Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-06-05
CnrnoxEE AGEScY. May 10, 1888
COMMONWEALTH rs MARKS.

At the Superior Court Of Prince George, which al.
ournrd last evening ludgr john Y. Mason presiding
Thomas =. Marks tried upon two indictments tor
murder. the for The murder Of Lrcretla r. LeG5ct
ter which first tried the other for the nnTder OF I'd.
ward Ledberr her husband In the FIRST case. the jury
found verdict for murder The second degree, against
the prisoner and asccraIned the term oil his lmpfs0n
rlent in The Fenenliny TO he fifteen years. In the Sc
cnnd. there verdict Of not guilty.
As this ca se has excited considerable curiosity and IN
terest we have endravoed to ascertain the facts from
those who present al the trial, for lie satisfaction
Of our readers
II appeared from the witnesses examined The part
of the Commonwealth, that on Friday the 9th Of April
Ledbeiet and wife, to the house of the prisoner
who had inIermarred with daughter of Ledbeter, By
former marriage. That Ledbetcr soon LETT the house
and wen, into adjoining field Of his Gwn which
under culuratinn that his wife remained behind; that in
consequence Of hearing NJ and his wife quarrelng, he
returned directly; and when lie approached within OF
10 steps OF Marks door, the latter into the house
seized his rife, which hung The door, and fire d
when buth Leduettcr and his wife fell and the prisoner
then ont Of the house, and gave MIS- Iedbeer lyC
blows head. with the butt cad OF his rife. Ii is pro-
FER 10 state that these facts established by the ev
dence Of Ledheitsrs son, who poughlEg in field
q hundred yards from the houSe; from which
however, he had an opportunity according to the test
mony OF respectable gentleman, OF seeing distinctly
what took place at the house.
II appeared also in evidence, from number of the
most respectable witnesses, that Led5eer was found
lying dead near III" house. and his wife about eight OF
ten feet behind and near in a line with HIM that he
killed by rife ball, which entered nearly opposite
the left t1kng away small part OF the size
by blow wnch fractured her scu; she was likewise
snot in The abdomen, lillls above the le hip There
were number ot shot found sticking in her clothes
and skin, but only of large size had penetrated
and that in the opinion Of the Witnesses thrcug
the flesh-and that no blood issued iiom the gun shot
wnunds; from which mad other Appearances OF The
witnesses Of opinion they inflicted after death
and when the blood had ceased TO circulate II also
peared that the body examined by 4 GsinPreslcd
and intelligent witness who arrived the place about
hour after they killed, and he did not then discover
any indications Of gun shot wounds notwithstanding the
part of The body which they afterwards found
was fully exposed to his view. IL also in evidence
that the prisoner denied this and anoher witness that
he had eraed the act and il observed 10y one
of the witnesses that nolhing could tue epeiran
of The act from the gaOws unless be could show. tia
both the man and woman were Killed by one FIRE. These
witnesses had left the prisoners house than
Quarter cf mile before they heard the report of rife
in The direction Of the house These circumstance.
were relied upon TO show that he had shot the woman
after death for the purpose OF setting up The grounds
defence suggested by The renaIk Ks Of the witness
The mother aud sister of the prisoner were examined
as witnesses in his behalf who stated that Mrs. Lcdbe,
ter commenced n quarrel with the prisoner afle
her husband left the house; that she gave him seye.a
blows with garden rake, after her husband came up
when he called HIM. threw him block The doc
orthe house coked him until he block in the face
and almost expiring that by dnt of his exeriion
he escaped from Ledbeer intothe hnuse, took dnwr
his rife fred and both Ledbetter and his wife fell I,
the ground dead, and never moved afterwards; and tha
when the prisoner fired, Ledhetter had rake in hi
hand and swore he would kill him and his wife also
These witnesses did not see any blows inflicted upon thu
woman with the rifle or any other instrument. Thel
statements were unsatisfactory, contradictory and in h
opinop of many intelligent persons who heard them
not entitled to the least credit.-Petsr,turg Int.