Connecticut western news., 1896-09-03
TRACKED BY HOUNDS.
sLAYERs OF HENkE TO BE HUNTED
 DOWN BY DOGS.

Are Supposed to Be In Hidiax Ia B~sr
 Swamp, N. J. - There Are Thr~~ ss
 Them. All Nexre~.-Th.y Are All We'll
 Armed snd Desperate.
 JERSEY CITr, Sept a.-Somewhere tn the fastncss of Bear swamp, an impcnctr~- bio tract 90 miles square near Indian Mills, three hunted negroes arc In hiding, while an armed posse of over 60 officers and oltizens Is searching for thcm, and the woods are being secured in every direction.
 Death stares them In the face. for it will be the reward of surrender or captur~ while if they succeed In eluding their pur- suers starvation or suicide arc their only alternatives. Trained bloodhounds were put on their trail this morning They arc only partly clothed, being without coats, hats or vests and they have had no food save unripe cranberrics Sipoe Sunday Ever since the brutal murder of Johann Henke of Burlington last Saturday week the officers and citizens have been mosa sctive in their efforts to capture the nc yrocs The murdered man lived alone in his little shop, and the murderers visited him near midnight stunned him hy blow on the head with a coupling pin and then strangled him se death with piece
 
 clothes and taking all else of value they left.
 Thomas Cromwell Is the only one of ths negroes whose identity is positively known. He was scen to entsr the shop. remain in hour and depart with a oheory "Good night Johann" to the dead man in the chair. Then he disappeared and was not heard from until last Sunday, whom word reached Mount Holly that he had been seen and recognized st Indian Mills, 16 miles south. Three negroes wcre met on the road near the swamp, and when one of them was asked if his name was Cromwell all turned, jumped the fence and took to tho woods.
 A re.ss orr.ai.~d-
 Constable Miller at once organized a searching party and secured for it the services of several men who arc thorough ly familiar with the paths in the thick | woodland. Fast horses were procured. and the ride to the spot who're the men had boon soen was made In quick time. The first party came upon three pewrce@ | lying on the grass by the readable They | jumped to their feet as the team sppro~oh | ed and appeared frightened Constable | Miller got out and began questioning them, and, their answers being evsnlve, | he reached out his hand to take Crom. | wells arm, saying;
 "You must come to the hotel with me |"
 wbereupon the trio made quick leap backward through tho thiokes and before the astonished official realized the situn- ton they were out of his grasp
 Then he drew his revolver and sent three balls at Cromwell IL is believed that the last one took effect, for the man fell, and, on arising a second later. grab bod his leg as in pain, but he managed to make on in the direction his companions had taken. ..... Constable Miller returned to Smnlrs hotel, at Indian Mills and told of the e~- cape. More men, heavily armed, were | procured and the spot revisited. The ne- groes. in their haste had left two co~ts the pockets of whioh contained sir dressed chickens. sweet potatoes, rioe. green corn and bag of salt They also lcft three slouoh hats and pair of trousers. | Reward er $500 on.r~a- | Monday morning thcre was a reward of s2oo offered in the name of tho ooun- ty for Cromwell. dead or alive. and search ing parties were sent out In every dlr~o- ton. Dawn was just brcsk king yesterday when the watchers were treated to s sur prise party.
 | A schoolhouse stands at distance from Smalls hotel and just on tho edge of the dense woods. Two of the searching party. taking an carly start. werc passing the house when In the dim light they saw two or more indistinot flgurcs silently glide from the doorsteps into the heavy under brush. A flow moments later they beard a crackling..of twigs beyond the iedwc, and the rest of the party was at onoe notified But the trail was ooid when they return. sd, and tho men could not be followed. I A- n..s q k-N. baying, the special demand for tho blood. hounds comes from tho knowledge that the men are armed, being provided with two revolvers, stolen from the murdered German. They win light for their Hives If oornered. It is hoped that the dogs will draw theirtammunition, and by this means their capture be made without hioodshcd.