The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-06-10

money, which he had taken from a
bank on account of the panic. In the
morning the old folks were found, their
heads split open with an axe, and there
were evidences that there had been a
struggle. The money was gone.
The murder created a great sensa-
tion on account of its fearful details
There was nothing to indicate in any
way who had committed it, but the
neighbors suspected that the murderer
might have been w. S. Florence a hired
hand who had been in Schultz en-
ploy until a short time before. A few
weeks after the murder Florence left
that section and went to Nebraska. AS
soon as he was gone the stories began
TO gain more currency than ever, and
the result was that detectives were
employed by thecounty authorities to
hunt him down. He was found and
taken back to Cherokee county. The
grand jury examined him, but for
want of evidence discharged him. He
promptly disappeared and has not been
heard of since.
About the same time that the grand
jury was engaged in the investigation
of this case the relatives of the old
couple had a plain marble headstone
placed over their grave. The grave was
in little country burying ground on
the side of hill, within sight of the
committed. Before many weeks
strange tories began to be told about
it. At first they were whispered about
the neighborhood, and the supersti-
tious people of the countryside shook
their herds wisely and often gathered
in groups at the roadside or at the viii
lage blacksmith shop. 1t was said that
1.-THE tombstone was slowly developing
human HneanlentS, just as a. photo
grapher's plate, under the action of
chemicals develops the lines in the
negative.
Tn first r--son to tell the story was
an old woTli-. L, who had also been the
first to suspect Florence of the murder.
it was received with incredulity, and
even those whose curiosity led them to
go and look at the stone declared that
the picture had no existence except in
the Imagination of the old woman. But
she insisted that she could see a picture
There, and that it represented the fea-
lures of Florence.
From that time the old lady de-
clared that the picture was growing
more and plain. At last she convinced
some of her friends that they too, could
see the features of a man on the stone.
The face continued to grow more and
more distinct and to be more and more
talked about, until it attracted the at
tention of the authorities. They in
spected it, and the most unprecedented
see the features of a man. A marble
dealer was taken to see it. He declared
were compelled to admit that they could
that the features were being developed
as result of exposure to atmospheric
influences of the rust and veins. in the
stone. He said it would continue to
grow palmer.
The prediction has now been verified.
The picture on the slab has been devel-
| oped so as to be distinct to the most
casual observer, and today there is
not a person who knew Florence that
does not declare that he features show
a startling resemblance to his
What is equally prophetic is the fact
that since the picture has become de-
veloped on the stone and the suspicion
has become general that Florence was
the murderer there has developed evi-
ldence not known at the time of his eX-
| ina'tion before the grand jury that
points to the conclusion that he was
really guilty. The prosecuting attorney
of Cherokee county said to World
representative that he was confident
that he could now prove the guilt of
the suspected man, should he be locat-
ed. But this seems to be now impossi-
ble.-New York World