Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-04-21

the next morning just as they were
starting out TO renew their search
Avery's dead body was brought in
with a hole made by bird shot III the
head. The body had been found about
a hundred yards from the place where
the two men had been heard disputing.
Notwithstanding the high position of
young Lynn 1t was almost universally
believed that he had killed Avery.
sympathy was expressed for him. be-
cause 1t was supposed that he had
done the deed in burst of passion.
He was arrested, charged with the
murder and found guilty. On the trial
1t came out that he had recently be.
come engaged to the daughter Of a
neighboring planter. and he ascribed
his words "lf you do will kill you"
to the fact that he had on Avery's
arrival confided to him his engagement
and that Avery during their subse-
quent quarrel had threatened to make
certain charges against Lynn's good
name to the latter's fiancee.
In those days in the south the
courts were chary of interfering in
If witnesses had been present at q
fight in which either of the two men
had killed the other there would have
been no arrest made, or If arrested
the one who had done the killing would
have been acquitted. AS it was, near
ly every one believed that Lynn had
killed Avery while angered, and as it
was to be supposed that he had not
given his victim a chance for his life
and had concealed the crime he was
to be considered a murderer. Never
theless there were planters on the jury
who would not convict one of their
number Of crime on circumstantial eyi-
dence, and the result was n disagree
ment Lynn went forth n free man,
but with the imputation of murder
resting upon him. He was never again
brought to trial because there was no
new evidence Forthcoming to throw
additional light on the case.
Opinion as to his guilt varied from
the lightest charge that he had simply
killed man who would otherwise
have killed him to the belief that with
enmity still ranking within him he
had invited Avery to visit him on pur-
pose to crafty n spirit of revenge
The case was discussed at the tables
of his peers. the planters; in the domi-
Giles of the poor whites and in the huts
Of the negroes. OF course opinions
were shaped In accordance with the
sympathies OF those who expressed
them, the Lynn adherents defending
him, while those of Avery could not
find words to express their horror of
him.
No one ever knew what took place
between Lynn and his fiancee except
that the engagement was broken off.
The facts Of the case were that she be-
lieved In his innocence and was will
ing to marry him, but he would not
permit any woman to take his name
after it had been stained with a Grim.
inal charge that he was unable to dis
prove. He went abroad for awhile,
spending his time wandering from
| place to place, but without gaining any
comfort. He lived blighted life. The
| girl he was to have married wrote him
often, and from her he drew what con-
ISOLATION was possible. She declared
that she would never marry unless she
married him, and he declared that he
would never marry any one so long
as the imputation of numbering his
friend and guest hung over him.
Martha Tucker, the girl who ap-
peared to have been at the bottom of
the trouble, disappeared and was seen
no more in the neighborhood. Ten
years passed, during which Lynn had
grown in appearance ten years older
than he really was. His family, his
friends and his slaves were still de-
voted to him. and the girl be was to
have married loved him more than
ever This was the situation when
David Tucker, brother of Martha
Tucker, died and just before his death
made a confession that unsealed the
mystery.
Sheldon Avery. he said. had ruined
his sister Martha. The knowledge Of
this fact came to him at the time when
Avery went to the Lynn plantation to
hunt. He followed Avery there and
went to the woods where the hunt
was in progress. Encountering Avery
soon after the latter had left Lynn. he
had deliberately shot him. Tucker
claimed that If Lynn had been con-
victed he would have declared that he
was the real slayer of Avery and his
reason for killing him. When Lynn's
conviction failed he had decided to
keep his sisters disgrace and his own
crime a secret.
Alan Lynn was walking with bowed
head on the front gallery Of his home
when he heard Gathering of horses
hoofs and. looking up the road, saw n
party of men coming at full speed. On
reaching his gate they turned in, and
he saw that they were his friends and
acquaintances. They dismounted at
the foot of the steps, and their spokes-
man, advancing, announced the news
of the confession that lifted from his
shoulders the stigma he had borne for
ten years. Having done this. every
man embraced him.
From that moment Lynn took a new
lease of life. He married the girl who
had waited for him so long and after
ward fought as colonel in the Con
federate army.
His Mistake.