Omaha daily bee., 1888-01-19
AN AvENGlNG NEMESIS.


childhood OF only the other day.
AN AvENeINo NEMESIS.
The Unhappy Experience Of a Youth-
full Murderer.
On August 10, 1885, in the city OF
Brooklyn. young Thomas Armstrong
killed his step-father, Albert Herrick,
son of w. G. Herrick. who resides in
Nashua, Mass. To-day he drags twen-
ty-pound iron ball forged to his ankle,
through the streets Of Brisbane. Queens
land, Australia. There are but two
years between the two dates, yet in that
time this nineteen year old boy has
lived whole lives of remorse and turmoil.
His hair has whitened under the terrible
curse thas always followed him. From
land to land, across seas and deserts,
back in the wilderness far from civiliza-
| tiOn, putting thousands of miles be-
tween him and his home, he hurried
| along but no peace came. and now he is
breaking stone in the public highway,
| branded felon. Brought upin ease and
luxury. Thomas Armstrong found ample
| time to learn the vices of a great city.
| While he was still IA youth his mother.
who had considerable property left by
| her first husband, married Albert II.
| Herrick. of this city. From the first
| young Thomas ana defflck nau violent
| quarrels.
The murder was sudden. but the
neighbors had almost expected it. Au-
| gust 10 Mr.. Herrick arrived home early
| in the afternoon. OF what happened
| afterward but little is known. except
| that he and young Thomas Armstrong
had violent quarrel. An hour after
ward Mr.. Frank. who was passing,
was Mortified to see Herrick standing in
the hallway of his residence, with
torrent of blood pouring from his
Help. Burglars" Then he fell. When
taken up he was dead, The police
searched the house, and. after almost
| despairlng OF finding Il clew, found a
| bullett embedded in the woodwork in
the cellar door. Thomas Armstrong
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
long be remembered in the police
annals of Brooklyn. Mrs. Herrick spent
a fortune for her boy, and he was ac-
| quilted.
AS young Armstrong left the court
room free, there crowded forward from
! among the spectators tall. beautiful
| girl, not more than nineteen years DID,
who caught him by the arm and hissed
in his ear:
| You have escaped but one judg-
ment."
| Then she vanished in the crowd.
In the spring of 1856 Armstrong, now
notorious for his many crimes, caused
| genuine sensation in this city by mar
| rying pretty young society lady named
| Ella Hascomb. From the first he beat
and maltreated her. They soon parted.
Last August she died, and in the delir-
ium just preceding death she cried in
| agony: ..
Keep him away! Dou't let Tom kill
me.'
| Armstrong became haggard and pale,
| and his mother was forced to send him
away. He stayed away year, return
ing broken down, telling u story of be-
ing haunted by an enemy. The police
in every place he stopped 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, bro
| ken down in spirit and health, he re-
turned to Brooklyn. His mother raised
81 500 for him and he sailed for New
] South Wales under the name of l.. ID.
| Witzler. of Canada. AS he walked up
the dock of Sydney when the vessel
landed. December IL, he felt the hand of
a policeman upon his shoulder AMI
| tnrned to hear the words:
| Thomas j. Armstrong, we know you.
Move on"
Despairing of peace, Armstrong made
the best of his way to the wild part of
| Australia. There he gambled and drank
until his money was exhausted. Long
ing for the companions of a city, each
| time he visited one he met with that
same stern commands: 'Move on!" At
last, along in the spring Of the year,
poor and desperate, weary and worn, he
reached Brisbane, wreck OF his former
self. With not u friend or a dollar in
the world, he attempted to repeat the
burglary, but the police, besides warn
ing him, had watched him. He was
caught in the act, tried and sentenced
| to two years penal servitude. He is now
| serving his sentence in keeping the
roads in good condition in company with
100 other criminals.
| The Nemesis who is making Of Thomas
| Armstrong rival of the wandering
Jew, is the lady who Missed the words in
his ear just after his ac,quittal OF the
| murder of his step-father. She had
watched the proceedings of the murder
trial with feverish interest. When the
| verdict of acquittal came she bit her lips
until the blood ran. To her, Albert X.
Herrick had been as a brother, and she
swore in the Brooklyn court room never
to rest until she had avenged his muir
der. She had money, and it was de-
voted to warning the police Of every
city that Armstrong visited. Men were
| employed TO track him. Letters pre-
cedcd him to the police Of Sydney and
Melbourne, and they were ready to act.
When Armstrong; sentence expires
next year she will follow him as before.
One or the other must die before it
stops. Already Armstrong shows signs
of rapidly breaking down under the ter
rible destiny of continually "moving
on" Like n hunted felon he will wan
der over the world and find no resting
place until he drops into the grave.