Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-03-21

that while he and Avery were together
Avery. hearing the reports of their
guns and assuming that they had
found game. had gone to rejoin them.
When. after another hour. Avery did
not appear all started in different di-
rections to look for him. They did not
find him. The day ended, and most
Of the party went to their homes. while
Lynn. with few others. continued
the search until it was so dark they
could see nothing. then gave 1t up. But
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 I'm 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 it 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 a burst Of passion.
He was arrested. charged with the
murder and found guilty. On the trial
It came out that he had recently be-
come engaged to the daughter of a
neighboring planter, and he ascribed
his words IF you do 1 Will kill you"
to the fact that he had on Avery's
arrival conhded 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 fancee.
In those days in the south the
courts were chary Of interfering Ia
disputes among gentlemen. Doubtless
If witnesses had been present at a
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 1t
was to be supposed that he had not
given his victim 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 evil
dence, and the result was a disagree
ment. Lynn went forth a free man,
but with the tmputation 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 a 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 a 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 fancee except
that the engagement was broken of.
The facts Of the case were that she be-
lieved In his innocence and was will
ing to marry him, but he would not
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 bllghted 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 APP
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 he was to
have married loved him more than
ever This was the situation when
David Tucker, a 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 or
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 a Gathering OF horses
hoofs and, looking up the road. saw
party of men coming at full speed. On