Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1845-01-31
CASE OF DELLA WEBSTER.

legal friend has furnished the Louisville Jour
nal with the following synopsis of the evidence
against Miss Webster on her trial. Assuming its
correctness, it makes pretty clear case w Y.
Tribune.
SPECIAL TERM OF THE FAYETTE CIRcUIT
CuuRT.-IIon. Richard A. Buckner, Jr. presiding.
Tuesday, December IL, 1914. g. :. Commonwealth
Us. Della a. Uebstcr, and Caiun FairJaaks.-In-
dictment for stealing the negro boy Louis the prop
erty of Thomas Grant & Co.
Tie case coming up for trial. in answer to the
question whether she was ready for trial. Miss Web
ster responded in the affirmative; but demanded a
separate trial the ground that she did not believe
she could receive a fair trial If tried jointly with
Fairbanks, because of the preudices existing
against him, and of certain evidence which she
understood was to be produced against him at the
trial by which she believed her cause would be in
luriously Affected Having made affidavit to this
effect, the motion was granted.
Fairbanks applied for a continuance-was sworn,
and stated that some OF his most important Witness
es were absent, particularly Mr.. Allen, of New
York, by whom he expected to prove that there
were no negroes in company with him on his Jour-
ney to Maysyille. Also that his counsel John NJ.
McCalla had lately left Lexington and he had had
no opportunity Of employing others. The Court,
therenpon appointed William B. KinkeaG as his
counsel; and after debate granted his app-
cation and remanded him TO Jail.
Miss Webster was then arraigned and pleaded
mol guilty.
For Tie Commonwealth Mr.. A. II. Robertson,
Commonwealth Attorney, assisted by Richard
! Pin.ell, Esq.
For The detence-Messrs. NJ. C. Johnson, Combs,
and Shy
After some difficulty, jury having been empan-
nelied, the Commonwealth commenced the eXami-
nation of its witnesses, whose evidence was as
follows:
Miss Webster, for some months previous to her
arrest, taught school in Lexington and boarded
with Mrs Glass. About the first Of September,
a man calling himself Fairbanks, came TO the
house and inquired to- her; was told that she was
absent stated that he wished very much to see her.
for. thourh entirely unacquanted with her, he knew
I some of her friends in Ohio. When Miss W.
came in Fairbanks introduced himself and imme-
diately desirgl private conversation with her,
They retired to separate room and remained there
together and alone for some time. AT Miss Web
sters request Mrs. Glass consented TO receive Mr..
Fairbanks as boarder in her house, and from that
time until day or two previous to his arrest, they
held long conversations together, and seemed de-
lsrous of avoiding observation. On Monday, the
Odd of September, Fairbanks called on Parker
Craig to inquire if he could get a hack to go to
Aluysville on the next Saturday Craig told him
he could.
: Ga Wednesday he again called, TO provide a
9 gainst disappointment. On Saturday he came TO
Craig and ordered the hack to be sent to Mrs.
D Glasss, where young lady would join him, He
asked if he could get to Paris that night, starting
f at five o'clock. Craig told him he could-how long
-, it would take him to go TO Maysvllle and return
and was answered four days. He then remarked
that he would start at five that evening, go toParis
r that night and Maysye the next day, if it was
rot too hard a drive. The hack called agreeaby
to instruction ut Mrs. GLASS;, and Miss Webster
got in with Fairbanks, stating to her andady that
. She was going to spend the Sabbath at Versailles
c with some friends, and would return early on,.Mon-
9 day morning. Instead of going directly to Paris
= as Fairbanks had stated he intended to do, il was
proved that the hack was at the hospital at six o.
" clock, and at the Bruen House in Lexington at hal
past six, where two trunks, both Of leather, which
n Fairbanks had left there some days before, were
placed upon it. The keeper of the first turnpike
j. gate on the Maysville troad proved that no hacl
u passed the gate that evening before nine or Ter
O'clock SO that they could not have left Lexington
y before half past eight or nine. The same night
that these transactions are proved to have takeI
place, Louis the Slave named in the indictment, TN
. property of Messrs Grant aud Baxter, escaped, to
ID gether with hisVife and child, the property of Mr.
Bain The next thing heard Of Fairbanks ant
Webster is from the tavern keeper at Washington
l. four miles on this side of the Ohio; he says that
hack passed that place on Sunday morning dri vim
rapidly with the curtains all down; that on Mon
Of day morning about one o'clock, he aroused b.
at the return of the same hack, out Of which cam
is Fairbanks and the prisoner; there were two Heath
:" er trunks on the hack as it went down, but none q