Maumee City express. [volume] (Maumee City, Ohio) 1838-184?, 1839-10-05
The best way to please every body
is to mind YOU own business and let
that of your neighbors alone.


Among the cunvlcts sentenced at the Spr"
sent term of the Criminal Court, we observe
the name of ofJ-L-. His offence was
robbery, and he is sentenced to fifteen years
Imprisonment in the Penitentiary. The
young man grew up here, and was one
among number of idle youths who have
associated together and infested our city
from boyhood. Every crime, from petty
pliering to midnight murder, has been laid
to their charge. There is not sitting Of
our court that one or more of them does not
take his departure from the Jail to the Pen
itentiary; while others escape through the
ingenuity ofcounsel or from want Of compe
tent testimony on the part of the State, un.
til Justice, slow but sure, overtakes them.
Some yea RS since, six or more, this J.
l.. was indicted for the murder of n negro,
under the following crcumstnnces:--L. en-
tered grocery store near Columbia street,
which he was IN the habit of frequenting
, and found an old, deformed, enfccbled shoe
black seated by the stove, whom it was his
pleasure TO torment whenever he met with
him, not only by spillng his backing and
throwing away his brushes, but by every
species Of personal annoyance, in which he
! exhibited great originality of genius, such
as would have awakened the envy of Ho-
garth's Idle Apprentice.
While l.. was thus amusing himself
= VIII, the shoe black, a negrH boatman en-
! tered, and po6ceaoiy toaNs stand by the
5 stove. The shoe-black Observed g H.,
4 sWhy don't you trouble such people as
> him. pointing at the boatman, "Anl ac
the likes ONE alone!' l.. turned, facet
: the boatman fcrcely, who observed viii
S meekness, 81 am a peaceabIe man
and never get into fusses.' l.. at this
: afer eyeins him closely, stepped be
hind the counter. where there was num-
| ber of weights, and picking up one of the
largest, muttered to himself I'll kill that
y niger boatman, any how" The owner o
r the grocery, who stood behind his counter
: overheard the solloquv of l.. and said t.
@ him, John, if you have any thing of min,
in your hand you had better put it down.
y y l.. sullenly replaced the weight and left th
store.
u There was lamp burning before tn
j. grocery. and about ten feet above it was
: large pile of bricks. A youth, an associate
,r of l.. who was called i" Boots" from th
. enpulphng size of those which lle wore
y and which were, in all probability, borrow
e ed without leave, as they were evidently
S not made for him, passed out of the shoi
D Just before L., and, being struck with hi
n manner, llc stopped on the opposite side .
:, the street, in the shadow, where he cou
~ see and not be sect. After selecting
e brick bat, f.. remained stationary until tn
Is boatman came ont, who passed down tn
l. street, with his back towards him. As h
walked away, l.. stepped up nolseIessly be
hind to within three or four feet of his vic
tim, and, deliberately poising himself, hurle
the brick-bat at the boatman's head. Th
poor negro had on thick wool hat, whic
had been covered with several coats {
,e paint. Notwithstanding he was thus she
lp tered, and the brickba struck his hal, "
of the force of the blow was such as to pros
10 trate him on his face, and fractured his sku
), so severely that he died of the wound witt
IT. in few minutes, without being able to a
i tlculate word.
Mt When Boots" who was an uncxpccte
70 witness in the affair, got through his test
q mony, the accused turned 10 his lawyer, ar
! with white hps, asked, "That's bad again
me, amt it?' alt locks that way" WI
III the reply. "John," whispered gho'
a. " consoer beside mm in the shape of f
a. male, " John, they can only hang you
IN The worst, and we're all got to die al
an how
- =, The above was the testimony before Il
~ magistrate the niorning after the mnrde
'e when l.. was brought up on the eharg
or He was fully committed, and in due tin
:" the grand jury found bill against him. I
rd his trial, if we have been Informed COZ rec
- ly the jury could not agree upon their We
Is dict-whether the murder was of the fir
n or second degree. The Court dlscharg
D" them, and n new trial was granted.
OIL On tho second trial, "Boots," who was t
on only witness of the murder, was not 10
~ -. found, and the accused was acquitted for t
ut want of testimony against him.
ng After this offence, l.. went South, whe
sir h,s career was, as we h I'VE been told, n
H." guiltless. He hastened, for good reason
ar from the South, and might have been see
ha whenever be " was in town." loatng abo
'e the landing with his associates, or crow
'n,' ing with them the steps of the theatre d
de ring the performance, and watching opp'
i'm tunties of plumber. Whenever the err
as nal court was sitting, he might be se