Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1900-09-21

house. he wrote a brief note thank.
ing Crossman for his present and ex-
pressing fear that in his generosity
he had robbed himself. Crossman
read the note, gasped, went to his
own chicken yard, counted his own
hens and found ten missing. He had
killed his own hens and presented
them to Stetson.
"The episode put Stetson in great
good humor and he told the joke to
all who would listen and ended by
feeling very kindly to the one who
had given him so much amusement
Crossman said little, and when jibed
about the matter merely said the
game was not yet over. Some days la
ter he asked Stetson to lend him $50
for ten days, offering his note for the
amount. Stetson did so unhesitatingly
receiving the note of hand, which he
placed in his pocket. The ten days
went by and Crossman made no offer
to pay the note. After several days
the two, Crossman and Stetson, met
one morning at the railroad station,
and in the presence of FIVE bystand-
ers, Stetson demanded the payment
of the note Crossman denied that 1t
was due. Stetson declared it was.
Crossman referred him to the note.
Stetson took it from his pocket and
read that the note had been made
payable "ten days after DEATH"
"Crossman laughed and the bystan-
ders laughed, but Stetson was
stunned. The train drew up at the
station and Crossman, bound for the
city, boarded it with the remark that
he was square as to those chickens
Stetson shot after him the assertion
that the note would fall due ten days
from date. AS the train rolled away
Stetson let loose his temper, declar-
ing he would have the hearts blood
of Crossman. He displayed a dirk
knife-the one found near the dead
body of Crossman-his possession of
which was well known, and calling
upon bystanders to observe it, de-
clared that with It he would make the
cheating blood of Crossman flow from
his body The bystanders gave little
heed to his words then, for they we're
accustomed to his extravagant utter
Rnces when angry, but one Andrew
Mincher, a morose, reserved man,
who was known to be a bitter enemy
of Crossman, through having been
cheated in some transaction, sympath.
ized with Stetson, denouncing Cross
mans trick and thereby tanning Stet-
sons anger to a greater heat.
After this Stetson went to his of.
fee, which was in the general store,
where also was the post office. Here
he wrote letter to Crossman, which
he read aloud to several there, de.
manding instant payment of the $50,
declaring If it were not paid he would
| take Crossman's hearts blood on
| ct ha
latter in the post office in the pres
ence of witnesses. An hour later he
took the train for the city and the
same train bore Andrew Mincher,
who kept alive Stetson's anger by
denunciations OF Crossman's trick.
"The station agent, fearing should
Stetson and Crossman meet in the
city, the former under the impulse
of his anger would do injury to Cross
man with his knife, tried to borrow
it from Stetson, but unsuccessfully.
THAT evening at o'clock Stetson
stepped from the train and crossed
to his office. 1t was noticed at the gen.
eral store that he had been drinking
heavily, but he was quiet in demean-
or and seemed to be composed in spir-
/ it. After sitting at his desk in the
transaction of business he found there
4 for half an hour, or until 6:35 p. M,
| he left and went to the bar of the
hotel, where he drank several times,
| remaining there twenty minutes,
when he went out taking the road
to his home, three-quarters of a mile
distant.
"At 7 o'clock Crossman arrived by
| train at the station, and, as was his
| invariable habit, went to the post Of
/ fee to get his mail. Those who knew
! that Stetson's letter was In his box
watched him as he opened and read
| IL. He sneered as he perused it, fold
| ed it up deliberately and placed it in
| his wallet and turning to those stand
ing near by, said:
'Stetson is a fool He has put
himself absolutely in my power 1 can
land him in Jail, for he has threat
/ ened to kill me. and has put it down
in black and white over his own sig
nature
"He went out, taking the same road
/ that Stetson had a few minutes be-
fore.
"The next morning, as have des-
cribed, with the knife of Stetson be-
side him and the threatening letter
/ of Stetson in his pocket, he was
found dead, stabbed by the knife,
/ covered with blood.
"Now," continued the old lawyer,
81 presume no one who has listened
to me doubts for a moment that Stet-
son killed Crossman. No one saw him
do it, but the motive was clear and
unmistakable, and the intention to do
so had been declared in words before
witnesses and in the letter to Cross
man, and the instrument by which he
was to do the deed displayed and
that instrument, the one by which
the deed was done. There was one
more point of weight. When Stetson
stepped from the train he asked the
station agent If Crossman had yet re-
turned from the city, and being in.
formed that he had not, he had said,
Then I'm not too late for the thiev-
ing rascal The case was complete.
direct, unmistakable, and yet wholly
circumstantial-as strong as could be
presented.
''It was the first murder case l had
ever been engaged in, and | felt the
responsibility of it deeply; all the
more that my chief was was so i'll as
to be incapacitated. and | could not
even consult him as to a single step.
Therefore, l went about the prepara-
tion of the case with great care and
caution. OF course, had had Stetson
arrested. He was found at his home.
not having left 1t on the day the
body was found. asserting that he had
been taken i'll during the night He
stoutly asserted his innocence, de.
claring that he had not seen Cross
man after he had boarded the train
the previous morning, and that he
had lost his dirk knife the previous
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