Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1916-12-21
TheGuilty Man
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.
By M. QUAD

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With my having been i'll and out of
work for months, with my being penni-
less and seedy and discouraged, with
my asking for a meal here and bed
there as l tramped the highways be-
tween London and Liverpool, no one
could be blamed for sizing me up as a
professional" and treating me accord
ingly.
One night in the county of War
wick. came upon a farmer who had
neither wife nor children, but was
living alone on his small holding. His
name was Hdborne and, though gruff
at first. he finally gave me hearty
supper and the privilege of passing
the night in his barn. When supper
was finished and he had heard my
story, he offered me a pipe, and we
sat at his door and smoked and chat
ted for an hour. 1t was agreed that
should turn to next morning and work
with him in his fields for half month
While we We're chatting, neighboring
farmer named Saunders came up and
halted for five minutes, and two others
passed on the highway and saluted
Holborne with good evening 1t was
10 o'clock before l went to the barn,
and, being tired and sleepy, l was soon
in dreamland. How long | had slept
when was awakened by the sound of
voices In anger, / could not say, but
heard what seemed to be quarrel be-
tween Holborne and another man. The
voice of the other was high pitched
and had catch in it, 1t was not
stammer, but a sort of gasp, as If
catching his breath. l was not fully
aroused, nor did the quarrel continue
long
1t was sunrise next morning when
woke and turned out. The house was
only about five rods away, and after
looking about to see If Holborne were
in sight moved along to the house
His dead body was on the grass before
the open door. He had been struck on
the head with club and killed by
single blow. was upset by the dis
covery, as you may believe After
touching his face and finding 1t cold
started off on the run for the nearest
farmhouse, half mile away. The
farmer was milking his COW, and his
wife was preparing breakfast, but they
returned with me at once, and other
neighbors were called, and boy was
sent off to the nearest police station
l told my story to the people, and all
believed me, as why should they not
when Saunders was among them? And
yet when the police came their very
first move was to arrest me as the
murderer. A tramp had passed the
night in the barn. Of course the tramp
had murdered the farmer.
If you agree that the police were
asses you will agree that the others
We're fools. No sooner was l charged
with the murder than all turned
against me. Saunders suddenly re-
membered that our conversation was
heated as he came up. The two who
passed by thought they heard me use
threatening language. A farmer whom
l had not seen at all the evening be-
fore claimed to have come near enough
to the house to have heard me ask
Holborne for the loan Of e. l was an
gered, but not frightened. | asked the
police to investigate my bed on the
straw, and they found it still warm.
asked them to look through the house,
and they found nothing disturbed.
cold, and the doctor who was sum
moned said that life had been extinct
for seven or eight hours.
was examined by magistrate,
who said l would no doubt get my
just deserts, and the police made no
move whatever to find another party
Even the jailer and the turkeys
chuckled over the hanging that must
result. | told of having heard the
quarrel but they said | lied. L told
of the arrangements made to go to
work for Holborne in the morning,
but they smiled i'm derision.
was almost ready for the assizes
and the hanging when person, whose
identity do not know to this day and
no must have been moved by a spirit
OF fairness, sent me a lawyer and gave
the lawyer money to work with. Presto
change. Why, born fool could have
picked up the threads of the case and
cleared me. Within six hours after
had told the lawyer of the quarrel and
the man with the catch in his voice
they had the murderer spotted. His
name was Jamison, and the quarrel
was over the lease of the farm, and
the club with which he had delivered
the blow. having lost his temper but
not meaning TO kill. was found in his
house. More than that, he broke down
and made a full confession, and when
the assiZes came on he stood in the
dock in my place. Nevertheless, in
setting me at liberty the judge did it
grudging!y and with warning that
my crimes must sooner or later find
me out, and was scarcely clear Of
the courtroom when the Inundated