St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-12-10

story. After u moments hesitation
our entertainer resumed his seat and
remarked: ''well. gentlemen, my
stocks about run out, and this is not Z
good tale TO 60 to bed on, but here
goes:
I'm 1861. my uncle. BENJAMIN Rich.
ley. was tried, found guilty and sen
fenced to thirty years in the peniten.
tiary. The alleged crime was murder;
the victim one of his farm hands.
benjamin Richley was . wealthy
farmer, and his farm was located in
what is now . suburb of St Louis. He
WAS widower with one daughter who
was, SO to speak, the apple Of the old
mans eye. He had no other relations,
or il he had, did not recognize them.
The old gentleman WAS known 70 pos
sess an ungovernable temper when
aroused, and was also noted Is being IN
honorable. just man.
"AdjOining the farm lived John
Hiram, who had two sons. one named
John, . wcak-witted young man. aud
Reginald. IN older brother, who lived.
it was said. by his wits in the adjoining
city. The younger brother was oeca-
sioually employed by my uncle to do
odd jobs around the farm, and was 1t
such times . source of unccasing worry
TO my energetic uncle, owing to his in
dolent habits.
Reginald. the ne'er-do-well chap.
fell in love with Lucy Richley, and of
course when the old gentleman heard
of his wooing, he few into one of his
white heat passions and threw the
young man out of his house bodily.
Naturally. man like Reginald Hiram
would get even eventually, although no
one ever heard him boast Of such Z re.
solve.
The following day my uncle. while
passing through the garden. saw John
sitting in . fence corner idly cracking
nuts with stone. The irascible gem
tleman again few into . rage, and,
upon receiving an impudent retort,
reached for . hoe lying near by, and in
his blind rage struck him repeatedly
with the iron blade. The man stag.
gered back q step or two. uttered .
strange cry, then dashed over the fence
and made for the cover Of the woods
not far distant.
"A day passed, then . week. and .
vain search cnsued for the missing
John Hiram. No one had seen him since
the day Of the trouble, and no one had
witnessed the little scrimmage. NY
uncle bitterly repented his foolish pas
sion and personally exerted strenuous
efforts to find the missing man.
1.-TWO weeks had gone and still 10
John. What had become OF him: The
ncighborhood was now thoroughly
aroused: the police were notified, and
IN official investigation followed. Ny
uncle repeated his story in connection
with the dissppearance. Then came
the grand dlnossmeat. Reginald Hiram
cane out boldly and declared that Ben
jamin Richley had killed bis brother and
buried the body 1t certain spot, which
alleged fact he would undertake to
prove. To s1bstantiate this two re-
spectacle men. farmers, who lived two
miles from the Richley farm, swore
that they had seen my uncle digging in
his garden It twelve o'clock ON the
night following the day Of John Hiram's
They were returning
from the city: the moon was shining
brightly and from the highroad they
plainly saw Mr.. Richley digging in his |
garden. On his head was the wide
brimmed hat he always wore. together
with the familiar linen duster known TO
Be iuseparable with my uncle. The men