Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1888-08-03
A CURIOUS CASE.

the manner i'll which one OF them was
worked and the developments of the
case may interest the reader.
About three miles outside the limits
of large city in Pennsylvania stood
large farmhouse. There had been
a murder committed there and whisky
had played havoc with an heir, and
the house had stood vacant for three
years before | saw it. The farm had
passed into the hands of New York
er on a mortgage, and he seemed TO
have forgotten all about it. Natural
ly the cry of haunted house was
raised, and presently you could not
have hired a neighbor to enter the
house in the daytime. There were
people living within quarter of a
mile of the place, and by and by they
began to tell some queer stories. On
two occasions parties of three or four
went out from the city TO stop III the
house all night, but in each instance
they were driven away by strange
noises before midnight. | lived in a
town 40 miles from the haunted house,
and | consequently heard nothing of
ii.
| had a case against an absconding
treasurer. He had the funds of large
and prosperous lodge in his hands,
and got away with 50, 600 belonging to
it, He furthermore borrowed about
$4,000 of his friends, and got $500 on Il
forged draft. This occurred in town
about 30miles from the haunted house.
The defaulter had bought a ticket for
accident, a parcel addressed to II par
ty in the Garden City. 1t ought to
have been reasoned that this party
was under another name, and that he
had gone TO Chicago as fast as steam
could carry him, but | reasoned just
the opposite. He had gone without
his trunk or clothing, but when | came
to overhaul his things, his landlady
figured out that two clean shirts, sew
eral collars, n stout pair of boots and
an old suit of clothes were missing
from the house The boots and old
suit had belonged to boarder who
died months before.
There were three highways leading
% I .,
without success. On the third soon
found a farmer who had seen foot
traveller resembling my man pass on
the evening he had absconded. Five
miles farther on became positive of
his identity. He walked all that night.
with only two brief halts before mid
night to inquire about roads; but once
on his trail ] soon picked up plenty of
pointers. The absconders name was
Kelly, and he was keen, shrewd fel-
low. He had planned the embezzle-
ment and escape weeks ahead, and he
followed out n regular programme.
He left town dressed "a laborer, and
carrying "a valise. He had light felt
hat, a black felt hat and a cap, and
about once in ten miles he exchanged
his headgear He was a smooth-faced
man. but had provided himself with
goatee and side whiskers. | thus
heard OF him once as u smoothfaced
young man wearing a cap and having
one arm in a sling; next as n youngish
man with IA goatee and a black hat;
again a. a administered man with
light hat | confess that ! was badly
puzzled and about to despair, when |
came to farmhouse where he had
stopped for dinner He was then
smooth-faced and wore II cap, and
claimed to be an agent for a windmill
company whose rights had been in
fringed on and who were taking steps
to collect royalty
When Kelly entered the kitchen for
dinner a colored boy, who was not
permitted to eat with the family, was
left in the sitting-roOm. His curiosity
regarding the contents of the valise
was aroused, and he picked the lock
and overhauled them. He was care
full not to say anything of this to the
family, but when came along on my
errand soon discovered that he had
a secret. The sight of a silver piece
loosened his tongue. and he told me
of the hats and false whiskers. After
that ! had no tronble in following kel
ly. no matter which disguise he as
sumed. There was a direct highway
from the town he left TO the city with
the haunted house, but he did not
keep it, He would branch off here
and there and make half circle 10
come back again. One or two nights
he slept in barns. and so ] lost track
of him for few hours. On one occa-
sion his feet became sore and he lay
by at tavern for two days, and then
| actually got ahead of him.
While the towns were only 80 miles
apart, Kelly travelled all of 100 miles
in making the distance, and was u
DAYS about it, followed him mile by
mile, and owing to severe storm was
13 days. ! traced him into the sub
urbs of the city and there lost him,
and though had the help of three or
four local officers. We could get no
further trace of him. At length we
heard OF a person 100 miles away
who bore Kelly's description, and /
was about TO start after him when |
nyarh ea I'd the follnwinu conversation