Year: 1865

At this point Stoker turned away, and
went to look at the dead man.


The corpse had been brought up from
the wayside upon the corduroy; as looke'
down where it had been found, it strucl
me that very little blood had been there


You may call it chance, or you may ad
NIT that my perception was keener thai
most men, but, at all events, my mind be
gan to take turn in direction not ye
explored by the officers who had preceded
me in the search. At FIRST I suspected
that the man, or men, who had committed
the crime, resided in Jacksonville o.
Huntsville. had drawn enough ont O
two old hunters to convince me of that
Next, I suspected that Lamar Stoker had
some hand in the bloody business. Rt
looked fit for tho work and within the
past few minutes, had exhibited signs o.
guilt, which to me were apparent enough


Loose straws indicate the way Of the
wind, and the man who seeks to ferret out
great things, must not pass over little
things. Why was there no blood spilled
where the dead man was found2 Surely,
not because the gates had not been opened
for his skull had been broken to pumice,
and it was evident enough, to one well
versed in such matters, that nearly all the
blood in his body had run out. But where
was it2 From such man as that, killed
by so furious wound, with all the arte-
ries and veins broken, there could not
have flowed less than two gallons of blood.
But where was it There had not been q
pint spilled where the body had lain. I
looked to see if I could see blood anywhere
else; and by and by I found clot nearer
to the creek. I continued to move on,
and at the very edge of the stream,
found more blood-not much-only q few
drops-but I knew that it was blood.
And found the prints of feet there deep
ly sunken in the mud. .a ...-


At this point the idea which had before
been dimly floating in my mind as posi-
bilty, became very near reality. These
prints were at some little distance from
the sunken bridge, and the man who had
made them had crossed q point of turf in
reaching tho road. selected place
where the mud was quite hard, and here
stepped along by the side of the other
track. I was a heavy man, and yet the
prints we're not half SO deep as those other
,prints. What did this signify3 It sgni-
fed very plainly to me that the man who
had made those deer tracks had borne a
very heavy load upon his shoulders.


And thus arrived at the conclusion
which explained why the search and in.
vestigation of the officers for two years
had proved futile They had searched in
the wrong place. They had taken it for
granted that the murders had been COM
mitted upon the dark road in the swamp.
l was now convinced that the dead body
had just left had been borne to its present
place of rest from the shore of the creek.
And what was here beyond that ? How
came it on the shore of the creek2 We
shall presently see.


l left the proper officer to take charge
of the corpse, and having told Mr.. Wat
son to meet me in Jackson on the follow,
ing morning, started for the latter place
and put up my horse at the stable of tn,
inn-the inn kept by Lamar Stoker
found the hostler; and shuddered when
looked at him-not because he was q very
ugly looking man; but because he locked
to me exactly fit to help his master dc
bloody work. He was a thin, pale, cold
blooded fellow, with low, receding brow
sharp, cold eyes; small triangular nose
and thick, heavy upper lip. If he had
been larger man those characteristic fea
lures would have been more prominent
and people might have feared him; bu
as it was, he had passed for q weakly, un
healthy man, and nobody had thought o
his doing harm.


The landlord had not yet returned, ant
while the hostler-his name was Johl
BOone-was removing my saddle from my
beast, I spoke of the murder in the swamp
The fellow had heard all about it, but hat
not been down to see the body. His master
had gone, and he had remained behind. II,
spoke freely and unconcernedly-in fact
too much 50. It would have been natura
for him to have exhibited some little feel.
ing; and the fact that he did not do 60
led me to conclude that he had schoOle(
himself to act his part.


After l had seen my horse taken care
OF, walked out behind the inn, upon the
brow of point of table land, and short
distance below / saw the bend of the
creek. Towards the creek I made my
way, and when within few rods of the
water, stopped. 1 saw something on the
grsss-a dark, red clot, hanging upon a
stoat blade, and bending it down, ]
stopped, took it upon my fingers, and
found it to be blood!


Ipushed on to the shore of the stream,
but there were no fresh footprints there.
/ went back little way, and found that
the trail turned to the left, and led to a
point of the swamp which made up behind
the bluff upon which the village stood. |
made my way to the thicket of vines and
cottonwood, and presently found boat
drawn up upon the shore Of the creek. II
was of kind called "dug-out," /" and was
wet outside and in, as though it had lately
been washed down.