Year: 1873

Never since the discovery of the
Cardiff giant in this country has anything
occurred in its boundaries to attract such
general interest in this vicinity as the re-
turn to his home in the town Of Dewitt,
near the village of Collamer, of an old
farmer named Blodgett, who, it was sup
posed, on strong circumstantial evidence,
had been brutally murdered by unknown
assassins one night about five years ago.


The circumstances attending this case
are extraordinary, and seem more like
fictitious tale than ungarnished truth.


Blodgett, who has suddenly appeared
among his old neighbors, for many years
owned and lived on a fine farm of about
one hundred and fifty acres, a mile or so
from Collamer. He was generally con-
sidered wealthy, and had the entire con-
fidence of the whole community, having
held offices of trust in the town, being
assessor at the time of his disappearance


Five years ago he left home one Friday
evening to go to Collamer, where he was
to get considerable sum of money to
pay number of workmen the next night
who were constructing building for
him. He did not return that night nor
the next day, and his family became
alarmed a messenger was sent to Cola
mer to ascertain if possible his where
abouts. The messenger went to the place
where Mr.. Blodgett was to get his money,
and was told that the old farmer had
drawn the money and departed, appar-
emily for home. The news was carried to
the family of the missing man, and it was
at once suspected that he had been muir
dered. The supposition that he was muir
dered became almost a certainty by the
story of Mrs. Joseph Breed, living
near the village of Collamer, on the
road to Blodgett's, and at lonely point.
Mrs. Breed, when she heard day or so
afterward of tine disappearance of Mr..
Blodgett, stated to the family that some
where about ten or eleven o'clock on
Friday night, about the time the old man
would naturally be passing her house on
the way home, he having left Collamer at
late hour, she was awakened by noise
in the road directly in front of her house.
Listening, she became convinced that it
was caused by party of men struggling
in the road. She heard a voice which
she did not recognize say, "Knock him
in the head, quick !" She then heard a
shrill, loud cry of "murder p ending in
q sort of gurgle, as if some one was being
strangled. Shortly afterward the foot
steps of two or three men, as If running
| in the direction OF Collamer, were heard,
and then all was silent. Mrs. Breed was
too much frightened to make any attempt
to see what was being done in the road,
but after the men had gone away she
looked out of the window, but it was too
dark for her to see anything. She was
afraid to go out to the scene of the strug-
gle at the time, but went cut in the morn
ing and discovered evidence of severe
contest. There was no blood on the
ground, nor anything to lead to knowl-
edge of who the contestants were. She
was confident, however, that murder
had been committed, and when she heard
of the sudden disappearance of Mr..
Blodgett there was no doubt in her mind
that he was the victim. Diligent search
was made for the body of the murdered
man, and traces of the murderers were
sought on every hand, but all to no pur-
pose.


One of the men who was suspected as
being leader in the supposed murder of
Mr.. Biodgett, was bad character named
Carey. Some time after the disappear
ance of Mr.. Blodgett, Carey was arrested
on suspicion of being the murderer OF one
johnson, in Collamer. He was convicted
of the crime, and sentenced to be hanged,
which sentence was commuted to i'm
prisonment for life in the penitentiary at
Auburn. This strengthened the belief
that he was the murderer OF the old
farmer.


A year or two after the supposed muir
der the skull and other parts of human
skeleton were found on the shore OF
Oneida lake, on the upper boundary OF
this county. This was believed TO De a
part of the remains of Mr.. Blodgett, it
being thought that he had been thrown
into that body of water, or stream
emptying into it. in order that his muir
derers might battle detection. If there
remained the shadow of q doubt that
Blodgett was dead, this dispelled it, and
the heirs of the old farmer petitioned the
courts for the appointment of admins
traitors of his estate. They were appoint
ed, and the property remaining after the
settlement of the old mans affairs was
divided among the children.


The establishment Of the Blodgett fami.
| " may be imagined when they received a
letter some two weeks ago from man in
the oil regions purporting to be the sup
posed murdered man, detailing the ci--
cumstances of his disappearance and re-
| questing a sum of money to be sent him
| in order that he might return home, as he
was penniless and did not wish TO die
away from home. One of the sons was
sent to Pennsylvania to make personal
| investigation, and after considerable
search found the writer, and he turned
out to be Mr.. Blodgett. Although be was
greatly changed the son found no difficult
| ty in recognizing him, and he last week
returned with the old man to the farm.
Blodgett says that 40 attempt was ever
made on his life, but gives no reason for
his unceremonious going away, or no &C.
count of his life during the five years he
was absent. The affairs of the family are
somewhat mixed up by the appearance of
the old farmer. His property had been
divided among the heirs, and they were
in possession of their respective shares.
An amicable adjustment will probably be
made, as the Blodgetts are all warmly at
.tached to each other, and overjoyed at the
return of their Centreciue (N. ~
Cor. N. Y. World


A curious copper coin was recently
uneaIthed near Manchester, \. 81. On
one side appears the date, 500, in Arabic