The Case of Archibald Fisher
By J. H. Rockwell
THE following case, in which circumstantial evidence appears in an unusually complete form, was tried in a local court of Sangamon County something more than eighty years ago, and has never, so far as the writer can learn, been given to the general public. The case presents, it will be seen, a number of extremely interesting phases.
William, Henry and Archibald Trayler came to Illinois from Green County, Kentucky, in 1829. William settled near Greenbush, Warren County, about one hundred miles northwest from Springfield; Henry settled at Clary's Grove, Menard County — at that time a part of Sangamon — and Archibald settled in Springfield, engaging in the business of a building contractor. He purchased a lot and erected a house on it, and being a bachelor, he rented it to his partner — a Mr. Myers — and boarded with him.
The three brothers were, all of them, sober, industrious men, and had been well respected in the Kentucky town from where they came, as they were then respected by their new acquaintances in Illinois.
Archibald Fisher was a man about fifty years old, unmarried, and a school teacher by profession; his home was in Warren County and he boarded with William Trayler. Being a man of an economical turn of mind, and seldom, if ever, idle, he had accumulated several hundred. Wishing to enter some land, he started in company with William Trayler, for Springfield, stopping at Henry Trayler's near Greenbush, on the way, reaching there early Sunday evening. The next morning all three came to Springfield, going at once to Archibald Trayler's boarding place. This was about noon, Monday, June 1, 1841.
After dinner Fisher and the three brothers left the house for the purpose of looking about the town. At supper time the three brothers returned but Fisher was not with them. He had turned aside, they said, as they were passing along a footpath in the northwest part of town. Supper was eaten, and as Fisher did not put in an appearance, the three brothers went in search of him, but when they returned at night they reported that nothing had been seen of him. Search was resumed early the next morning and continued throughout the day, but with no success, and William and Henry Trayler, who had expected to leave that morning for home, expressed their intention of giving up the search, but this was objected to by Archibald and others, on the ground that Fisher, if found, would have no means of conveyance back to Warren County.
However, William was determined to return home and that night, unknown to Archibald, he hitched his horse to his buggy and left. Missing him, and finding that the horse and buggy were gone, Archibald followed him on foot, overtaking him just as he was crossing Spring Creek, some two or three miles west of town.
Remonstrating with him for leaving before the mystery of Fisher's disap-
