Year: 1869

SAANSS
belonging to Mrs. Buckson, found upon the corpse,
were missing from the house. There could be no
more doubt as to the criminal than the crime.
Captain John Buckson was not found in the
village or in Providence but it was ascertained
that he had sailed with his sloop, and the pre-
sumption was raised that he intended to touch at
New York, and there, leaving the vessel, seek to
elude the officers of the law in the labyrinths of
the great city. A messenger was, therefore, dis
patched in great haste to reach the city before
him, with requisition for his arrest
His authority was placed in the hands Of police
Captain Leonard, who searched diligently among
the shipping, until he found the sloop "Oregon" "
moored at an East River pier. Going on board,
Captain Leonard greeted Buskson who was seated
on the deck.


"Good-day, sir


The sailor scarcely looked up, as he mechani-
cally returned the salutation.


I'm sorry to trouble you, but I've warrant
for your arrest.


"Arrest For what?"


The exclamation and succeeding question were
those Of phlegmatic man slightly astonished.


'For the murder ofyour wife.


Murder of my wifeI Squire, that can't be-
Nancy isn't dead"


"Yes, she -strangled with cord"
Buckson rose to his feet and, looking the officer
steadily in the face, said slowly and solemnly


esquire, if Nancys dead don't know it. l
had quarrel With her the night left, and gave
her piece of my mind, but God is my witness
| that didn't nut q hand upon her !"
The officer looked with some interest upon a
man who could thus deny crime with which he
was so clearly linked by circumstantial evidence,
but without further parley took him from the
sloop and placed him in cell of the station-house
He made no resistance, and did not trouble him
self again to volunteer any proestation of his in
nocence. While in the station-house, and during
the Journey to Providence, whenever the question
was directly put to him. he always denied his
guilt in the same emphatic terms, but he was
never the first to broach the subject, and it was
especially noticed that he never made any inquiry
for the details of the murder.


When the officer and his charge arrived at Sea-
konk, the latter seemed amazed to find himself
the object of universal cxecration When he reach
ed the village and while he walked beside his cap
tor through the street to the JAIL he was surroun-
ed by hooting mob, that pelted him with oppro-
brious epithets, and with difficulty was restrained
from doing violence to his person. He bore him
self bravely and undismayed through it ALL But
his conduct was noted only to his discredit, and
the citizens could not remember any hardened
wretch who had ever so faunted his crime in the
face of an outraged people.


In due time the grand jury was convened and
his case considered. There was no more doubt of
his guilt in that official body than in the commu-
nifty at large and he was formally indicted for the
murder of Nancy Buckson.


| When the news was taken to him in his cell he
only said Goods will be done !"


His perfect resignation had, by this time, won
slightly on the jaors heart, and he inquired if
he did not wish to engage counsel TO defend him
at the approaching trial. Buckson's face bright
ened with this first faint sign of sympathy, but he
answered:


II thank you, friend, but don't need lawyer.
God knows am innocent Of this crime and He
will prove it in His own good time"


The day appointed for the trial of the prisoner
was close at hand when the quiet village was star
tied by new terror. One pleasant September
morning ghost descended from the eastern coach
and walked leisurely, and with every semblance OF
life, up the street toward the long-deserted cot
tage 1t was horrible ghcst, for it nodded ia
miiar greetings to several persons it met upon the
way, and once tried to pat shrinking child. 1t
almost seemed endowed with human passions, for
many were ready to make oath that they saw its
cheek flush with anger when it found the entire
town avoiding it in unconcealing terror. But it
was persistent ghost, for it walked steadily on
until it reached the gate of the cottage garden,
. which it found nailed up; and it became talka-
tive ghost when it discovered the pigs running riot
in the garden. In the very voice OF the dead
Nancy Buckson it said in peevish tone:


THAT John Buckson II be the death Of me yet
Just see how be lets these pesky hogs root up
things'


It was indeed, Nancy Buckson herself


It is needless to prolong the story On the
night of the quarrel Captain John had lett, as
usual, to take out his sloop, and Nancy, smarting
under the severe censure he had, for the first time,
expressed, had gone off on foot during the night,
to neighboring town, where she was unknown,
and had there taken coach to begin journey to
Maine to visit sister. Her absence from the
cottage was not known until after the finding of
the body, and its Identification was so absolute,
that of course no search was made for woman
known to be dead. On the other hand she had
heard nothing, in retired spot Of distant State,
of her supposed death and the subsequent events
and her return, timely as it was, had been purely
accidental. She was Mortified when confronted
with the results of her thoughtless freak, and,
although she made no noisy demonstrations of re-
gret, and was not profuse in promises of amend
ment in the future, it is pleasant to know that this
terrible experience was not without fruit. Buck
son was, of course, Immediately released from
prison, the legal proceedings against him at once
dismissed, and thereafter he found in his home a
haven of rest that vas recompense tor the suf-
ferings by which it had been purchased.


But a mystery has always brooded over the cot
tage, and the murder always remained an lnsolua-
Bile enigma Eighteen years have elapsed without
any second Identification of the body unearthed by
the little dog, and, as a consequence, without any
detection of the murderer The clothes in which
1.-The body was dressed and the earrings and arti-