Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-05-07

which was written, "the compliments
OF Henry Crossman." Stetson flew
into a passion, but a glance at the
chicken yard suddenly allayed the
storm. He went into the yard and
counted his hens. Going into the
house, he wrote 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 it
was due. Stetson declared it was.
Crossman referred him to the note.
Stetson took 1t 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 1t 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 we'll 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 were
accustomed to his extravagant utter
ances when angry, but one Andrew
Mincher, a morose, reserved man,
who was known to be 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 greater heat.
ri 4
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 II 1t were not paid he would
take Crossman's hearts blood on
sight He sealed and deposited the
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
".
That evening at 6 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
for half an hour, or until 6:35 P. M,
hn 1nf fn tha oS \
hotel where he drank several times,
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
| it. He sneered as he perused It, fold.
ed 1t 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. l 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 few minutes be-
fore.
THE next morning, as l 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,
IL presume no one who has listened
to me doubts for 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-