Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1838-11-08
TRIAL OF wMLIAr1 STEWART


! The inai of W.. SrrwArr. IN Baltimore. Tor
the murder al has o,-n fsasr. benjamin Stewart,
has created great interest IA thar city. Tho par
uculaIs of The murder, a> thcy appeared from an
examination OF the lody ct the deceased, W
gave al the tmr 81 1t, occurrence. last June
The following Is the sul,tan of tie remarks 81
MIR Richardson, the States Attorney in the case.
aud wall show the circumstances which were re-
bed upon, a, tie late tnal, 10 AK the crimc upon
/ ia" prisoner.
1t was fact we'll known (,aid the States
Attorney that OF the morning of the 22d
OF June last. IN the outskirts OF our city
The body Of an Individual was found Mo
had been most cruelty murdercd-w hose
head vas 80 mang!ed that IT could scarce
| ~ be identified .hat IL was evident 20
every one tha. II had hecn so cut and
inauglcd for the purpose of preventing
he body from being identified; that any
one oi the wounds Inflicted would have
occaSIoned the death Of the individual -
There was pistol sho, through the neck
cash made with a Ratchet in the face.
/ passing through both eyes, another on the
night check. another through the left. aud
l
would have proc uced de ath. He was also
stabbed IN the back and other parts THE
body. He said, there would be no differ.
ence OF opinion between himself and the
learned Counsel for the prisoner, as 10 the
character of the offence; it was clearly
/ and beyond all doubt. " ilful, deliberate.
and premcdiia,ed murder.
! So much for the offence. The next
question was. who IS the offender; Sus-
I PIcion resting on the individual now upon
I his trial, lie was arrested on the Saturday
following z, on board the steamboat in " hic h
/ he had just returned from the Eastern
Shore. Md. and carried thence 10 a m a
gisirate' office. where he was examined.
lie vas asked for his papers, and he then
drew from hts pocket some insignificant
( papers, and said they were all he had
! He was asked for his fathers VIII, and
1 tie said he knew nothing about il. His
/ la, was searched. and the Will found.
and when shown 20 him, he exclaimed
! Good God did not know it was there
/ lie was further searched and paper was
! found upon him containing balls and pow =
! der. He was asked where his pistols
we're. lie said they were at his uncle :.
Thomas Stewards. They we're sen, Tor.
and isund ~ the place where he directed.
3 together with pair OF bullet mouids, one
Of them was loaded and a, half cock, the
other discharged. The unloaded one
showed evident marks OF having been
lately fired. The pistols were fourd on
Saturday, and he should contend that II
had been discharged on the Thursday
/ night previous. Some curiosity being oX-
| cited as 10 the pistols after the body had
been buried. II was dlsInteued for the
/ purpose. u possible, OF finding the ball
/ with which the deceased bad been shot.
/ Or. Durkee was called upon To examine
the body hc did so. and extracted III.
ball which was afterwards compared with
the one m the loaded pistol. and found 60
! be 81 tie same size. He SAID that the
pistols were what u called screw .bariel
ones about which j. the peculiauiy 10
loading them no wadd'ng j. used The
powdc IS placed 10 the chamber and tho
ball placed IN -. and the barrel screw ed
on and unless the ball Its precisely. the
powder viii run out when turned up
and another peculiaiity Is. hat they are
the ouly kind 81 fire arms Ia which The
interior Of the barrels are no, the same
7 ,izc through their whole length. being
larger Of the chamber or place where the
ball Is deposited and the barrel screwed
. on. than at The muILlc. 50 that the ball
when fred wi,l be ct az oblong shape AZ.
ter passing out AZ tie nozzle, and ball
| which Is used for such pistols cannot be-
T put into the muzzle. he said dat the
O.. III g. e.. q %
and could be pat into She discharged pis-
col which was found IS before stated, snd
81 hich hc then held m BIZ hand.
| Another instrument ri death was a
. hatCbet which be- produced and how Cd
- lie jury, and said lhat 1t had been
T found within tWo OF three hundred Yards
/ e lhe place where Tho lody Was found
I covered wilh blood 4 Ratchet similar in
90 respects bad hecn purchased hy tLc
/ pri.o ncr from Mathew Drake, Who Keep,
7 q store 10 Light street heiWrcn 10 an3 ! !
( ,'ciock. a. " on Thursday morning.
Z 'he dsy of thc mnrisr and pfecueiy simi-
lac ones canno, be- found 30 Ibis city
When fLc prisoner ru-chascd ihc lat
I chct be- wat nkcd by Mr. Drake ID he
would have 81 wpppcd Up 1nd replied
that be- " ould not. and canned he ha'rhe'
I with him from thc 'lfe not wrapped up
DON Ls arrest DC vas a.ked ~ Mr.
+ Drake What DC bad deuc win The Ratchet
4. parchascd from han lie replied that
30 had len IL ~ Mr. Whrs'eys suction
| store tn De sold lio further stated hat
on Friday morning the DAY on which the
! body was found between 8 add Z o clock
l a NJ, some one. wheiher the prisoner o.
no, the uiinea ooult not say. purchased
Z another haicbet. IN al respects similar "a
I the one found near the body At Mt