Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1826-06-22
eEMzaAE IarEL1IaEwon.
TIE KENTUCKY TRAGEDY.

paritively few Of them bad the personal
knowledge of him, which We had, TO
sharpen their curiosity. We, therefore,
copy Some further particulars Concern
ing it. The most shocking feature of
the whole is the black atrocity with which
the murderer and his wife attempted to
suborn a witness to swear away the re.
putaton, if not the life, of an innocent
person. Nat. intel
FROM THE COMMENTATOR.
Beaucaamp's 1riaL-This important
trial lasted thirteen days, exclusive OF
SUNDAYS. From Wednesday OF the first
week until the Monday evening follow
ing was consumed in the examination
of witnesses. About thirty were sworn
on the part of the prosecution, for the
prisoner about twenty. There was, OF
course, great deal Of testimony, and
numerous facts were proved. Those
which struck US as operating most pow
erfulIy against the prisoner were the
following:
LIST. That, on three different occasions,
as proved by as many witnesses, he
had threatened the life of Col. Sharp,
using, when speaking of him, the ex-
pressions the man intend to kill ne
yer speak of will 90 to Frankfort
and shoot him in the streeP-'if ever
get an opportunity | viii send him to
he'll where he oughtto have been long
ago.
Cd. That he arrived in Frankfort the
night before Sharp vas killed, and de-
parted early the next morning, having
no business here except some OF little
Importance, which might have been done
by writing
Sd That he was absent near an hour,
in the course of the night, from the house
where he lodged, and refused 10 give any
account Of the cause of his being out,
alleging that il involved character. tie
was seen in the street by two patroles,
about the time of the murder, one of
whom examined his person and face
closely, AMI was confident he recogni
zed him as the same man when he was
brought back to Frankfort.
4th. The voice of the assassin made a
strong impression on Mrs. Sharp, who
had risen from bed, and stood IN an ad-
Joining room, but few feet from the
scene when her husband was stabbed.
She was confident, and said so at the
time, that she wouldrecognize the voice
ii she ever heard it again. She went
10 the Jail to hear the prisoner speak,
she did recognize his as the voice of the
assassin, positively; she could not be
mistaken.
5th. Mrs. Sharp caught a view of the
assassin as he stood a moment opposite
the partly open door OF the room in
which she was. His size, figure, and
cloak, corresponds with those of the
prisoner.
9th, The assassin, speaking to Col.
EEarp, called himself your friend John
a Covington." 1t was proved by Sc
veral witnesses that tho assassin was in
the habit, through inadvertence, of call
ing Col. Sharp's friend John ". Gov
ingtoo, John A, Covington, There is
no person of the latter name.
7th. That after his return home, he
said he had done his business at Frank
fort, to his satisfaction had done it
authentic ally.
9Th. That to one of bis neighbors,
he sait, triumphantly, that he had
brought home a flag, red tlag-the
sign of war and victory land he bad
gained the victory, &c.-then, that he
had thoughts of turning Christian, for
he began TO believe in God more than
he used to do-he fonnd there was
God who would give vengeance to whom
it was d1e, sc.
There were many other circumstan-
ces proved, tending to confirm and
strengthen these more prominent facts;
among the rest, that the prisoner had
attempted to suborn witness, Captain
Lowe to swear a tissue of falsehOods,
had drawn up and secretly conveyed to
the witness through the prisoners wife,
no less than six sheets of manuscript,
for the witness TO commit 10 memory
and repeat as his testimony. Among
other things, the witness, who had me-
yer seen Mr.. Darby, was to swear that
Darby had tried to bride him TO swear
against Beauchamp, and that Capt.
Kelly had made similar attempts upon
him.
The evidence introduced on the part
of the prisoner did not appear to us to
have much force to repel that against
him. lie proved satisfactorily that he