Henry More Smith: The Mysterious StrangerBates, Walter
History
Henry More Smith: The Mysterious Stranger
Bates, Walter
Criminals -- Canada -- Biography; Smith, Henry More, active 1812-1836
could not well pass without being seen, we stationed watchers there, and
also set watchers in other stations, and maintained a close lookout all
night, but to no purpose.
At daylight I furnished Mr. Foster with money, and sent him on upon the
same road with directions to proceed as far as Mr. McLeod’s tavern,
distance forty miles, and in case of hearing nothing of him, to
discontinue the pursuit and return. At the same time I returned to
Kingston myself, where I was informed towards evening, that a man, who
answered his description had crossed the ferry over Bellisle Bay the
evening before in great haste, stating that he was going on an express
to Fredericton, and must be there by ten o’clock the next morning. This,
compared with Mr. Lyon’s story, the reader will recollect, of having
seen Smith’s _ghost_ or apparition the same evening in the twilight,
confirmed the opinion that we had now got upon the direction of our
runaway. And when we remember further, that the _apparition_ was passing
without _touching the ground_, we will have some idea of the rapidity
with which our self-released hero was scudding along as he carried his
neck from the halter. It was now Sunday evening, and he had twenty-four
hours of a start, leaving little hopes of his being overtaken by me. As
my only alternative, I forwarded advertisements, and proposed a reward
of twenty dollars for his apprehension and re-commitment to custody; but
with very little prospect of success knowing that he was escaping for
his life, and would succeed in getting out of the country before he
would be overtaken.
Monday morning, the 26th instant, Mr. Moses Foster returned from his
route, and by this time many unfavorable reports concerning the
prisoner’s escape had begun to be circulated. The Court at which he was
to receive his trial was now to meet on the Tuesday following, and a
jury summoned from different parts of the county for the express purpose
of trying the horse-stealer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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