A Strange Story.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IX, Issue 104, 7 April 1885, Page 4

A Strange Story.

From the shpres of Western Corriwall comes B ii 'thrilling and unaccountable tale of an atrocious murder committed m 183^ m the tedntlr of September'/ The 1 author of the story writes his experience to the Cjotnisbman newspaper, but he signs his initials and does not give his name. He declares himself ready to point out the scene of the dreadful deed, and where the body was buried m a lonely moor. According to the tale, the writer had occasion to visite Penzance m the year named (at that time he was staying m London), and it was after the transaction of his business that he started to walk over to a friend on the road to St. Just. On the way — it being at the time full moon, and censequently every thing very distinct — he met two men, wno at first seemed inclined to stop him, but, seeing that they had mistaken him for another person, they went on their way. Shortly after he met a river captain, and the thought crossed his mind that this was the person the two men were m search of. Accordingly he stopped and warned him, but the man declared he had no illwill against anyone, nor did he dread any interference. The narrator of the story declares that the man left him, but that directly he had gone he was overtaken by a terrible fit of nervous prostration, due as he bel'eved to some kind of supernatural influence; at all events he sank helpless on the road, and from there endeavored to drag himself on to the adjacent moor, where he lay and endeavoured to recover his senses. Whilst m this state he heard two, pistol shots m rapid succession, to . his horror he observed for the first time that he was lying close to a newly made grave, whilst at the same moment he saw the two men coming rapidly across the moor towards the spot where he was lying hid, and carrying between them the dead body of the captain who had passed only a few minutes before. The corpse was thrown into the grave, and the earth was being rapidly shovelled m, when the witness was discovered. In an instant he was seized with imprecations, and, despite his pleadings that his presence was accidental, preparations were made te add him to the other victim. He was told to strip his clothes and get m the grave where his throat could be cut without leaving any mess or mark to tell the tale. However, he ultimately succeeded m getting the assassins to let him off on the promise that he should take a fearful oath not to divulge what he had seen for fifty years, when, as the men were fully forty or fifty, all fear of their capture would be at end. The dreadful scene has haunted him ever since, and now at the age of 76 he comes foward to tell the story of how he bought his life on a lonely heath fifty years ago. The strange part of the tale is that he declares he could never hear of anyone from the neighborhood being missing, though he made every inquiry which prudence could suggest and he now comes foward to ask the public to assist him m tracing the victim and his murderers.