Hide Article Text (OCR)
—There is one strange circumstance connected with the Cihanski tragedy. The killing of the Poland* er and his wife took place on the night of the 17 of July last, their blackened, charred remains being found in the ashes of their burnt cabin next morning. It was plain enough from the start, that a murder most foul had been committed, but there was not at first the slightest clue to the perpetrators, though suspicion fell somewhat on James Bennet and Jonathan Hickman.— Time wore on without letting a ray of light into the bloody mystery, till a couple boys, named Bush (who for some offense were in jail at South Bend, awaiting removal to the Re* form school) made a startling revelation. They said they were in a deserted old shanty, not far from Cih-anski’s on the night of the tragedy, when about midnight, Geo. Shively, with Bennett and Hickman came in and stayed about half an hour, telling filthy stories and singing ribald songs, and that one of them had fresh blood on his clothes. Upon the strength of this disclosure Ben* nett and Hickman were arrested. It is morally certain they could not have been convicted onthia evidence, as it was purely circumstantial and wholly failed to connect them with the main act. But Hickman wrought on by fear and a guilty conscience, made a clean breast of it: and Bennett the other day did likewise. But there is now every reason for believing that the story of the Bush boys was a gross fabrication. No such man as Geo. Shively, as far as is known, ever existed. Bennett and Hickman both aver that they were not at the shanty in question, at all, and the Bush boys have since told Mrs. Turnock (wife of the Sheriff) that their tale had no foundation in fact/ And so a story without a gain of truth in it, led to the detection and punishment of two desperate criminals. It looks almost like a “special Providence ”—Laporte Herald.
Newspaper Details
Goshen Times
Goshen, Indiana, US
Thu, Jul 08, 1875
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
IL, USA 30 Sep 2019
Other Publications Near Goshen, Indiana
Goshen Mid Week News Times
Goshen Mid Week News
Goshen Democrat
Goshen Elkhart County Times
Goshen Daily Times
