Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-01


village. Bets Bill, as soon as he could col.
Iect his scattered wits, went in the opposite
direction, following the road by which the
old man had come.
But about an hour later, while all the
villagers were gathered in groups out oi
doors, discussing the disappearance of John
Teare, some with black looks toward Dan
kinrade, who stood alone in front of the
public house, he came rushing back, almost
literally ventre terre, his lanky BODY was
so bent with the eXertion of running. His
long gray hair was Tapping about his neck
and his usually vacant face was expressive
of the utmost horror.
"Ob, murderi murderI' he cried. John
Teare is kilt dead. I seen him with my
own eyes"
Old Peter Teare gripped him by the arm.
"Where was that?" he asked.
''In the ditch in Dan Kinrade's turnip
field"
Listen to that, now.'' said Peter Teare,
turning to the crowd. "Come on, Bets
Bill, show us the place"
So the two went on ahead, Peter still re-
tanning his grip upon the arm of Bets Bill,
while the rest followed at little distance
like a flock of frightened sheep. They
passed Hattie, standing white-faced at her
mothers door. She dared not ask any uues-
tion, and nobody answering her look OF mute
appeal, she too Joined the crowd. A turnip
field separated the cottage in which Dan
Kinrade lived with his two sisters and his
aged mother, from the more remote cottage
inhabited by the Teares. Into this field
Bets Bill, passing through a gap in the
wood fence, led the way. And in the ditch,
as be had said, lay the body of John Teare
the sightless eyes turned up to the sunny
sky.
A cold thrill ran through the
crowd when they saw that they had
indeed been told nothing but the
truth. Among that semi-circle of
startled faces was girls face, thrust for
ward to look. Suddenly the eyes dilated
with horror; the next moment the darkness
of night had swept over them. With cry
poor Hattie fell senselesS to the ground,
and pityihg hands carried her home to her
mother.
This little commotion enabled the spec
tators to recover from the first effects of their
shock. They began to talk in whispers.
SIS be dead, do You think?" asked one.
''Aye. dead as herrin', poor taller, an
swered another.
MAYBE there's life at him yet, though" "
said third, and was for stepping down into
the ditch TO see.
But at this there was a general shout:
Don't touch him, lad don't touch him,
whatever you do. Wait till the constable
comes"
The constable arrived shortly afterward-
q stout, slow, gray-whiskered man. He was
old to the business, but new to such business
as this. He pronounced John Teare to be
dead-a fact which some few had doubted |
for although the face was white and rigid, |
there was no external mark of violence, |
and no indication of a painful end. Nor |
did the constable's survey of the ground |
lead to any discovery. The turnips were |
slightly trampled, but not enough to point |
to a struggle. No trace of a weapon could |
be found.
By the constable's directions the body was
carried to the cottage, the crowd still fol-
lowing. Peter Teare went with the rest.
his uneasy little eyes scanning each face in
turn. He tried hard to find out from
his neighbors what they supposed to be
the cause of his nephew's death, but they
were cautious men and not one would give
a definite answer. So, with some guarded
talk, they tramped away, only Bets Bill
staying behind to poke about in the field.
AS soon as possible the coroner was in
formed OF what had happened. He drove to
the spot, summoned jury, visited with them
the scene Of the murder and inspected the
body. After that there was an adjournment
until the next day, when some sensational
evidence was given.
One or two other witnesses having been
disposed of, the constable described the find
ing OF the body and produced bloodstalned
pitchfork, which he had discovered in a
cow shed belonging to Dan Kin
rade. Then DIR. Smithson, a faded little
man who was supposed to hold some foreign
diploma, stated that he had found six
wounds in the body. three pairs entering
at the back and penetrating the chest, the
wounds in each pair being about equidis-
tant and exactly corresponding in this re-
spect to the prongs of the pitchfork pro-
duced. He had no doubt in his own mind
that this was the instrument which had been
used. Then Peter Teare proved that his
nephew had gone out between s and 90 clock |
and had not returned. No one seemed to |
know anything of the subsequent move
ments of the unfortunate man, for Hattie
was too i'll to appear, and, moreover, had
not mentioned the meeting, while Bets Bill
also had kept his information to himself
The quarrel between kinrade and the de- |
ceased was next gone into, and the remain
der of the evidence was devoted to elaborat-
ing this point.
Finally Dan Kinrade himself, after being
was asked whether he wished to |
make a statement.
''I never done it," be said sullenlv.
That was all they could get out of him.
He made no answer when asked to account |
or the stains of blood on his pitchfork; he
refused to say where he had been or what he |
mad done on the previous night; he re-
NAMED obstinately silent. Among those
who saw him there was only one opinion.
After very short consultation the jury re-
urned verdict of "Willful Murder"
against Daniel Kinrade. A warrant was ac-
obtained against him; he was ar I
'ested and taken off to Jail.
The verdict was subsequently indorsed by ]
he magistrate before whom Kinrade was
brought and, some weeks later, by the
,rsnd jury. Then the real trial commenced. '
A new element of sensation was intro
iuced by the appearance of Hattie Cayeen !
n the witness box. She was the only per- {
on who had actually seen any part of the i
truggle in the glen, and therefore some i'm s
,ortance was attached to her evidence. But
when questioned on the subject she refused {
o speak. Even the Judges threat to COM {
nit her for contempt of Court failed to I
7ring an answer from her quivering lips
he was told the position she '
lad occupied toward the two men, the one '
Fho had been murdered, and the other now 7
landing in the dock charged with the mur- I
Ter, and at his suggestion the point was not c
'ressed. After that Hattie became
nore communicative. She described
low and with what intention she G
lad gone out to meet John Teare, and she '
eleved, poor soul, that all this was telling '
n favor of Kinrade, whereas in reality, it '
old the other way. /
The constable supplemented his evidence +
t the inquest by producing blue guernsey 4
nd coat belonging to the prisoner, both e
tained with blood. He had found them t
Idden behind a herring barrel. There had o
cen an attempt to wash out the stains, but d
had been only partially successful f
The defense set up was an alibi. The c
riso2er's mother and sisters swore that he c
ad been indoors with them until 10 o'clock,
hen he had gone out for an hour, and it I
'as contended that the murder must have IL
cen committed hefore that time otberuieo | a