas was still youth, Mrs.
Armstrong who had considerable prop
erty left by her first husband, married
Albert II. Herrick, of Nashua. From
the first young Thomas and he had vio-
lent quarrels. Often he turned upon his
mother, but with that strange maternal
perversity which makes mothers love
their black sheep even better than their
white, she chung closer to him, encourage
ing him in his idleness and self-indul-
gence, and supporting him in his many
bitter quarrels with his stepIather. All
this time his mother knew that her son
declared that he would have her money
before he was 81, by fair means or foul.
The murder was sudden, but the neigh
bors had almost eXpectedit. August 10
Mr., Herrick arrived home early in the
afternoon. of what happened afterward
but little is known but that he and Young
Thomas Armstrong had violent quarrel.
An hour asterward Mr.. Frank, who
was passing, was Mortified to see lierrick
standing in the hallway of his residence,
with torrent OF blood pouring from his
mouth, uttering cries of 'AIurderl Hclpl
Burglars" Then he fell. When taken
up he was dead.
The police searched the house, and
after almost despairing of finding clew,
found bullet embedded in the wood
work of the cellar door. Thomas Arm
strong was suspected, arrested, and tried.
He admitted his guilt to the officers, but
denied it at his trial, under instruction
of his counsel, saying that he killed Her
rick in Self-defence. The trial will long
be remembered in the police annals of
Brooklyn. Mrs. Herrick spent fortune
for her boy, and he was acquitted.
Asyoung Armstrong left the court room
free there crowded forward from among
the spectators tall, beautiful girl, not
more than r. years old, who caught him
by the arm and Kissed in his ear: " You
have escaped but one judgment" Then
she vanished in the crowd, In the spring
of 1886 Armstrong, now notorious for
his many crimes, caused q genuine sensa-
ton by marrying pretty young
society lady named Ella Hoscomb.
From the first he maltreated her. They
soon parted. Last August she died, and
in the delirium just preceding death she
cried in agony: keep him away. Don't
let Tom kill me-"
Armstrong became haggard and pale,
and his mother was forced to send him
away. He stayed away year, returning
broken down, telling a story of being
haunted by an enemy. The police in
every place he stopped at visited him and
requested him to "move on" Try as
he would he could not get where he was
not known to the police, and, broken in
spirit and health, he returned to Brook
Ign.
His mother raised 81, 500 for him, and
he sailed for New South Wales under the
name of l.. d. Wetz.er, of Canada. As
he walked up the dock of Sydney, when
the vessel landed, December IS, he felt
the hand of policeman on his shoulder
and turned to hear the words: " thomas
J. Armstrong, we know you; move onw
Despairing of peace, Armstrong made the
best OF his way TO the wild part of Aus
tralia. There he gambled and drank
until his money was exhausted Long
ing for the companions of city, each
time he visited one he met with that stern
command: 9 Move ON y
AT last, along In the spring oil 1887,
poor and desperate, weary and worn, he
reached brisbane, W eek OF his former
self. With not ffieud or dollar in
in the world he attempted 10 repeat the
experiences of his youth aud commit
r burglary. But the police, besides
warning him, had watched him. lie
was caught in the act, tried, and sentenced
to two years penal seryitude. lie is now
serving his sentence. doing the first
legitimate work of his life in keeping
the roads in good condition in company
with 100 other criminals.
The Nemesis, who is making IF Thomas
Armstrong rival of the Wandering Jew,
is the you z lady who Kissed The words
in Ia ear Just after his acquit;al of the
murder Of his stcpfithe.. She had
watched the proceedings of the murder
trial with fever sh interest. When the
verdict OF atqu;;tal came she bit her
lips until the blood ran. To her Albert
r. IIerrick ha been as brother. aud
she swore in the Brooklyn court room
pavar - raef until sba lol ,,.n,..,1 he