Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1911-03-02

ton and refinement. His high cheek
bones, his coarse features and pale
blue eyes, however, yer indicative
OF his wicked nature. The tightly
drawn lines about his mouth showed
infexibility of will and iron nerve to
carry out whatever he undertook
When l went forward to speak to
him l recognized Hopper as a man
who had been tried and convicted for
passing counterfeit money at New Or
leans several months before. He had
been sent to the ~penitentiary at Baton
Rouge, but had escaped during a bat
tie at that point In which the prison
was partially destroyed. He made his
way across the Amite river into the
C~onfederacy where, by standing in
with the commanding Confederate Of
ficer at Vaudeville, he was enabled to
handle and ship out cotton.
1 seated myself beside the wounded
man and took his hand, and never
will l forget the CHASTITY stare with
which he regarded me as / endeav.
ored to impress upon him the full
realization of his condition and. the
duty incumbent upon him. MY urgent
appeal had its effect. Hopper admitted
that his mind was burdened with a
great crime, which he was willing to
confess. ] had set him down as q
s%coundrel. but vas not quite prepared
to be brought face to face with one
whose heart was SO inhuman as de
l~iberately to plan to hang his OWL
brother.
"a few years ago." he said, 81, with
my younger brother, lived with oul
widowed mother on a little farm In
northern Vermont. There lived neal
US a most estimable young woman.
paid her some attention, and in time
fell madly in love with her. When
supposed l had won her affections
asked her to marry me. She refused
and did not deny that she loved my
brother when / charged her with thai
as being the reason for her refusing
me. She was not to blame. She hat
made no promises. l had merely mis-
taken her sisterly regard and kind
ness to me for affection. l alone wa.
responsible for the error"
Here he paused for a moment as 1
to gather courage for what was to fol
low. Up to this time he had met my
eyes frankly, but nov he shifted hi
gaze, and continued:
when she told me she could no
marry me, and made no denial of he,
regard for my brother, / was fllet
with unutterable rage. Calling her
heartless f1irt, I seized my hat ant
left her, / was furious, desperate, AM
| determined to be %revenged. While m.
heart was filled with rancor and m!
mind with spiteful thoughts, l con
fded my troubles to Malcolm Thorn
son. He always was an evil counselor
| but a cunning me-. He dissuaded m,
from my plan for immediate revenge
and advised me to appear friend.
with my brother In order better t
cary out a plot which he revealed t,
me.
Soon after this my brother an
nounced his engagement to MARI.
| Miss Heath, and l wished him wei
with bitterness in my heart. Plan
were made for the marriage, and
seemed to take an interest in then
and to have forgiven my brother an
his fiancee my fancied wrongs. But
was only biding my time.
when the time was ripe for excel
ting the plot we had arranged, / mar
aged to be at work with my brother |
a field on our farm. On the previou
night Thomson and / had placed tn
body Of a man about my size In a hay
stack, which stood near where W
were at work repairing a fence. Thon
son had obtained the body from a pa,
per's burying ground on the Canada
side.
my brother left the field that da
| 1uSL UelOT6 udl n. i t0A1pihOu ~ =
purpose Of completing the worl
When the sun had set and 1t was darl
| punctured a small vein in my arm
and with the blood besmeared the b
Of the ak we had been using. l Gu
off a lock of my hair and scattered
on the bloody blade, and then pitche
the ak into the grass. Reaching b.
meath the body in the hay l deposite
my pocketknife and bunch of key
Then set fire to the stack and hu,
ried to join Thomson, who was wal
ing near by with a horse and bugg.
We drove rapidly away, and l 500
was on my way to New Orlean
where Thomson was to join me in
few weeks.
1T was agreed that Thomson shoul
first return to the village and stir u
suspicion, which would result In
search for me and the discovery
the burned body. Everything turne
out thus far as we had planned. N
brother was accused and convicted.
ut was my purpose, when my rivt
should be out of my way, to retul
home, and after a time renew my a
tentions to Miss Heath, but / put Q
going from time to time. / could n,
face my old friends and neighher
Through Thomson l learned that n
brothers sentence was committed.
was thankful for that. No one ev,
will know the remorse l have suffere
for my crime. My name is Andy Ba
rows"
Death came soon to Andy Barrow
and he was beyond the jurisdiction
mortal tribunals. Thomson, who
some way got an inkling Of the tut
Of affairs, disappeared-he whoi
wicked brain had devised and ma