Gusokuya edition Yosha Bunko	Gusokuya edition Rikken Collection	Tsujibun edition Ono Collection
Purple horizon The splash of purple on the horizon in both copies of Gusokuya printing is absent on the Tsujibun copy.

Tokyo nichinichi shinbun
No. 919a   1875-1-28 (no seal)
Couple murders peddler

Story translation

Around December 20 of last year in Ueda, Shinshu (presently Nagano Prefecture), a traveling merchant who happened to be alone while transiting the Usui Pass, is shown here [encountering] a man living in the mountains who produced charcoal. A couple discussed taking away his possessions. They said that fortunately because no one else was present, they would grab the traveler, and using a hatchet, cut him up and kill him and steal his gold. No one at all knew of it; but justice has long arms, and through he thought he could flee that blood on his axe, he should already truly, truly fear his exposure to this [crime].

[Unsigned]

[Translated (freely) by Mark Schreiber]