The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-02-08

poets to meet the real murderer here.
And if it's true that murderers must
revisit the scenes of their crimes per
haps father will find him here some
day"
The man hurriedly turned to go.
Gretchen noticed that the hand he re-
moved from the fence was trembling
like leaf in the wind.
Wont you have an appleY she
asked.
mo, no, nor Then, suddenly check
ing himself, he added: THANK you, my
girl. l never eat apples They're sour
and hard"
These are not. They're sweet and
juicy" She moved toward him, hold
ing out one of the apples she had
plucked from a lower branch of the
tree.
mo, no. moi" repeated the man. star
ing at the apple as If there was some
thing about it to be dreaded.
Gretchen looked at him in astonish-
ment. Then. as if to show him that
the fruit was harmless, she raised it
to her mouth, took big bite and held
the exposed pulp up for him to see.
Down at the farmhouse Herman
Zeltner heard wild cry, 1t seemed
to him that it came from the direc-
ton of the lone apple tree. Bounding
up the incline, In another moment he
came in sight of his daughter. A man
was standing on the other side Of the
fence holding to the top
'Take it awayw cried the stranger.
There's blood on It! It's from his
veins! 1t has grown up through the
trunk and has got into the appIesI'
Gretchen stood speechless. Sudden
y her father dashed up to the stran-
ger, leaped the fence and, grasping
him by the shoulder, forced him down
into kneeling position.
"You fiend! You killed him and left
me to suffer for your crime! What
do you mean by blood from his veins i?
Where did you bury him? Under the
treeY'
Eyes," gasped the man, his terror
at the blood stains, as he supposed
them, in the grated apple dominating
his terror at being accused of the
crime.
Zeltner called for assistance. and
some Of his farm hands came running
toward the party
There is the murderer" he said
He killed the peddler and has buried
him under the apple tree. Bring
spades"
Spades were brought, and the body
Of the peddler was exhumed His
murderer refused to look on it, cover
ing his face with his hands
80 you took a grated apple for
blood stains, did you?" cried Zeltner,
white with rage. 'Thank heaven, who
prompted me to put a red apple on this
tree, for heaven, who sent you back
here, must have led me to furnish the
means to draw out your confession"
Then to the others, Take him away
to jail"
When the man had gone Zeltner
questioned Gretchen as to how it had
occurred, and when he found that she
had been the instrument by which he
had been freed from the incubus that
had been resting upon him he took
her In his arms and wept tears of
joy.
THE good book says" he cried, that
a woman tempted man with an APP
pie. 1t has been for you. my child, to
convict man with the same fruit and
exonerate your father"
A more detailed confession showed
that the prisoner, who was walking
from Interiaken to Thun, was resting
on the mountain side on the day the
peddler left Herman Zeltner. He saw
the peddler take out handful Of gold
and attempt to induce Zeltner to ac-
cept one OF the pieces in recompense
for the information he had received.
Throwing himself in the peddler's
path, the man struck him from behind
tree, as he passed, on he back of the
head, stunning him. then killed him
He hid the body till night, then buried
it under the apple tree, thinking If it
was found that the murder would be
attributed to the owner of the farm,
as indeed 1t was.
Max now had no difficulty in get
ting his fathers consent to marry
Gretchen. and the wedding occurred
without delay The baron, hearing of
the incident gave fete to the young
couple at the Schloss.