Tragedy In Florida

Late Florida papers contain au account í of a pocuiiarly interesting fcragedy, in I which a Mr. Keech, loug inissing from Fond du Lao, Wis., enacts a very im! port: ni part. He arrived in Florida j about a year and a half ago. He ! cbased a farm in Bt. John's county, not far from Matanzas inlet. He was industrious and energetio and soon became j noted as one of the most prosperóse farí iners in the oountry.. Mr. Keech was j accompanied by bis wife, or by a woman [ supposed to be liis wife. To all appearj anee, tho two lived together in the j most peace and tranouillity. Some time ago a man calling himself J. Srnith i ton, and representiüg himself as a land i prospector, made his appearauce in the Keech neighborhood, and remained j severa! days. He finally left, and neither j j Mr. Keecli nor his neighbors thought any more of the stranger. A few days ago, however, he again made his appearj anee, and, after makiug some inquines of i a Mr. Williams, proceeded to Keeoh's house. It happened that Mr. Keech owed Mr. Williams a small sum of money, I and had promised to cali and pay it the noxt day after Newton made lus appeteS anee. That day, however, and the next i poned, and still Mr. Keech did not appear to fulfill his promise. Knowing his neighbor to be a very prompt man in his business affairs, Mr. Williams j at once procceded to investígate the cause of the unusual delay. Mouuting ! a horse, he rode to tho farm of ' Keech, ] and there discovered that a most atro i cious murdor had been committed. Mrs. I Keech was found in her room shot to j I death, while Mr. Keech lay near by, with his throat cut, a bullet hole in tlie back ! of his head, anti his skull erushed in. Mr. KeBch'a neighbors immediately a.ssembled and organized two pursuing partios - one under the command of Mr. Virgil Dupont and the othor under the command of tho Sheriff of át. John's ] county. They followed the murdsreï nearly fifty miles, sparing neither whip nor spur, and finally carne up with him in Volusia county, whera he was endeavoring to make his way on foot to th; St. John's river. The confession of the murderer, which lias been made, invests the crime with niysterious interest. His name is J. Smith Newton, and he Was born in Biienos Ayres, of Faiglish parÍ ents. Ho says that his purpose was not robbcry, but'the hope of ultímate gain. ; He statos that tho woman known as Mrs. Ellen Keech was not the wife of Mr. .Keech, but his mistress, and that the real Mrs. Keech is a resident of Fond du Lac, Wis. Keech dosortod his real wife, took up with the raurdered woman, and fied to Florida. Tho prisoner says ho ] was employèd by Mrs. Keech, who is his auut, to follovv Jier traant husband and murder him and His mistress. Asa reward for his troable, Newton was to I receivo a shax'e of tho estáte oí Mr. Keech, which is said to be worth about $30,000. An attempt was made by sume of the citizens of Orange county to lynch ! Newton, and it was tlie lVar of this that j led him to confess his crime.