The Wheeling repository — Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.], 1807-05-14 00:00:00, page 5

^Massacre m St. DoTningo.»«<.Capt.
Chase, who arrived at Boston on ttit 22d
nit. in 21 days from Guadeloupe, states
that w hen he left there a report prevail
t d and was believed, that the blacks in
St. Domingo had murdered all the white
and coloured people, including, among
the former, all the Americans_We
the above report as we find it,
though there is very little probability of
its truth.
yn»r.svn,LE, wmo, ilpril 30.
The trial ol Johnson,w ho was indicted
last term for Manslaughter, came on this
(lay before the court of Common Pleas.
It appeared from the testimony on the
pat l ol the state, that the prisoner and
the deceased [ Anthony Sills] un re plant
ing corn in the same field, but in differ
ent parties, and in different parts of the
field. 1 he deceased, about noon, had
a qu irrel with a small boy, brother-in
law to the prisoner, and had chased him
ivith a hoe to heat him. There had
been a previous qu rrei between th • pri
soner and the deceased, and when the
deceased pursued the boy, he sho ;k the
hoe at the prisoner, damned him tor a
poor C——d, and said that hoe should
do ior him yet. As the prisoner want
to his dinner, the deceased damned him
lot a pitiful C-- !, to keep out of his
sigln, -he hated to look at him ; and in
the afternoon hallooed across the field,
and repeated the same expression. A
bout two hours b' tore sun-down, the de
ceased observed to his company tlu.t the
other party were quarrelling, and he
would go over, and have a fight. They
advised him to stay where lie was ; but
hi swore that when he had a mind to do
any thing, the Almighty himself should
not stop him ; and immediately went o
ver to the party where the prisoner wras,
began to abuse him, called him a pitiful
5 -- :i°d < hallenged him to fight_
The father of the prisoner forbid the de
feased coming into the field ; but the
deceased immediately jumped over the
fence, and swore lie would go where he
pleased. lie then seized a fence stake,
and made towards the prisoner's father,
old Johnson. The old man threatened
him with his hoe; but the deceased
swore he wanted no weapon for such an
old man, threw down the stake, and
walked towards the old man, who struck
at him with the hoe as soon as he came
w ithin his reach. The deceased wrested
tin hoe (roin old Johnson, threw him
down, and made at the prisoner, who
d vuiivg all this time had stood stilf at his
*
w
plough. The prisoner then snatched a
hoe, and about two steps from the plough
met the deceased. They struck several
times at cash other with the hoes ; but
which made the first attempt to strike,
was not ascertained. The prisoner at
length struck the deceased on the head,
and made him stagger. As he fell, the
prisoner gave him two more strokes on
the head. Of one, or all, of these blows
he died.—It was stated by one witness,
that after the quarrel had commenced,
but before the day on which Sills was
killed, the prisoner had said, that he
would never fight Sills, hut if Sills at
tacked him he would kill him.
Tlie prisoner examined two or three
witnesses, who proved tint the deceased
was a most turbulent, quarrelsome, and
dangerous man, a pest to every neigh
bourhood where he had lived. It ap
peared also in evidence,that the prisoner
was a man of a mild, peaceable, and un
offending disposition.
1 he defence of the prisoner was rest
ed on two grounds : First,that from the
nature of the attack, and the character
of the deceased, he could not have re
treated without manifest danger. Se
condly, that the provocation he had re
ceived was so great, as to excuse a man
for not acting with that scrupulous cau
tion \v jiit h in ordinary cases is required.
1 he jury were out about an hour,
when they returned with a verdict of
not guilty.
/ o the Editor of the Wheeling Repository.
Sir, “ J
I have to complain of you for taking
up so much of your paper with hieroglu
fj/iics'y which very few, it any, of your
readers can understand ; perhaps not c
ven tlie author himself. When l sub
scribed for your paper, I did not expect
to see a considerable pan. filled with
Latteu Watatomekij, nor Bernard’s Rose
1 rencli. I expected something that
the English reader could digest, as ea
sily as a hungry man can his rest beef. I
have sien, in two of your late numbers,
one eighth of your paper taken up w ith
a catalogue that 1 am at a loss to give a
name to. I must confess I am ignorant
of igs utility. I think, however, a Mul
tiplication fable would answer a better
pm pose. i am, Sir, cue of your Wv 11
wishers. CoGLI IJULOM.
[ h i iend Coglihulom is requested to
consider that every person is not of his
opinion, and that others wish to be gra
tified as well as himself.]
A Bye-Law,
To prevent Accidents by Fire.
[Concluded.]
Sec. 7. And be it further enacted,
That the hooks and ladders to be pur
chased as aforesaid,.shall be kept bv the
Fire-wardens, under the direction o*f the
Captain; and it shall be the duty of the
Captain, at least once in every three
months, to inspect the said hooks and
ladders, and to ascertain whether the
owners & occupiers of real estate situate
within the said Town,have provided and
kept in repair the buckets required of
them by this law, and make report to*
the Mayor and Commonalty at tlwir
next meeting. And it any person shall
fail to shew his bucket when called upon
by the Captain, the same shall be con
sidered as not having been furnished.
Sec. 8. And be it further enacted,
That every free white male person, aged
sixteen years and upwards, hereafter be
coming an inhabitant of said town, and
owner or occupier of freehold estate si
tuate within the said town, upon which,
buildings of any kind are erected, shall
within three months thereafter enrol his
name with the Recorder, and thereafter
i be considered as a member of the lire
Sec. 9. And he it further enacted,
That every person failing to enrol his
name with the Recorder, in the manner
and within the jjme required of him by
this law, shall within six months after
such failure, provide, and thereafter con
stantly keep in repair until he shall so
enrol his name, one fire-bucket of the
description aforesaid, in addition to
what he would be required to furnish if
a member of said fire-company ; and in
case ol failure to furnish such additional
bucket, he shall forfeit and pay the sum
of lour dollars, to be recovered and ap
plied as aforesaid. All buckets furiiishtcl
by persons in consequence of not being
members of said company, shall be de
posited with the Captain, who may place
them in the hands of such persons as he
shall think proper.
Sect. 10. And he it further enacted,
Unit the Captain and Fire-wardens, to
he ele cted as aforesaid, may in their dis
cretion admit any free white male inha
bitant of said town, aged sixteen years
or upwards,though not owning or occu
pying any real estate within the said
town, to become a member of said fire
company, and direct his name to be en
rolled aciiordingly; and *uch pejfscn