Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-02-26


safe robbed7 By someone who knew
the combination and opened it. The
boy was upstairs, the safe down.
stairs. What need TO meddle with
the boy at alp
I While the heroic constables and
others were digesting the above, the
Yankee was turning things over in
his mind and preparing TO add:
What object to kill the boy, or
even to arouse him? And, if killed.
where is the body? Why should the
Tobber have carried it away at all2
II DAVIS is the robber, there must
have been blood spots on his clothing.
What did he do with the balance Of
the money! Where did he get his
key TO enter? How did he learn the
combination of the safe?'
This line of reasoning upset every
body, and it no sooner reached the
ears of Stowe than he suggested the
arrest of the Yankee as an accessory.
1t was not done, but the latter heard
of it, and replied:
Investigate Stowe. He knows
more about this than the deserter
doesP
His suggestion turned public atten.
ton and suspicion in another direc-
ton, and it was not long before some
curious results were forthcoming. l
gave out the information that l saw
him in the alley at about o'clock of
the night Of the crime. The village
blacksmith then came forward and
said he saw him on the street half an
hour later, and that Stowe lodged
past him and did not return his salut.
alton. The hired girl az Stoves
house declared that he went out Just
before 8 o'clock and did not return
until 10. twas SO unusual for him
to go out on an evening alone that
she particularly noticed his going.
Three or four of US boys told how Bob
had been beaten and misused, and SO
it came about that while the deserter
was not released, Stowe was arrested.
His story was that he had caught Bob
Ipilfering from the money drawer on
several occasions and that on the day
of the murder and robbery he had
laid trap for him and caught him
taking S.. He said that he had a
feeling when he got home that he had
neglected to close the safe door, and
that he had returned to make certain
on this point After finding that
everything was alright he had stopped
to put up some goods left on the
counter and had then returned home.
He denied being in the alley at the
hour thought saw him, or of meet
ing the blacksmith.
| A new and more vigorous search
was made for the body, but no trace
of it could be found. During this time
a citizen picked up ten dollar bill in
the rear of the store, and everybody
at once declared that the deserter must
have told the truth. When the man
| who robbed the safe went out by the
back door he must have lost his grip
on the money, and the wind had
scattered some of it. The case against
Davis was dropped when called before
the higher court, and Stowe was put
on trial for robbery. Everybody now
believed him guilty of the murder OF
the boy, but as the body could not be
found this charge was not included
Search was made high and low for
the money, but it could not be found.
The general idea was that he buried
the body somewhere in the village
and concealed all traces.
Just previous to the trial Mrs. Stowe
admitted that when her husband came
J home his coat was covered with dust:
} he was pale and nervous; one OF bis
fingers was bleeding from a cut, and
that he sat up for an hour after she
had retired. 1t was further discover
ed that HIS business affairs had gone
!: wrong, and that two creditors were
pressing him for payment of debts.
All in all, pretty good case was
made out against him, but he had a
surprise in store for the public, When
, called upon to plead he answered "not
guilty" to the charge of robbery, but
: desired to plead guilty to the accusa-
tion of having murdered the boy. This
took every body aback of course, and
as they had no more proofs in the one
case than in the other, the charge Of
robbery was dropped and he was ar
: raigned on the other. On the stand
he told the story as follows:
4 had discovered that Bob was q
} thief and had punished him several
} tines for stealing. I had punished
him on this day. When I returned tc
the store in the evening I went up tc
, his room to have talk with him. He
was impudent, and l struck him blow
/ and broke his neck. l then carried the
. body to the river and flung it in, and
the reason you didn't find it was be-
cause it foated away with the current
I am very sorry. had no malice and
no thought of hurting him. I struck
| the blow on the impulse OF the mo
ment.'
When he came to trial plea Of mot
oui1tu' waa of nouroo antarod huf his