The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1851-09-18

done. Wnrk faithfully in season aud out I
of season. and while the telegraph is !
bringing us the intelligence Of a Whig II
triumph in the Keystone Stale, we can
reciprocate the favor al the same moment
Of time. The Buckeye State must mol {
now falter
HoRRIBLE MURDER!-Ou las; Monday,
four men named Enoch Harper, Wheat
ley Harper. John Meeks and William
Fletcher, were arrested for the murder of
boy named Roop. the child ofa widow
woman living N Hucking county, about
eleven miles below this city. The bay
was about 10 years Of age. They were
committed. The former two are citi- !
zens Of Hooking and the latter Two Of
this county.
The facts Of the case as near as we
have been able TO ascertain them. are as
, iollows:-Three weeks aga last Mondly
night, person called at The house of his
molher and offered the boy fifty cents if
. he would show him the road TO Sugar
. Grove. He went with him ard not re.
. turning, it was supposed that he had
n been employed by a circus company to
entice the lad away, Upon inquiry
5 this was found not 10 be the case. and the
: mother had given him up for lost. On
). asst Sunday, some young men returning
from Church left the main road and wan
o dered off in the woods in search of
o grapes. Their attention was excited by
'. u very dsagreeable 01or and upon look,
q ing down precipice some hundred feet
II high, they discovered hat lying below.
g They Immediately made their way into
Z the valley and there discovered the head
rs and body Of the boy, the head lying spme
g distance from the body, The flesh had
pf been picked of of the head aud all the
IS body save the hands and feet. They
i, Immediately gave notice Of the discove'
" ry and coruner's jury was summoned.
n. The body lay between two logs, and
ii the clothes, having been stripped off ant
I'd butloned up as if on the person. wer'
10 found in the water near by. The shir
and pantaoons were bloody. The shI
had four holes pierced through it on tn
= breast. One arm of the boy was broken
~ The ribs aud the lower Jaw bone wer
gone. The body of the boy was recog
q. nized by his grandfather by maIk upo
ne one of the fugers-the clothes were &C
90 curately described by his little sister,
ad The men were arrested and Meeks wa
recognized by the liltle girl as the pei
son who had called for the boy. 1t wa
=, proven upon the trial ,hatthe others wer
a, seen in company with him that night
u We have not the full particulars of tn
=, trial and forbear making any cnmmenti
~ When tho officers went for Fletcher
10 Sunday night. they knocked at the doc
;,I but no one appeared TO hear them. The
were about pushing down the door whe
n a young man appeared and told them i
reply /" an inquiry, that Fletcher was NJ
in. They. however, searched the hous
and found him concealed in The garre
between The chimney and the wall. H
gavo as a reason fDr this that he fea
ed some persons were ccming to mo
him.
We do not feel justified in expressin
Il, an opinion as to the probable guilt {
p. these persons. 1t is past our comprt
hensipn how they could be guilty of &
a,rocious crime, the murder Of SO it'll
re- u boy who could nno possible way hav
he injured Them to such an extent as to ste,
their hearts to every feeling Of humanit,
:. We give what facts we have receives
G.. aud as we received them. They may b
IN incorrect in some particulars. The q,
IA cused are now lodged in the Logan ia
-, aud we suppose will have their Trial ,
the next term of tho Court in Hockin
I.I county, which commences on the 10th
y, November next,
~ A very large number Of persons wt
in attendance at the Justice g examin;
- ton and much feeling and excitemel
lS I3 were manifested, We are pleased to lear
g that the citizens of the neighborhood lie
- the persons in the hands ofthe law, as
one time we had word that the feeling
i've iudignaiion was so strong that ii migl