The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-04-19 00:00:00

THE ASSASSINATION OF A JUDGE
IN AIJERICA.

The American Correspmdent of The Times gives the
following particulars of a lad tragedy which has occurred
in Kentucky
"The Kentucky Court of Appeal recently directed
a lawsuit against Colonel Thomas Buford. It is the
highest State Court, and its decision is final. Buford,
on the 26th March, in Frankfort, the State capital,
shot Chief Justice Elliotto,who made the decision,
and he died almost instantly. How it was done is
coolly told by the murderer to a newspaper interviewer,
his statement causing as great sensation as the crime
itself. Buford met Elliott in the street, Buford car-
rying his gun and being dressed in hunting costume.
He says
"'I thought on Monday that I would kill both him
and Judge Pryor, but I thought of Judge Pryor's
children, and took a walk to see if I could not save
Pryor, on account of his children. I finally concluded
to do so. I made up my mind to kill him (Elliott), not
because he was the first to decide the case against me,
but because he gave roe a Judas kiss. He came to me
after the decision and said, 'Colonel, I did all I could
for you.' I knew that was a lie ; I knew the profession
was against me. My gun was loaded with 12 buck-
shot in each barrel. I thought this morning I would
go snipe-hunting. I met Judge Elliott, and said to
him, Judge, I believe I will go snipe-hunting; won't
you go along.' He said, No.' I then asked him
if he would not go and take a drink, and
raised my gun and pulled the trigger. It went off
clear as a bell. He fall upon the pavement, and then
I was sorry. I leaned down and placed my hat under
his head. I wished to treat him with as much
courtesy as he had shown in the robbery and assassina-
tion of my sister by his decision. It was the most
ignominious game my gun ever killed. I was arrested
then and gave the sheriff a letter to my niece, Annie
0. Wallace. You can see the letter. I simply give
her all my estate in law and equity, and ask to be
buried by my sister. I did not intend to kill Judge
Hines or Judge Pryor. I kilied Eiliott to try my
case, to show that they could not rob and assassinate
with impunity. Last week I was down in Henry,
and I knelt on my shter's grave, and swore to gain
this suit or die with her. I know what I have done.
I made up my mind, and I am ready to take the con-
sequences. I had a pistol in my pecket, and I in-
tended to use it if the gun-shot failed, but it did not

Buford was administrator of his sister's estate, and in
that capacity brought the suit that was decided against
him,"

The New York Herald gives the following further de-
tails : _ _

FRANKFORT, KY., March 26, 1879.

Colonel Thomas Buford, of Henry county, and a
brother of General Buford, shot and killed Judge
John M. Elliott, of the Court of Appeals, at a quarter
past one o'clock this afternoon, in front of the ladies'
entrance of the Capitol Hotel, in this city. The
weapon used was a double-barrelled shot gun, loaded
with twelve buckshot in each barrel. Judge Elliott,
in company with Judge Thomas Hines, was coming
up Ann-street, when they were met at the steps of
the side entrance of the hotel by Buford, who ap-
peared equipped for hunting. Burford spoke first to
Judge Elliott, saying, " Judge, I believe I will go
snipe hunting. Won't you go along?" To this Judge
Elliott replied, " No." " Well, then," said Buford,
"won't you take a drive?"

At this point Judge Hines turned away, and had
gone about six feet, when the gun was fired, and
Judge Elliott fell upon the sidewalk without utter-
ing a word. Buford looked down upon him, and said,
"I'm Berry." He then lifted his head, and put his
(Bufora's) hat under it. Judge Hines turned back and
tried to raise the body, but found that life was extinct.
He thought the shooting was done by accident until
Buford spoke to the deputy sheriff and a policeman,
who came immediately to the scene.
Burford immediately gave up his gun to the police-
man, saying as he did so :—" Be careful with that gun.
I put twelve buckshot in it for Pryor." He made no
resistance whatever to the officers who arrested him,
and immediately took him before Esquire Gwynn,
who, after a brief examination, committed him to gaol,
On his way to the magistra.te's office, or just before he
started for it, he handed a letter to the deputy-sheriff
addressed as follows :--" Whoever may get this note,
I ask earnestly to deliver it to the person to whom it is
directed." -

"Capitol Hotel, March 26, 18n.
hatever may happen to me, I desire that my niece,
Annie 0. Wallace, shall have everything both in equity and
in law that belongs to me. I only ask that my body shall be
laid by my sister, Mary F. Buford, whom I loved so well,
whose robbery and assassination I wish to try.

" THOMES BUFORD."
The body of Judge Elliott was taken to a room in
the Capitol Hotel, and a coroner's inquest was held.
The following verdict was rendered by the jury :
"We, the jury, find that the dead body now before us
is that of John M. Elliott, of Boyd county, Ky., who
was at the time of his death a Judge of the Court of
Appeals, and resident temporarily at Frankfort, and
was killed and murdered in said city on the 26th inst.,
by being shot through the body by Thomas Buford,
with a double-barrelled shot gun."

The announcement of this horrible tragedy put an
end to all business in the city. The streets have been
crowded with people all the afternoon, and it has
been seriously apprehended that there will be a riot.
The Sheriff has summoned a large posse of citizens to
guard the gaol, and the militia have been notified to
be in readiness in case of an outbreak. Judge Elliott
was universally popular, generous and kind•hearted to
a fault. His wife was in the hotel, and her distress
was heartrending. Hundreds of citizens have called
to view the remains. The shot took effect in the right
side near the lower rib and passed through to the other
side. Death was almost instantaneous. The Court of
Appeals was adjourned until April 8, out of respect
for the deceased.

FROM TILBURY TO THE CAPE ON
BOARD THE "DUBLIN CAS TLE."

The following is an extract from a letter, under the above
heading in the Daily News, sent by a correspondent :

What a cheer greeted our ears as the tug sheered off
from the Dublin Castle, a mile or so below Gravesend,
on the evening of the 19th of February. One which
meet have spoken volumes to the hearts of the gallant
riflemen, who were then quitting home for sere ice at
the Cape. When at length the men got on board they
very soon settled down, there was little or no commo-
tion or fuss, and all seemed admirably arranged
as far as the regiment and ship were concerned.
The men were told off into metses, and with
one of the officers I was round the decks
soon afterwards: everything was in order, rifles
stacked, and equipment packed away as if by
hands to the manner born, while yet as I know the
battalion is young, though not so young as others I
have seen lately. The regimental system, however,
must be good and sound, and that will pull them
through many a hard day's work, and enable them to
render a good account of themselves. Ere we go to
bed for the night, let me say one word in praise of the
capital arrangements made for the convenience of all
on beard by Messrs. Donald Currie and Co.; very
great credit is due to them, prsesed by time as they
were. Subsequent acquaintance with the chip has
further corroborated first impressions.
At 11 p.m. on the 26th February we reached
Madeira, but it was too dark to make out or distinguish
anything beyond the lights of the town of Funchal and
the outline of the surrounding hills; sufficient, it is
true, to make one wish to see more of a place one has
so often read about or heard described. I for one did
not go on shore, but stood listening to the inharmonious
chatter of the Portuguese boatmen, who surrounded
the ship touting for a job. What a discordant Babel
of sound there ever is round a newly-arrived ship,
whether the venue be Malta, Aden, Calcutta. or else-
where. Some of the youngsters went ashore, but they
.evidently saw but little, if one may judge from the
, amount of information they were able to give respect.
lag their trip. Our letters were taken from us
shortly after our arrival by the Portuguese postal
authorities, and then the coaling began, an occupation
that sent me quickly to bed. The KS. Pretoria, with
the 91st oa Board, were but 24 hours ahead of us here;
and we dreaded being caught up by the City of Paris,
with the 21. et Fusiliers, so our worthy captain, Captain
Penf old, made tracks as soon as possible, and when I
awoke we had left Aladeria m les behind.
The weather was now all that could be desired, such
as is only known at sea and in the latitudes we were
passing through ; but even perfect weather gets
monotonous, and the thump thump of the screw and
the "swish swish" of the waves as they lop against
the sides of the vessel, however musical at first, yet
pall at last. Out of the line of sailing vessels we hod
but little to enliven us from the outside, yet we
managed to prove ourselves masters of the occasion,
and in various ways one and all contrived to find
amusement. Each afternoon the band of the 60th has
played, sometimes "Her Majesty's Ship Pinafore
and " Cloches " serving their turn, at others music
of a more crasiical type. The officers of the 60th
seem a busy, hard-working lot; they know full well
that there is work before them, and they evidently
mean to do it. At times I see them reading up
accounts and studying maps of Zululand; at others
conversing with thase of the passengers whose life has
been, for some time at least, spent at the (*Re or

Natal, and gleaning therefrom useful information.
The younger ones devote themselves chiefly t(
" s.gnalling," praotibing most assiduously, and I must
confess seem to be proficients I have bPen
present on one or two occmiions at the "lectures"
given by the officers to their respective companies,
and was much impressed by the quick and in-
telligent answers of the men. There is nothing
hut practical, sound work here—no clap-trap. . . .
Not unfrequently, about seven o'clock in the
evening, we have had a concert from the men,
the songs being varied at times by recitations
—one man in particular recites very well, choosing
pieces for the display of his oratorical powers
above the class soldiers usually delight in. The
songs, too, have been better than the ordinary
plum hall kinds, and patriotic ditties, some impro-
vised, have been the fashion. In the saloon, too,
after dinner, the officers and passengers have both lent
their aid to snake the evenings less monotonous by their
vocal and instrumental efforts, and at last it was
deemed advisable to unite the talent and give a "per-
formance." Foremost in proposing, and in subse-
quently carrying this out, was the captain, and
most indefatigably he worked; without him we
should have been nowhere, and when he stated
that he could get " wigs " made and various
other properties that belong to negro minstrelsy,
it did not take long to settle that the " per-
formance " should assume that form. The momen-
tous evening came, and it is true that the songs did
not savour much of St. James's Hall, unless we except
the" corner" men, who went through the traditional
business in a most creditable manner, and whose songs
were strictly of the nigger type. As there was an
absolute dearth of the usual sentimental ballad
properly belonging to such performances, each singer
had to draw upon his own resources, and the result
was peculiar and interesting. . . .
Since leaving Maderia we have seen but two ships,
one of which, H.M.S. Encounter, we signalled. She
was on her way out to Delagoa Bay. And now the
Cape is in sight, the Lion Mount standing out in bold
relief; in a few hours we shalt be hearing how it has
fared with the brave fellows in Natal, and all are
anxious indeed. A pr )sperous voyage hitherto we
have had, tinged with but one sad episode, a
death at sea. One poor fellow fell a victim to
apoplexy, and he was buried at sundown. Of all
the sad, improzesive sights I know, none to say
mind equals a funeral at sea—on this occasion
rendered more impressive by the weird, sorrowful
sound of the Dead March." On the bridge were
ranged the immediate comrades of him who had just
passed away, and as the notes of the "Dead March"
were heard the rest of the men silently marched to
their appointed places; the grand service was read,
and the dull splash in the water below told us that
"his body had been committed to the deep." ALA as
as I write the gun fires and we are at the Cape at
last.