The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1891-03-06

about that whilc the deserter was not re
leased, Stowe was arrested. His story wai
that he had caught Bob pilfering 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 S5. He said he had
feeling when he got homo that he had
neglected to close the safe door, and that
he had retained to make certain on this
point. After finding that everything
was all right 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 meeting tho blacksmith.
A new and moro vigorous search was
made for tho body, but no trace of 1t
could be found. During this time citi.
zen picked up ten-dollar bill in the
rear Of the store, and everybody at once
declared that the deserter must have told
tha txasth Whan the W.. -. rophad-
must have lost his grip on the money,
and the wind had scattered some Of 1t.
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 tho 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 tho yil-
lage, and concealed all traces.
Just previous to tho 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
gers was bleeding from cut, and that
he sat up for an hour after she had re-
tired. It was further discovered that
his business affairs had gone wrong, and
that two creditors were pressing him Tor
payment OF debts. All in all, pretty
uood case was made out against him, but
he had surprise in store for the public.
When called upon to plead he answered
s'Not guilty" to the charge Of robbery,
but desired to plead guilty to the accusa-
ton of having murdered the boy. This
took everybody 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 arraigned on
the other. On the stand he told the
story as follows:
II had discovered that Bob was q
thief, and had punished him several
times for stealing. I had punished him
on this day. When returned to the
store in the evening went up to his
room to have a talk with him. He was
impudent, and struck him blow and
broke his neck. then carried the body
to the river and flung it in, and the rea-
son you didn't find It was because 1t
fioated away with the current. am
very sorry. had no malice and no
thought of hurting him. ! struck the
blow on the impulse Of the moment"
When ne came to trial plea Of "not
guilty" was, of course, entered, but his
lawyer made little or no effect, and he
was pronounced guilty aud got a sentence
| If fifteen years. After it was over pub
lie opinion whipped about, as it generally
does, and every person felt sorry for the
man. He went to prison, saying that IL
was just punishment, and it was yeal
and half before the real climax came.
One morning Bob Lisle walked into town
as cool as you please, and when he had
satisfied us that he was no ghost he told
his story as follows:
On the night of the murder he had
hardly got to bed when he had nose
bleed, He was down stairs to look fol