USA > Ohio > Logan County > The historical review of Logan County, Ohio > Part 24
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She continued to grow worse and went poison for the urpose of killing dogs, and said that he had had no oppor- tunity of using it, and had left the bottle at home without having used any of the poison. Ilis sister, a most intelligent young woman, who was the housekeeper for her widowed father, testified to finding the bottle of poison. after Jacob's arrest, in the bureau drawer of his room, and pro- duced it in court.
The person from whom it was pur- chased recognized the bottle and said that it contained about the quantity he had sold to Jake, and when weighed in the presence of the jury by Colonel Case it was found to be a little more than one grain, only about one-eighth as much as had been found in the stomach of the dead wife, and when tested before the jury by Colonel Case it was proven to be strichnia.
The defense produced the evidence of neighbors showing how troublesome dogs had been in the vicinity, and further to show that there had been no trouble or difficulty between the two. and that there was absolutely no motive to commit such a crime, and that the defendant was a kind. mild-mannered and affectionate young man, without any bad habits. Not- withstanding all this, the jury found him guilty of murder in the first degree.
The defense interposed a motion for a new trial upon the ground that there was not sufficient evidence for conviction, and of undue prejudice and excitement, and for the reason that there were at that time four persons in jail charged with murder, and the people were greatly moved by reason of this unparallel condition of affairs.
The defendant told a plain story and positively denied having poisoned his wife. The court set the verdict aside and grant- ed a new trial, and after some considerable and upon cross-examination his story was unshaken. He admitted having bought delay it was agreed between the sister of
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the defendant and his attorneys that the con- so unsatisfactory as circumstantial evidence. ditions surroundingthe case by reason of the extraordinary number of murder trials be- fore the court, and the great excitement at- tending this unusual and extraordinary con- dition of affairs renderel it difficult to oh- tain a fair and impartial trial of the case. and they advised that he enter a plea of guilty of manslaughter which the prosecu- tion offered to accept.
To this advice and proposition the de- fondant gave a positive refusal, and insisted that he had committed no crime and that he would rather hang than to make such a confession, and so the matter ended for a time.
The sister. however, exhausted by the efforts already made in his behalf and with- out means, and alarmed by the unexpected verdict of the former trial. insisted that it would be better and that time would bring to light the conclusive evidence of his inno- cence, and under her persuasion and appeals. he finally agreed to come into court and so plead. and did so, being sentenced to twenty years in the penitentiary.
He had no sooner left the court-room than he rebelled at what he termed the in- famous lie of his admission and insisted that the plea was false, that he had never been guilty of such a crime and that his wife's death was not on his head, and was deter- mined to go back into the court room and withdraw the plea, and was only restrained frem so doing by the tears and pleas of the sister. who had in reality been a mother to him, having had the care of him from childhood.
It was one of the most touching and pathetic scenes I ever witnessed. and that morning's experience had persuaded me that there is absolutely nothing so unreliable and
Whitmore remained in the penitentiary until his death from consumption. Some time after his imprisonnem. an appeal was made to Governor Hoadley for his pardon. The Governor visited the prison and had a personal interview with Whitmore, and the story he told so impressed the Governor that he determined to pardon him, and, in the presence of Judge Duncan Dow and myself. Governor Hoadley said to him: "Now. Jake. I am persuaded that you are not intentional- ly guilty of murder, and that your wife's death came from some accidental or mis- taken use of poison. If you will tell me ex- aetly how it was done. I promise you on my honor that I will pardon you."
Whitmore looked steadily at the Gov- ernor for a moment and answered with great deliberation : "1 told one lie about this when I plead guilty in court, and I will not tell another to save my life." He was led back to prison and Governor Hoadley went out of office the following week without acting in the matter.
Having defended Whitmore and being familiar with every fact connected with the case, I am now, and have always been, of the opinion that a great wrong was done an innocent man, and that Mrs. Whitmore's death came from poison taken by herself, for some purpose other than with the idea of producing death, and that being unfamil- iar with poisons, and not understanding their power and effect, she had taken a far larger portion than she had intended, and far more than- was necessary for the purpose desired.
No other possible theory is tenable, she never swallowed so large a wad of paper under threats or durance, and she had every opportunity to make outcry and give an
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alarm had she so desired; and even after ing home and being taken sick she repeat- edly insisted that she had eaten nothing but hickory nuts.
These taken with all the other circum- stances surrounding the case make the state- ment which Jacob Whitmore made to Gor- ernor Iloadley stand out as a startling and unanswerable fact.
THE MARTIN MURDER.
Charles Martin was a colored man in Bellefontaine. He was conspicuous as of fine form and atheletic build. and prided himself somewhat upon his ability to box and his strength and skill as an athlete. When not drinking he was a model of pro- priety and particularly kind and accommo- dating. When in his cups he was like most others, inclined to be a little contentious and quarrelsome.
Albert Hoge, a white man, had been em- ployed in Washington and was in Bellefon- taine on a visit. Like Martin he was a young Hercules, a fine boxer and when not drinking was a most gentlemanly young fel- low. Unfortunately, these two had both been drinking, and meeting in a saloon there was some question as to their superiority as boxers, which was settled by a little fistic encounter intended to be in a friendly way. Martin knocked the hat off of Hoge, which in a manner incensed him and words follow- ed, but nothing serious resulted. Shortly afterwards they seperated. Hoge going with a companion who told him that Martin was a dangerous man and that he must be on his guard against him or he would do him harm. Hoge then borrowed a pistol of his companion and some time afterwards met Martin coming out of another saloon. Some words followed and almost without notice
Hoge drew this pistol and fired at Martin. The ball entered his breast and passed around and imboded itself in the right side and Martin fell mortally wounded, dying that night.
The murder was the outgrowth of the unfortunate condition in which the men were by reason of their drinking. and might with propriety be traced to the door and bar of the saloon.
The arrest and trial of Iloge followed. and he was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to the penitentiary for ten years. Some time afterwards he was pardoned by the governor and so far as is known has ever since conducted himself as a good cit- izen.
Some effort was made to make it ap- pear that this was a conflict of races and that Martin was shot because he was a col- ored man, and the colored people of the county were to some considerable extent in- clined to protest in the matter.
There was no foundation whatever for this new view of the matter. Both of these parties were ardent Republicans, Hoge's family was originally from Virginia, and the father of young Hoge, and all of his rel- atives were original and most determined abolitionists, and had long been the friends and sympathizers of the blacks.
Upon the other hand it was simply the outgrowth of the saloon, and the hot and hasty words which brought about the en- counter, could be traced to the bar where the young men had bartered their reason and blinded their couler judgments by drink.
It is most unfortunate that this was not an exception to the general rule. that "when drink is in, reason is out."
Thus another murder was added to the
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list which has made the criminal annals of Logan county most unfortunately long.
THE MURDER OF FRED WAGNER.
In 1884. Fred Wagner, was a wagon. maker at Belle Conter and for many years had conducted a careful and successful busi- ness. He was a German and was regarded as a good citizen.
Needing assistance in his shop he adver- tised, and another German named Kuntzel. from Newark, Ohio, answered and was em- ployed to do the blacksmithing, while Wag- ner did the wood-work.
Some time afterwards there being se me dissatisfaction, Wagner discharged Kuntzel and paid him off and he returned to Newark. After having been gone three or four weeks Kuntzel returned and early one morning went to Wagner's shop and found Wagner alone. some dispute arose between them. when Kuntzel struck Wagner with some tool he picked up in the shop and killed him. Kuntzel was indicted and tried. but acquit- tcd
THE MURDER OF GEORGE W. ROCKHILL.
The family to which Amos Inskeep be- longed was one of the oldest and most dis- tinguished in the county. He was the son of John Inskeep, who had married a daugh- ter of John Garwood.
Amos Inskeep was a bachelor and lived on a farm near West Middleburg. He was a most peculiar man and in many respects was regarded by his neighbors as being men- tally unbalanced. At the same time he was most intelligent and highly educated. He was quite a student and particularly delight- ed in studying and reading scientific works. llis unfortunate disposition made him quar- relsome, and contentious with his neighbors.
and his giving way to these fits of anger and revenge finally brought him to the bar of justice as a murderer.
For many years he had from time to time been engaged in controversy and liti- gation, and had kept others in hot water, and himself in most uncomfortable sur- roundings. These finally resulted in a wan- ton and unprovoked murder. In a suit for damages a judgment had been rendered against him, after a fair trial in the common pleas court, and execution was issued for the amount of the judgment and costs, and placed in the hands of Sheriff MeCracken, who, taking his deputy, Mr. George W. Rockhill, proceeded to levy on some stock and drive it away.
Inskeep watched the parties until they had reached the gate of his farm-yard and were about to pass through it, when he took his rifle and deliberately taking aim shot Rockhill, killing him almost instantly.
He was arrested, indicted by the grand jury for murder in the first degree, after a long and impartial trial, in which he was defended by able counsel, the jury failed to agree.
Asking for a change of venue from Lo- gan county by reason of existing prejudice. the ease was transferred to Union county. where, after a second trial, he was convicted of murder in the second degree, the jury giving him the benefit of the doubt as to sanity.
He was sentenced to the penitentiary for life, and after serving for some seven years was pardoned by the governor upon the condition that he should not return to his former home.
He left the state and died shortly after- wards at a sisters in Illinois.
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MURDER OF FRANK MILLER.
In West Liberty. about 1884. Frank Miller was killed by William Scott. a col- ored man There had been some kind of a quarrel or dispute between them near the depot and Scott went up town, got his revolver, bought some cartridges for it and came back towards the depot. He met Miller near the pens, just cast of the depot, and the quarrel was resumed. Mil- ler caught up a rock and struck Scott and Scott drew his revolver and killed Miller.
Scott was tried and acquitted on the ground of self-defense.
THE MURDER OF CHRISTIE LAARUE.
Mrs. Christie LaRue was a young widow, living at West Mansfield, and with a family named Lav ..
Samuel Law. one of the sons, had been quite attentive to Mrs. LaRue and had been going with her for some time. On the day of the murder young Law and Mrs. LaRne drove to Bellefontaine to- gether, where Mrs. La Rue collected abont $600.00 in money. Law had been drink- ing and in the afternoon they drove back l'ome together, arriving at the Law home- stead about supper time. On the way home Law amused himself by shooting with his revolver at various marks along the road. It was quite cool and Mrs. La- Rue, after removing her bonnet, sat down to the supper table with her wraps op.
Law had his pistol out and claimed to have been engaged in taking out the empty loads. The pistol was discharged and Mrs. LaRue was shot in the back of the head, killing her instantly. Law was in- dicted for murder in the first degree, and on the trial attempted to explain away the murder as an accident
The course of the ball. the attendant circumstances and the temporary disap- pearance of the money. all cast a strong suspicion of foul play over the matter, and the jury convicted him of murder in the second degree and the court sentenced him to fifteen years in the penitentiary. He served his entire term. having lost all of his good time by attempting to escape from the prison.
THE ELYET MURDER.
In the spring of 1891 William Elyet. a blacksmith. a large and powerful man. lived at Pickerelltown and Andrew J. Bat- tan was the storekeeper.
There had been a slight contr wersy be- tween the two about the settlement of a store bill and Elvet had made threats against Battan, who was no match for the powerful Elyet.
One morning Eyelet went into the store and assaulted Battan, having followed him into the back part of the store-room, knocking him down and getting him be- tween a barrel of meat and a pile of grind- stones, and was in the act of striking and beating him when Battan reached up to a shelf near at hand and taking a pistol from it. shot Elyet, who died shortly after- wards.
The grand jury investigated the shoot- ing and refused to indict Battan, who had merely acted in self-defense.
THE EVERHART MURDER.
In the fall of 1892 one James Burress. who lived in McArthur township and raised melons, gave a watermelon social and invited in the people of the neighbor- hood.
During the entertainment William
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Everhart appeared upon the scone. He called upon the sheriff to send the military had been drinking and began a quirrel with Burress. After some considerable controversy Everhart went away. threat- cning to return.
Burress was indicted at the October patch, where he had a quard watching his melons, and got a gun from the guard. He brought this gun to the house. Shortly afterward Everhart came back and the quarrel was resumed. when Bur- ress got the gun and Everhart, catching it by the barrel. attempted to take it away from Burress, and in the scuffle it was dis- charged. the charge entering Everhart's breast and passing through his body. Ile was killed instantly.
Burress was indicted at the October term, 1892, was tried and acquitted by the jury upon the ground of self-defense.
THE LYNCHING OF SEYMOUR NEWLIN.
Among the tragedies that have been enacted within the county was the hang- ing of Seymour Newlin. a colored man, by a mob in Rushsylvania on the 15th of April. 1894.
Newlin was charged with entering the home of an old and very highly respected lady named Eliza Knowles and assaulting her.
. There was no positive evidence against him and he stoutly denied his guilt. The sheriff of the county was called upon to take charge of him and see that he was protected from the hands of angry and excited citizens. The sheriff called to his assistance the company of the national guard stationed in Bellefontaine, and with this company repaired to Rushsylvania.
The citizens resented this implication upon them as law-abiding people and
company home assuring him that the law should not be violated and that it would be permitted to take its course. Acting upon this pledge, the sheriff sent the com- fany back to Bellefontaine.
No sooner had the company gone than there was a determined purpose to lynch the colored man and the mob was incited to violence by a number of persons not residents of that village.
The attempt. however, was held in check for a time by the determined re- sistance of the village marshal, Thomas Kautzman, who single-handed and alone defied the mob and protected his prisoner from violence.
Unfortunately he had no assistance and was finally overpowered and the pris- oner was taken to a corner of a street and hanged.
Thus for a second time the laws of the country were defied in Logan county and lynch law prevailed.
One good and determined man. with the confidence and esteem of his fellow citizens, could have prevented this most unfortunate occurrence.
In this instance the man had a bad rep- utation and was not a man of standing and worth in the community. it is true. but the danger of mob law is far greater than any other darger that besets the citizen.
It is the wisdom of centuries, justified by all jurisprudence. that there is no dan- ger which is so great as that which over- turns and destroys the laws themselves and robs the people of their safeguard and the defense and security of their protec- tion.
It is so easy to rush into madness, to overturn and destroy the great safeguards
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of the home. the family and the person. but it is not so easy to make restitution when wrong has been perpetrated, nor is it so easy to re-establish good governrient and to wipe out the stain of broken and violated statutes.
Seymour Newlin may have been guilty of a crime, but his crime was one which the laws of the land especially pro- vide a punishment for, and it did not jus- tify the violation of the laws and the com- mission of other crimes.
He was entitled under the very law which it is claimed he had violated to a fair and impartial trial before a jury of his countrymen.
I am not defending the crime with which he was charged. I am only pointing out the danger which threatens every citizen when envy, prejudice, malice or frenzy, shall be permitted to sweep away all law and to bring to speedy and untried punishment every sus- pected offender.
THE MURDER OF WILLIAM HALL.
Some time in 1894. a quiet and inoffen- sive old colored man who was called Col- onel Greene lived in Belle Center, and did odd chores for the people generally. . \t the same time there was a man named Wil- liam Hall, who in his sober moment was fairly conducted. but during his drunken sprees was most offensive and quarrelsome.
For some reason he had taken a dislike to Greene, and in one of his drunken fren- zies was following Greene around town threatening to kill him. He finally pursued Greene to the office of Joseph Briggs, an at- torney, for whom Greene occasionally did odd jobs, and upon Hall's appearing at the office with his threats, Greene seized an In- dian club in the office and struck Hall over
the head. Hall fell into the street and Greene coming down town told the city mar- shal what he had done and offered to sur- render himself. Hall, upon being picked up was found to be dead.
Greene was arrested, bound over to court and sent to the Bellefontaine jail. where he did odd jobs for the sheriff until the grand jury met and refused to indict him and he was discharged. He had originally come from near Lexington. Kentucky, and some of his friends raised a purse and sent him back to his old home.
THE MURDER OF GRANT JACKSON.
In 1894 Abraham Piatt, a young man of West Liberty, killed Grant Jackson, a col- ored man, on the streets of that village.
There had been some bad blood between the parties and both had been drinking. Some time after dark. Jackson, in going down the street, met Piatt and the difficulty was renewed, and during the quarrel which foll wed Piatt caught a stone from the street and struck Jackson on the head crushing his skull. Hle was carried home but died shortly after.
A post mortem examination showed that Jackson's skull was as thin as paper and that a small blow would have crushed his skull.
Piatt was indicted and convicted of man- slaughter, and sentenced to the penitentiary. The circuit court reversed this because of the weight of evidence stating that the evi- dence before them sustained a case of self- defense. Piatt was brought back from the penitentiary and released on bond, and a nolle prosequi was soon afterwards entered in his case.
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THE DETRICK MURDER.
A most dastardly andl cruel murder was the taking off of Davit Detrick and his wife in Union township in 1897.
These two good people lived alone in a comfortable farm-house some four miles from Bellefontaine, where they had resided for many years. David Detrick was about seventy-four years of age, and his good wife a few years his junior, and they had lived together as man and wife for half a century. and so far as known were withont enemies.
One October morning their daughter. Mrs. Watson, who lived near Bellecenter. came to yisit them, in company with her young daughter. Upon going to the front door and finding it fastened, the daughter went around the house to the rear and look- ing in a window. saw her grandfather lying on the floor of the room. She quickly man back to her mother, who, being alarmed. sent the girl for a neighbor nearby, who came, and upon entering the house by the back door, which was unlocked. they found Mr. Detrick dead upon the floor of the back room and his wife dead upon the floor of the bed-room adjoining. They had been foully murdered.
The appearances of the premises and the condition and position of the bodies indicat- ed that Mr. Detrick had been called from his bed and going to the back door, without dressing, had opened it to some one with whose voice and call he must have been familiar, and that he had been struck upon the head with some weapon or blunt instru- bent and knocked senseless into the corner of the room.
The appearance and size of the wounds indicated that they had been made with the poll of a hatchet. The first blow which
felled Mr. Detrick had been in front, just above the forehead, and after his fall two or three blows had crushed the skull and the back of his head.
It was very evident that he had been taken entrely by surprise, for the cane which he held in his hand by the crook was still clasped in the hand and he had fallen upon it.
A large pool of blood was near his head and the blood had spurted upon the wall in the corner and had run down through the floor upon the foundation on the outside of the house.
Mrs. Detrick was lying on the floor of the bed-room, with her body partly in the door leading into the bed-chamber in front.
It was evident that they had been in bed as their clothing was on chairs on either side of the bed undisturbed, and the condition of things indicated that Mrs. Detrick having heard the fall of her husband had risen from the led and started to go to him and had licen met by the assassin and murdered at the door of the room, and been struck in the face with the same weapon that had just killed her husband ; the difference being that Mrs. Detrick had been struck with the blade instead of the poll of the hatchet. for there was long, deep gash on the left side of her face near the nose, cutting through the bene. and she had fallen in the bed-room and partly through the door of the bed- chamber in front, and after falling she had again been given two blows on the back of the head with the poll of the hatchet almost exactly as her husband had been struck with the same instrument.
Mr. Detrick's cont had been spread over him and a comfort from the bed had been thrown over her.
They had apparently been dead two or
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three days for they had not been seen. and their bodies were in a state of decomp -- sition.
No clue to this awful murder has ever been discovered, ner the purpose of it. li it was robbery and plunder the murderer must have been frightened away, for there was no indication of anything being disturb- ed about the house. Hf it was for any other purpose, no cause was ever known either be- fore or since, for so fiendish, brutal and das- tardly a crime.
Efforts were made to discover the mar- derer but without avail. Some suspicions were awakened. but they were never of such a character as to warrant any conclusion or justify arrest.
This murder will now most probably re- main forever a mystery, and the criminal of criminals remain unpunished.
THE MURDER OF ALICE PRALL.
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