The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1901-07-11
on. I told my story to the people,

ton. ! told my story to the people,
and all believed it, as why should
they not when Saunders was among
them? And yet when the police came
their very first move was to arrest me
as the murderer. A tramp had pass
ed the night In the barn. OF course
the tramp had murdered the farmer.
If you agree that the police were
asses, you will agree that the others
were fools. No sooner was charged
with the murder than all turned
against me. Saunders suddenly re-
membered that our conversation was
heated as he came up. The two who
passed by thought they heard me use
threatening language. A farmer whom
had not seen at all the evening before
claimed to have come near enough to
the house to have heard me ask Hol-
borne for the loan Of e.. / was an
gered, but not frightened. I asked
the police to investigate my bed on
the straw, and they found 1t still
warm. asked them to look through
the house, and they found nothing dis
turbed. I asked them to note that the
body was cold, and the doctor who
was summoned said that life had been
extinct for seven or eight hours. Was
it to be believed that had killed Hol-
borne at 10 or II o'clock and then, in
stead IT plundering the house and
making off, gone to bed, slept all night
and been the first to raise an alarm in
the morning? And yet l was marched
of to jail, and within three days there
wasn't a person in the county who
doubted my guilt.
was examined by a magistrate who
said would no doubt get my just de-
serts, and the police made no move
whatever to find any other party.
Even the jailer and turkeys chuckled
over the hanging that must result.
told of having heard the quarrel, but
they said lied. told of the arrange
ments made to 60 to work for HolbOrne
in the morning, but they smiled in de-
rision.
was almost ready for the assizes
and the hanging when a person whose
identity do not know to this day and
who must have been moved by a spirit
of fairness sent me a lawyer and gave
that lawyer money to work with. Pres
to change! Why, born fool could
have picked up the threads of the case
and cleared me. Within six hours aft
err had told the lawyer Of the quarrel
and the man with the catch in his voice
they had the murderer spotted. His
name was Jamison, and the quarrel
was over the lease of the farm, and the
club with which he had delivered the
blow, having lost his temper, but not
meaning to kill, was found in his
house. More than that, he broke down
and made a full confession, and when
the assizes came on he stood in the
dock in my place. Nevertheless in set
ting me at liberty the judge did it
grudglngly. and with a warning that
my crimes must sooner or later find me
out, and l was scarcely clear of the
courtroom when the Inundated and
chagrined police overhauled me and
said:
TT is Just possible that you did not
commit this crime, but only because
somebody else got ahead Of you. We
know you had planned to do It and are
a dangerous man to be roaming about,
and If you are not outside the county
by shutdown you shall be run in on sus-
picion."
Jamison was hung for the killing,
and long confession was left in writ
ing over his own hand, but there were
scores Of people who still believed that
1.-THE tramp" had something to do in
some way with that murder.