THE TIMES, NEW DL00MF1ELD, PA., NOVEMBER SO, 1880.
MURDER WILL OUT.
CONCLUDED.
II TALKED too near the verge in
Y V the dark, and fell over," Bald I.
" See his neck la broken."
" Worse than that," answered Green.
He bad lifted the head Into his bauds.
"Ills neck wns no doubt broken by the
fall, but he was dead before be fell.
Hee."
With a thrill of horror I observed
what be pointed out,' -a bullet-bole In
the back part of the head near the base
of the skull. There was no hemorrhage,
but everything appeared to have con
gealed as It was, at the moment of the
death blow.
Warwick's gun lay within a few feet
of his body, lying carelessly and natur
ally across the stones, as It might have
fallen with blm. I took it up and tried
the rammer In the barrel. The gun
was loaded, capped, and the hammer
down.
" There are not many guns on the
Island," said Tom in a tone and manner
as If the words had slipped from bis
tongue involuntarily. Evidently the
same dreadful supposition was in both
our minds, and the last words spoken
by Preston the night before came up
anew in my memory.
But no : it was not possible that my
tried and trusty friend could have played
the part of an assassin.
"It's plain enough what we are both
thinking upon, Tom," said I. " But If
David Preston did this deed, it was
done either accidentally or in self
defence.
" Yes, self-defence is the word," said
Green. "That's the explanation. They
must have met, quarreled, and drawn a
bead on each other, and Preston got
ahead of him, or more likely Warwick
missed fire."
, I raised the hammer, but the cap was
perfect, unbroken. I Bhowed It to my
companion, but neither of us ventured
to say more, whatever may have been
our thoughts.
.There was a dark mystery about the
aflkir that we could not clear up, but
meanwhile our duty was sufllcientlv
plain before us.
We took the shortest cut inland to
ward the village, if it may be so called,
but found only the cooks at home, the
men for the most part being far away at
their work. But a party of half a
dozen, who were rolling up casks along
the banks of the pond, were soon made
to notice our frantio signals, and, with
fresh re enforcements, we retraced our
steps to the west beach, with a couple of
poles and a piece of canvas. A stretcher
had been hastily improvised, and the
body of the unfortunate Warwick was
tenderly borne by stout arms to his own
shanty, and upon the floor.
Meanwhile the sad news had spread
to others down on the Point, an old flag
which Comstock had brought on shore
with him had been hoisted upon the
&taff at halfmast, this being understood
as an urgent signal of recall, indicating
some great emergency. It was not long
before eagerly excited men were to
be seen coming toward home from
various points, and before noon the
whole population, forty-four in number,
had congregated in and about the house
of death, and were ready to Inaugurate a
kind of rude court of inquiry. Each
had studied intently the face of his
neighbor, but few words had been ex
changed upon the. subject. Of course
our owi men recalled the words spoken
by their officer, as he went out the night
before with the loaded gun on his
shoulder, but none of us wished to be
lieve him guilty of a foul murder. Preston
himself was one of the last to arrive,
having traveled several miles, but was
cool and collected, though rather out of
breath from his hurry. When I told
him the cause of the excitement, looking
him square in the eye, I could detect no
sign of guilt.
"I hope you know nothing about this
dreadful business,'.' I said suggestively.
" Not I," he answered. " Good God I
you can't think there's any man on the
beach wicked enough to have murdered
lilm intentionally y It must have been
an accident of some kind."
. " But you may remember," said I, in
a low tone, "that you used a sort of half
threat in relation to Warwick, as you
were leaving the shanty last night, and
that many present overheard it."
He glanced at the faces of his own
men who were grouped together. It
was evident that they remembered it,
and it was now brought more forcibly to
his own mind.
Atkins, now the commander of the
Hellona's party, was on this occasion
quite sober. He now called the asseni
JLly to order, and prooeeded to state the
case in general terms, then called me
and Tom Green to give our testimony.
We told all the circumstances of the
finding of the body, confirming each
other In every particular.
'.. " You can all see, boys, how Warwick
came to his death. His neck Is broken,
and also one of his legs, but the fall of
course did that after he was dead. The
bullet-hole In the back of his head Is
quite enough to kill any man Instantly.
Of course the bullet came from a gun.
Now, how many guns have we among
us on the island V"
It appeared on Inquiry that there tfere
only three, so far as kuown, and also
that the gun of the Hydro?! party "was
out of order, and was unrigged for re
pairs. It could not possibly have been
used the night before. This narrowed
the matter down to two guns,, one of
which was that carried by Warwick
himself.
"Now, here is our gun," continued
Atkins, "Just as it was found lying on
the stones, all loaded and capped. Now,
who used the other gun last night, the
only gun on the island ?"
"I did," answered Dave Preston,
quietly yet boldly. " It never went out
of my hand from dusk of the evening
until I turned in this morning, one
hour before daylight. And I shot
twelve elephants with It, but I can only
say that I was never, at any time during
the night, anywhere near the spot where
Warwick was found, and that I know
no more than you do about the manner
of his death. All this I can swear to
upon oath."
" But whether you can prove it or not
is another matter," returned Atkins in
a cold, dry tone. - "Here is the case,
boys, in a nutshell," he continued, not
looking at Preston. " There were only
two guns on the island last night in
condition to be used. Here is one of
'em just as it fell with the murdered
man to the beach. And the other was
in the hands of Preston last night
by his own statement. It seems to me
the verdict is pretty plain."
A murmur of approbation was heard
from the crowd, more especially from
the English party, and It was readily
seen that the evidence was conclusive.
"Hold on a bit," put in Ben Com
stock, whom I had noticed examining
the gun, and feeling all over It, but who
had not spoken until now. " It looks
dark enough, as you say, but I have
wintered and summered Dave Preston,
and I'll stake my life that what he ays
and swears to is the truth chock up to
the handle. Now this gun fell thirty
feet upon a stony ground, and there isn't
a mark or a brack upon It. If it fell
where you say it did, it would almost
certainly be broken in some part, but at
the best It must have been marred and
bruised in the wood-work."
" So it would," assented several voices.
" That's so."
"But don't you see," urged Atkins,
"that if Warwick was in the death
agony when he fell, he clutched the gun
tightly, and it did not leave his hand
until the shock of his striking the
ground. In that case the gun would not
be marred or broken, and how can any
of us know whether the gun fell with
him, in his grasp, or fell separately V"
"Just so," said several voices again.
"You can't find out much on that
tack."
And it was evident that Atkins had
the best of the argument.
"What you say is possible," said
Comstock, after seeming to think deeply
for a minute, "and so we won't argue
the point any further. But don't be in
a hurry to condemn anybody yet. We
must have further evidence, and I hope
to be able to show who didn't murder
the man, although I might not be able
to find out who did."
Atkins gave a sort of sneering laugh.
" But I don't see yet, Comstock, what
you can be driving at. We ail know
there are but two guns to choose from.
Do you mean to say that Warwick was
killed with his own gun V"
"I can't quite say it yet, but I think
so," returned Ben.
"That he was killed with his own
gun, which was afterward carefully
loaded again, and laid along side of
him."
A sensation was perceptible through
out the crowd, and men. looked eagerly
and suspiciously in each others' faces.
This was a theory which had scarcely
been thought of by others, but the drift
of Comstock'a proceedings began to
flash upon their minds. He still kept
hold of the Bellona'a gun, and glancing
sharply around him he seemed to tower
above them all like a giant created for
the occasion.
" Tom Green," he said in a sharp tone
of command, "run over to the Vandal't
shanty, and bring the gun that was
used last night. Dave Preston, keep
quiet until tell you to speak. It seems
you are in a certain way on trial for
your life, and you must let me manage
your defence. I know well enough that
you are no assassin, and I know, too,
that if you had shot the man accident
ally or in self-defence, you would just
say so like the honest man that you
always were. Here comes that guu of
yours. Come, bear a hand, Tom
Green."
He took the guns, one in each hand,
and laid their muzzles together, while
every eye in the assembly followed the
direction of hhi, and a pin might have
been heard to drop in any part of the
bouse.
His scrutiny apparently gave an en
couraging result, to judge from the ex
pression of his face.
" Now, boys, I must have that bul
let." " What bullet ?" queried Atkins.
The bullet that is lodged In War
wick's brain. I must have It."
" Would you have us split the roan's
head open to get the ball."
11 Yes, I'll split it open myself if neces
sary, but I must have the bullet. Don't
talk of respecting the dead, when there's
a living man, and a good one, too, rest
ing under a foul suspicion. What say
you, lads V shall I have the bullet V"
" Yes, yes," burst from the throats of
all the Americans of the vessels. There
was a momentary attempt at resistance
by Atkins and a portion of the Ilobart
Town crew, but they were brushed aside
without much ceremony.
It Is unnecessary to describe the rude
surgery, which, however, quickly an
swered the purpose. The ball was soon
found, and eagerly handed over to Com
stock. He placed It upon the muzzle of the
VandaVt gun. It would not enter the
bore.
"See, boys!" he cried, holding it up.
"Are you all satisfied V"
An answering shout indicated the
state of feeling that prevailed among
those juetlce-lovlng seamen. Even the
English beach-header was converted to
the new faith, and began to look else
where for the niurderer, feeling certain
that Dave Preston had not done the
deed. Meanwhile Preston himself, con
scious of his own innocence, and feeling
hjs case safe enough in the hands of his
trusty friend, had been studying in
tently the conduct and facial expression
of others during all these proceedings,
with the view of finding a clew to the
identity of the real murderer.
I stood close at his side, and although
neither of us spoke to the other, I was
quite sure, even from the moment that
Comstock Bent Tom to bring the other
gun, that I knew the man who was the
object of my friend's suspicion. A
short, dark, evil-looklug fellow, -a Por
tuguese evidently, one of Warwick's
own men, whom I had met now and
then when I worked with others on the
beach : but that was all I knew of him.
I now observed that this man had
gradually moved nearer to Comstock,
till he stood close behind his right
shoulder. He wore a growth of beard,
so that little or no expression was appar
ent on his countenance, but my atten
tion had been mostly given to the move
ments of Comstock himself. The Por
tuguese even took care to join in the
shout at the disoovery that Warwick
must have been killed with the gun of
the larger calibre, though such a dis
covery must have been a terrible scare
to him. But he did not realize the full
imminence of his peril, or feel the
glance of the keen eye which had been
steadily covering him for some minutes,
but the slightest movement of his feat
ures or his body had been noted. Pres.
ton told us afterward that he could
observe a slight, nervous twitching of
the fingers, and once the hands moved
as if involuntarily toward the gun in
Comstock'a grasp. From that moment
he was more than ever confident that he
had found his man.
" Now, lads," said Comstock, "we all
are satisfied on one point, but that does
not tell us who did commit the crime,
although it is plain enough who didn't.
I don't know that anything we can do
at this moment will clear up the rest of
this mystery, but murder will out sooner
or later, and time will bring the guilty
man to justice. It may be of no great
consequenoe, but as the Bellona'a gun is
still loaded, I am going to draw the
charge in the presence of all hands. I
should say by the feeling that there is a
paper wad over the ball, but we shall
soon see."
The worm presently took a good hold,
and the wad began to rise slowly from
the gun-barrel. The little, heavy-bearded
man crept closer up to Ben Com
stock, and I could hear the beating of
my friend's heart at my side. The little
mass of paper was brought to the light
of day ; but, as it was drawn forth, it
dropped from the worm, and fell to the
floor. A dark, grimy hand reached
eagerly to pick it up, but Dave Preston
was quick as a flash, a blow between the
eyes of the stooping man knocked him
backward before he could straighten
himself erect. The paper wad was
already within his lips, but a heavy
hand clutched his throat, and he was
compelled to disgorge. In the excite
ment the wad was again put Into the
hands of Comstock, who carefully pull
ed it open, and flattened out the piece of
paper.
Yes, two pieces of paper exactly over
lying each other. Two leaves of a book
torn out at a single pull. There were
but two guns on the island ; there was
but one missal, or prayer book, In the
Portuguese language, and this was In
the Inside pocket of Domingo's monkey-
Jacket with two leaves missing, and a
ragged edge left on the remnant, exactly
matching the fragments of the gun
wad. His own shipmates, now that the real
murderer was known, could understand
the motive, and the terrified wretch
confessed all. It appeared that soon
after the Bcllona left Hobart-Town on
her out word voyage, Domingo had been
flogged for theft from a shipmate, and
that Warwick, the beach-header, bad
been very active in detecting his dishon
esty, and instigating the heavy punish
ment he had received from the captain.
The Portuguese bad nursed his wrath
and kept it warm until the right oppor
tunity for sweet revenge should arrive,
which was not until the night in
question. He was out on the beach
with his lance, and had strayed out of
his usual beat, some distance up the
gradual ascent toward the glacier, when
he recognized Warwick coming, and the
devil, as he expressed It, took full pos
session of him, for now, if ever, was his
chance. It was dark, and there was
probably no other person within a mile
of them, so he concealed himself, and
waited for Warwick to oome up. He
knew that if he attacked the beaoh
header with a lanoe or a sheath-knlfe,
he must work quickly, and make his
first blow a sure one, or he might lose
his own life, for the fear of a loaded gun
was before his eyes. Nevertheless, he
could not forego an opportunity such
as might never again be thrown in his
way, and had about made up his mind
to rush up and strike when, as he again
said, the devil helped him, and In the
most unexpected manner. Warwick,
on arriving abreast the spot where his
enemy was crouching, stopped to rest,
and leaving his guu against a hillock,
sauntered away from it a few paces to
the verge of the bluff where he stood
gazing out upon the ocean. The temp
tation was not to be resisted ; with a
single leap Domingo had the guu in his
grasp, and took deliberate aim at the
bead of the figure, standing out motion
less against the dark sky. He called
out that his victim might know who
was near, but before he had half turned
his head the shot was fired, as was
evident from the position of the wound.
But to have sent him Into eternity in
ignorance of the source whence death
came would have been a drawback to
the fulluess of Domingo's revenge.
After Warwick fell to the beach
below, the Portuguese listened a moment
on the cliff; but hearing no sound, he
descended to the beach, and finding that
the work of death had been effectual, he
proceeded to cover the tracks of his
crime, and to throw suspicion elsewhere,
by reloading the gun. He knew that
Warwick was in the habit of carrying
wadding, preferring It to oakum. He
found bullets and caps, but did. not find
wadding In the same pocket, and did
not Bearch the others, for here he Mid
the devil deserted him, and he became
flustered. Any paper would do, and he
hastily desecrated the sacred missal, this
fact afterward appearing to strike him
with rather more remorse than the
thought of the murder itself. He ram
med home the wad, and laid the gun
carelessly across the stony ground near
the body, to appear as If it had fallen
with him. It had not occurred to his
mind that there were so few guns on
the island, or that the guns might hap
pen to be all of different size In the bore.
He then retraced his steps down the
point, but did not return home until
midnight. He had borne himself brave
ly during the Inquest, and had not
winced until the discovery of the differ-
ence in the calibre of the guns. It then
became an object to get possession of
that little wad, or else to fire off the gun
In the ordinary way, blowing it away
Into space, but as Ben Comstock had
firm possession of it all the time, he was
baffled. Being an ignorent devotee, of a
religious turn of mind, he had not dared
to destroy or make way with the prayer
book, and now thought that his detec
tion was the direct vengeance of the
church upon him for his sacrilege In
having mutilated it. He believed that
If he could have succeeded in swallowing
the little wad, it would somehow have
acted as a charm for his deliverance.
The miserable wretch was placed in
Irons for security, but we oodld not un
dertake to punish him for his crime, as
there was a crooked question of juris
diction. The murder was not committed
on the high seas, nor under any particu
lar flag, but on a sterile Island, which
no nation claimed as its territory; and
there was no one among us sufficiently
learned in the law to set us right, but as
be belonged to an English ship's crew,
and his victim the same, we Americans
might well wash our hands of the whole
judicial part of the business.
, On the return of the BeUona in the
spring, the criminal was taken on board,
and kept in confinement, but I after
ward learned that he settled the legal
question himself, or rather left it unset
tled, by Jumping overboard with his
Irons on, before the vessel reached the
home port.
JUSSER 6 ALLEN
CENTRAL STORE
NEWPORT, PENN'A.
(Moff Oder the publlo
A RAKK AND ELEGANT ASSORTMENT OP
DRESS GOODS
Consisting sf all shades suitable for the season
BLACK ALPACCAS
AND
Mourning Goods
' A SPECIALITY.
BLEACHED AND UNBLEACHED
MUSLINS,
AT VARIOUS PRICES.
AN ENDLESS SELECTION OF PRINTS'
We sell and do keep a good quality of
SUGARS, COFFEES & SYRUPS
And everything under the head of
GROCERIES !
Machine needles and oil for all makes of
Machines. .
To be convinced that our goods are
CHEAP AS THE CHEAPEST,
IS TO CALL AND EXAMINE STOCK.
No trouble to show goods.
Don't forget the
CENTRAL STORE,
Newport, Perry County, Pa.
NOTICE !
THE undersigned would respectfully call the
attention of the citizens of Perry county
that he has a large and well selected stock of
HARDWARE,
U ROOK K IKS, '
DttUOH.
WINES & LIQUORS.
IKON.
NAILS,
HORSE and MULE SHOES,
STEEL,
IRONAXLliS,
SPRINGS,
SPOKES,
HUBS,
FELLOES.
SHAFTS.
POLES ft BOWS,
BROOM HANDLES,
WIRE,
TWINES, &o.
Also,
Paints, Oils, Glass, Hnster,
and Cement.
SOLE, CALF, KIP and UPPER LEATHER,
FISJ?AAFr' SUGARS, SYRUPS, TEAS. SPICES,
T6BACCO, CIGARS, aud SMITH COAL.
Jobs Lucas ft Co's.,
MIXED FAINTS
(ready for use.)
The best Is the CHEAPEST.
.. And a large varleryof goods not mentioned,
allot which were bought at the Lowest Cash
Prices, and he offers the same to his Patrons at
the Very Lowest Prices for Cash or approved
trade. His motto Low prloes, and Fair dealings
to all. On and see him.
' Respectfully,
S. M. SHULER.
Liverpool, Perry Co. Pa.
1? CD "U T 21 'S
HORSE AND CATTLE POWDERS
win eure or prevent Disease.
No Honsa will die of Colio, Botb or Lu8 F
Tan, if KouU'i Powders sre used In time.
Koutz's Powders wl II cure end preren t Hoe CuoT.ur.A
' Foutil Powdere will prevent Oil-He in Jowls,
FoutalPowdcre will Increase the qnnntltr of milk
end creem twenty per cent, end make Hie butter arm
. end tweet. f
Foutrt Powders will cure or prevent almost vxar
W?"' to which Horses and Cattlo are subject.
, Foirrra Pownana win, eiva Satisfactioh.
Sold everywhere. i
DAVID X. rotTTZ, Proprietor,
BAIFIMOIIB, Md.
f For Rale by 8. B. Smith, New Bloomfleld.
Perry County, Pa. jy
J If TO
'W Of DUI
jnMoMi.weaJc-
rem are nun
' man of let-
ened by the strain of
ters toiling on
your a hum avoia
stimulants a tad ue
Hop Bitter,
night work, to ru.
tore brain nerve ni
u Hop B.
suffering from any ra
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If yua are twwjt and
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cited or tingle, old or
poorhealtfe or Uiufuiah
mess, rely oa Hop
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iK oil m uoa O HCs
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ivoomr youare,
whenever yon fosl
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meeds cleansta, ton-
Tbousands die an.
fiUfill v from aoma
form of Kidney
'disease that miuhi
have beenprmeuled
HX or Shunuwuujr,
' m BJuiBiy une oc
- . HopBlttere
nop
Bitter.
Have ytn o?ys
D.I.C.
la an alwnhil-A
orurmarvoot
tdaini. dleesi
of the ttomach.
and lrrealgUb
ble e a r e for
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tobae eo or
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Husr or amies'
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floldbTdrnvw
pry we a a anuj
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it I ft may
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SMtlrtCT, a. I.
a Toronto, Out.
November 8, laoO-tt
A Large Farm for Sale.
AOOOD FARM OF ABOUT THREE HUN
DRKD ACRES more or less. In Perry
County, Pa., heavily set with Pine, White Oak,
and Rock Oak Timber, together wltli choice
fruits. Mountain water conveyed In pipes to the
door of the dwelling.
. . For further particulars call at thli office.
August 10, matt