Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1843-10-12
From the New Haven Palladium.
Examination Of Bell, Roberts, and Hall.
TUESDAY EvENING, Middletown. (
October 3, IS43. {

| oCloocT d, 1910.
Ma. BABcocK;-To day at IL o'clock, the
three persons charged with tie murder OF
Mrs Ebenezer Bacon, Of West field Society,
were brought before 3. Copper and s. w.
Griswold, E.qrs, at the Court House for ex.
animation. The excitement is undated, and
many were unable to get into the room.
The prisoners are Capt Betiuel Roberts,
aged 81, who was born in Westfeld. is very
respectfully connected, but has imbruted
himself by a long course Of mtemperanCe
lis sister married a brother Of Mrs. Bacon
lie is a muscular man-has a wife and sever
al childrcn-wife leii him few weeks since.
WIN. n. Bell, oged AZ, is a Scotchman,
who has lived many years in Weslfeld-has
wife there with whom he has lived since
his marriage /; has son by his former wife.
B"li is occasionally incorporate.
| Lncicn Hall, aged about 81, was born in
MerIden, near Wcstfield lane, and lived IN
Meriden some distance North Of the meet.
ing house. Hall is shrewd-was formerly
an inmate of State Prison. From LIST An
gust to middle of September, he lived in
WesIfe!d. quarter Of a mile Northwest OF
Mr.. Bacon's. Bell lives threc-fourlhs Of a
mile Northwest of Mr.. Bacon's and Rn-
bers three fourths Of mile Northwest Of
Bells
Testimony of Mr.. Bacon, The husband
Mr.. Bacon testified in substance that his fani-
ly consisted Of himself his wife, aged 46
his sous, Albert, aged %. and Charles, 2}
his daughter, Sarah. aged l6, and a boy who
lived with him. On Sunday, Sept. 24th, the
boy went to drive a neighbor's carriage Ia
church, soon alter, twenty minutes past %
o'clock, Mr.. b. and his children went, leaving
Mrs. Is. alone in the house, standing at The
door. The meeting house being about two
miles distant. and the iniermission at pooD
very short, The family did not return ill aiter-
noon service was over, about quarter past
three o'clock. Alighting from their carria-
ges, Sarah went in, caught glimpse of her
mother lying dead and horribly wounded,
went back 10 the door end screamed "Oh
mother mother - and talked wildly. (Aas!
poor grl-ll liked 10 have proved too much
for her reason.) Mr.. D. and his sons i,nme
distrly went in. The house faces the South
has n front door, two front rooms, kiich
en- in The back part. and an addition or l. part
on the west end. Fhey found Mrs. B. lying
on her back, IN the Southwest front room,
her feet about two feet from the kitchen
door. The blinds were closed, though when
the family Jeff in the morning one of the
blinds was open. There were Two or three
principal blows on the head Of Mrs. Bone
broke The skull, one separated a large portion
of the scalp from the skull bone, and one fell
on the cheek. One eye was also put out
aud many lesser blows appeared To have
been gwen on The back side aud on other
parts Of the head. The face was covered
with blood ; and there was much blood on
the hoor under her head, and spot q little
way from her head. She had three principal
stabs ~ her side. Mr.. Bacon fel, Of her
hand-it was cold and stlff-he thought she
had been dead three or four hours. There
were two wood sea, and one Hag seat chars
IN the room; one The chairs was split IN
the middle +, held together only by a splinter
part of the logs broken of and The resi-
drawn ont OF the seat indcntion each side
Of the split; blood in tho indeniion and along
all the front of the seat some on the back
part some long hairs like the hairs of O
woinan's heod) stuck to the front OF the seat.
II The other wood sea. not broken, bot blood
On front of n.-Tbe flag seat had two from,
legs out; one round broken no blood on IT,
n The cushion Of the chair lay on the hoor
bottom side up, and a large butcher knife
belonging To The house laying upon II. The
plssteripg overhead had two marks in IT,
probably made by chair legs one wns three
or four inches long and bali an inch deep-s
fee, apart IN different DIRECTIONS; one tow
ards the desk which Riood in the Southwest
corner Of TIE roorp ,owarJs the kitchen door
The carpet Ilald down IN breadihs unsewedl
was turned up in o place near the head OF
Mrs. u.
Mr.. Bacon went TO the desk the lid was
down; three pocket books lay open F; one
wallet. with fifty dollars in u, gone +; n
Spanish. American dollars, some change
aud $50 paper money ~ this State missing
sud he thinks he had s35 laid away by itself,
also gone.
The evidence touching Hill wss comnenc
ed but not closed. More hereafter.