| The Taletale Tombstone |
Like so many of the young men in the area, Floyd went to Europe to fight in the world war. Some say that he came back a changed man, others say he was the same. Their neighbors knew that things seemed to be more 'heated' after he returned. The arguements between Floyd and Sarah were usually centered around her religous beliefs, or sometimes were about a local male Catholic that Sarah seemed to have been friendly with during the time Floyd was away serving his country.
The town of Orleans was thrown into shock in the Fall of 1918. The body of Sarah Pruett was found in a wooded area just outside of town. The method of her demise was obvious, as the chain was still wrapped tightly around her throat. Floyd might have been a prime suspect, except that most who knew him could never imagine that he would be capable of such a grim deed. Sarah's family had no doubts that he had been the murderer, however, and readily lashed out at him. The rest of the town rallyed behind Floyd, and defended his reputation. Sarah's family finally gave up their fight to bring Floyd to trial, but vowed that by the mercy of God, Floyd's guilt would be revieled one day. Things had pretty much calmed down around Orleans in 1920. Floyd never remarried and continued with his logging curreir, until his life was brought to a sudden end, on the 2nd anniversay of Sarah's death. No one was there to see just what caused the tree to fall the wrong way, onto Floyd. Those who worked with him said he was an excellent lumberjack, and his mind must have been elsewhere as he fell that tree.
Floyd Pruett was buried in Bond's Chapel cemetery. Family visitors to his grave were given quite a start on the 1st anniversary of his death. There, on the north side of his tombstone was a chain, as if etched into the stone itself. A bar running horizontally formed a cross. Sarah's family, as well as everyone else, knew then for sure who the murderer of Sarah Pruett had been.
