Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-05-27
MISS LATIMER'S ASSASSIN.

law In Southern Ohio several years
ago. 1t was the first incident of the
kind that had ever occurred in that
part of the State, and the people there
abouts were naturally greatly excited
over it. The mans crime had been a
heinous one He had shot down In
cold blood, and without the slightest
provocation, two women and wounded
a third. The rest of the women and
children were wrought up to a high
degree OF frenzy, and even after the
desperate was hanged the sight of a
strange man was enough to send them
into spasms of terror.
Perhaps the person who suffered most
acutely at the time was Miss Ellen
Latimer. Miss Ellen was well-to-do.
In her younger days she had spent two
seasons in society" in the nearest
city, and in the top drawer of her
bureau was satin-lined rosewood box
filled with costly jewels and other me-
mentoes of that happy period. Then
there was her silver; her knives and
forks were the best In the country and
her spoons couldn't be matched any
where. In addition to that she al
ways kept little ready money on
hand. All things considered, villain
who had plumber for his object could
not find more profitable victim than
Miss Latimer.
Besides, Miss Ellen's mode of living
was regular standing invitation to ILL
disposed persons to come and do their
worst Her sole companion was Har-
vey Hampstead, half-witted boy of IL.
whom Miss Latimer in the goodness of
her heart, had taken from the poor
house when he was a little fellow and
brought up as sort of social expert
ment. Miss Ellen and Harvey lived in
the red brick house that had sheltered
the last three generations of the Lati-
mers. 1t was a very lonesome place.
being situated on the edge of a large
field at the end Of a lane that extended
fully quarter of mile back from the
main highway. Miss Latimer had often
been urged to take some one into the
great house for her protection, but even
after the shock attendant upon the
shooting and subsequent hanging she
stolidly refused to do so on the ground
that she couldn't afford to be bothered.
Il don't deny that I'm afraid" said
Miss Ellen one day to her married
brother, who had earnestly implored
her to do something to insure herself
against danger from possible robbers.
but really think that Harvey and /
are better off as we are. You can't
trust anybody nowadays. l wouldn't
dare to have even hired girl around,
and IL | undertook to allow one of the
farm hands to sleep on the place I'm
sure we would be murdered before
morning. There's Pat Henning. for
instance. He's been doing chores
around the house and barn for more
than two years, yet I'm as afraid as
death of him. The only really easy
moment / have is when see him lock
the stable door at night and strike
out across the field toward his own
home. Harvey is IL years old and
strong, and nobody would touch a hair
of our heads without our giving him a
lively tussle. No, thank you, brother,
don't want anybody here but Harvey"
AS the months passed and nothing
further transpired to break the monot-
ony of existence in that neighborhood
Miss Latimer's fears gradually sub
sided, and she remarked that "she
guessed 1t would be cold day when
another woman killer set his foot on
that soil" But that hopeful view of the
case was NOT shared by Harvey. Har-
vey Hampstead was a boy who said
little, but who, when his weak mind
was once set on any particlar subject,
never ceased thinking of it. He had
never expressed himself very freely on
the question of the hanging, but for all
that not a day passed that he did not
expect to receive some caller on evil
bent before the night came, and he
made preparations accordingly. That
was the first thing he thought of when
one Wednesday morning in May, Miss
Latimer announced her intention of
going to the neighborhood village to
spend the day
"S'posin' he comes to-day-to-day-
to-day, while I'm ne-alone-alone. ("
lamented Harvey, in his drawing, dis
jointed way.
"Who?" demanded Miss Ellen.
sharply.
Somebody like him that was hanged
--hanged-hanged," faltered Harvey.
Nonsense" returned Miss Latimer.
That's a thing of the past. You
mustn't think of such stuff II you get
lonesome you can get one OF Pat Hen
ning's boys to come over and stay with
YOU"
Patty Henning had brought the horse
and buggy around to the door and Miss
Latimer climbed into the vehicle and
drove away, leaving Harvey looking
after her through swirl OF apple bios
SONS. The brown horse logged lei
surely down the lane andAout into the
highway. The air was redolent with
the perfume of pillows Of apple bios
SONS In the orchards that lined the
road and the scent of newly upturned
earth. Miss Latimer had passed up
and down that same thoroughfare a
good many times in the last twenty
years, and often under similar condi-
tions, but somehow the flowers had
never seemed 80 fragrant, the air so
balmy nor the akv<ao blue. She could