River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-03-02


me- I'll go and whistle for Andy
see supper's nearly ready"
Andy, however, did not respond to
repeated whistlings, and finally John
went to the field to search for him,
but could not find him and returned
to the house. 81 guess he's gone to
the village, mother" he said, "and |
suppose he will eat supper there.
You know he often does that" His
mother was satisfied, and Andy's alb
sence caused no alarm. Later in the
evening a haystack, that stood in the
field near the place where the broth
ers had been at work, was discovered
to be on fire. John went out to try to
save it, but it seemed to be burning all
over at the same time, and he could 60
nothing. The fire was attributed to
some malicious or thoughtless boys,
and no one thought of connecting 1t
with Andy's disappearance.
Several days elapsed, and Andy did
not return His mother and brother
thought he might have gone to visit
his friend, Malcolm Thomson, who
lived a short distance over the line in
Canada. Nearly a week later Thorn
son appeared at the Barrows farm to
transact some business, he said, with
Andy. He seemed greatly surprised
and disappointed at Andy's absence,
and expressed anxiety lest some acct
dent had befallen him. The follow
ing day Thomson went to the village
and in the stores and shops he dis
cussed the disappearance OF Andy,
and stirred up considerable comment
among the villagers who had thought,
with his mother and brother, that
Andy was visiting Thomson. The
Scotchman appeared much concerned
and, while expressing no opinion, kept
up the gossip he had started until at
last suspicion was aroused. That
which had been a commonplace cir
cumstance at first became a mystery
that grew deeper and deeper each
hour, until finally someone suggested
foul play. This suggestion rapidly
took root and gathered credence until
the entire neighborhood was sure that
Andy Barrows had been murdered.
John Barrows and his mother, Of
course, were the last to hear these
stories, and when they finally reached
his ears, John started an immediate in
vestigation, in which nearly all the
men of the village willingly Joined.
They searched every out-of-the-way
place, every abandoned well, every
possible nook and Granny on the farm.
At night the men looked puzzled and
were ready to go home, and allow the
search to go over until the next day,
when Thomson casually mentioned
the burning of the haystack.
Here the searchers were Mortified
to find a partly burned body. Raking
in the ashes, someone found bunch
of keys and pocketknife, which were
recognized at once as having belonged
to Andy Barrows. A blood-stained
ak, with some light red hairs, exactly
the shade of Andy's hair, adhering to
the blade, was found in the grass near
by. These discoveries seemed to solve
the mystery of Andy's disappearance.
A cOWardly murder had been COM
mitted, the body hidden in the stack,
and the stack burned to conceal the
crime There seemed no doubt as to
the identity of the body, and the next
thing was to discover the criminal
Suspicion at once pointed to John
Barrows. Who else could have COM
mitted the awful deed-who else
could have had an object in doing it?
Thomson, while expressing doubt as
to JohH's guilt, said he knew there
had been some misunderstanding be-
tween the brothers, but did not think
it ever would reach such a stage. Sew
eral persons who had heard, or heard
of, the quarrel between the brothers,
came forward to tell what they knew
or imagined, and things began to look
pretty dark for John. He was as
much puzzled as anyone by the dis
covery made in the ashes of the hay
stack, and could offer no explanation
of the mystery.
John BarrOWS was formally charged
with the murder of his brother, and
a warrant was sworn out by Thomson
for his arrest Thomson took this
step most unwillingly, he said, but
felt he must see justice done his old
friend. No denial on Johns part made
the slightest impression on the minds
of the excited people. They wanted
an immediate trial, but we're COM
PEELED to wait few weeks for court
to convene, and after a brief prelim-
mary hearing, John was taken to the
county jail.
Jane Heath, when the first suspi-
cion of her lover was made public,
declared her faith in him, and told
him she would stand by him and
eventually would see the criminal
punished No one could shake her
faith in John, and her friends re-
garded her as little short of de
mented when she declared she never
would forsake John Barrows. No one
else had the slightest faith in his in
nocence. Even his mother, although
not expressing her opinion, was pros
trated by the grief and the disgrace,
and refused to see her son. She be-
Iieved him guilty, and could not bear
to see the son who had killed another
son equally dear.
When the case came to trial there
was little evidence in behalf of the
accused. Old neighbors, ready to be-
lieve in his guilt, testified unwillingly
| of his previous good character, but