Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1891-03-13

arrested, and the constable at once be-
came the hero of the hour. A Chicago
detective, who happened in the town
that same day, looked the ground over
and declared the arrest to be slick
job.
There had not only been a robbery,
but murder had been done, aud there
was no doubt that both deeds had been
accomplished BY the same hand. Every
body turned out to look for Bob Isle 8
body, and every spot where it could have
been concealed within a radius of three
miles was carefully examined. II could
not be found, but this fact only strength
ened the general belief in the deserter's
guilt. He had, by the by, given his
name as William Davis, and had vigor-
ously and continually asserted his in
pocence of any crime whatever. A war
rant had been issued, charging him with
robbery and murder, and inside of a
week he had been examined and held to
the higher court without bail.
On the very day that this occurred a
Down-East Yankee with patent churn
arrived in town, and, of course, he soon
heard all about the mystery. To every
body's surprise he declared Davis limo
cent, and argued as follows:
Chow was the store entereds AS the
doors and windows were all right, it
must have been entered by one of the
doors, with key. How was the safe
robbed2 By some one who knew the
combination and opened it. The boy
was -stairs-the safe down stairs
What need to meddle with the boy at
all?"
While the heroic constables and others
were digesting the above5 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 robber have
carried it away at allE If 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 enter2
How did he learn the combination of the
safe?"
This line of reasoning upset everybody,
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 re-
piled:
"Investigate Stowe. He knows more
about this than the deserter does!"
His suggestion turned public attention
and suspicion in another direction, and
it was not long before some curious re-
suits were forthcoming. I gave out the
information that I saw him in the alley
at about nine 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 re-
turn his salutation. The hired girl at
Stoves house declared that he went out
just before nine o'clock and did not re-
turn until ten. It was so unusual for
him to go out of al 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 re-
leased, Stowe was arrested. His story was
that ne had caught Bob pilfering from
the money drawer on several occasions,
and that on the day of the murder and
robbery be had laid trap for him and
caught him taking S.. He said 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 all right he had stopped to put up
1c Iof& no nd no
then returned home. He denied being
IN the alley at the hour thought saw
him, or of meeting the blacksmith.
A new and more vigorous search was
made for the body, butno trace of it
could be found. During this time citi-
zen picked up ten-dollar bill in the
rear of the store, and everybody at once
declared thatthe deserter must have told
the truth. When the man who robbed
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 vii
lage, and concealed all traces.
Just previous to the trial Mrs. Stowe
admitted that when her husband came
home his coat was covered with dust;
he was pale and nervous; one of his fin