Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-01-16

More than forty Year, ago, when roads in
Aroossook we're few and poor. peddler.
whose name was Wiley, left Bangor 90
horseback, late in the fall, to 60 to a certain
place in Aroossook, shere, in the spring be-
fore be bad lefs his cart boiy, which sas
then on runners After calling a. several
places where he WAS acquainted, he uear to
the house where he had left his cart This
vas log building some distance from any
other. and is was large one and used As
sort Of hotel From the time Of his starting
for the log hotel be WAS never seen neither
man nor horse, though his wife, alzrmed At
his long silence visited these parts, and in
company with people Of her husband. ae-
9aaintances, made long and diiigent search.
He could be tracked To this house and no
further
some eight years after his disappearance,
when the place had changed hands two or
three times, one Abel d. Hantley then
about is FEARS Of age, was employed on that
farm narrowing on piece Of newly cleared
land nor far from the house. While en-
gagged in his ~ork, he found the bones Of an
animal 10 place wher-seversl years before
all the trees for a considerable space around
had been cut, and small trees and bushes
grown up. Digging around for the bones,
nc ioNbH thal tuty we're Tie rcuidIns OF
horse, and that the horse had been buried
there with the saddle on. He called the at
tention Of the owner Of the property to the
result Of his search. but the owner would
not believe that be had found anything That
night. however, a travelling agent, for the
sale Of Johasons Linime ut, CHANGED to stop
at the house for the night and in the even
ing, while seated before the big fire place,
Abel told him Of the los; peddler, and Of the
bones he had found, and that he believed
the peddler he'd been murdered and buried
there.
The curiosity of the travelling man was
aroused, and in the morning he went To the
spot With Abiel, and there they dug, and the
remains OF a horse, with a saddle, in de-
cayed condition, and some bones which we're
certainly those Of a man. These last had
been partially burned The saddle, once a
nice one, had large brass buckles and stir
rups on it. and these Abiel and the travelling
man carried away. They also took some of
the human bones TO the house, intending to
carry them ID for an examination, but while
they were left in the barn, awaiting a box,
they crumsled To pieces, or else were pound
ed up by the proprietor. who appeared to be
afraid some stories might get ahoat that
would injure his house
The affair was much talked of at the
time, but as nothing more turned up, the
whole matter finally quiet down, and only
few Of the residents now know anything
about it.
A short time ago. a we'll known man in the
vicinity eloped and went TO some western
State with his own sons wife. His own wife
also went in a short time to some other west
ern place where some of her relatives had
gone. Not long ago her husband sent for
her to come To him as he was very ill. She
went and stayed with him until he died, and
Just before that event he confessed to her
that he, in company with the man who owned
the log hotel at the time, murdered the ped
der They expected to get large sum Of
money, but really only got about seventy
five dollars. They took him to the place in
the woods where a large tree was turned up
by the roots, and throwing the body down at
the roots, built FIRE on it, They then cut
off the body of the tree and let the stump fly
back. After killing and burying the horse
beside of its master, they cut all the neigh
boring trees so they would fall owe r the spot
The then owner of the place afterwsrd
moved to the western part of the State
where he died sevaral years ago.
1t may be that some member of the
murdered mans family are still living and
would like to know the end of the mystery.