Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1850-1854, 1851-05-30

lueHCe III Ills IeFCitIilE Cdoc' VIC W Hot Pu"
Iish these details for the purpose of minisering to
a morbid taste but simply to discharge our du-
ty as public journalist.
The minuta of the evidence. and the cross
examination, would make book of 100 pages !;
yet the material, important and positive facts
are all embraced in what follows:
On Friday afternoon the prisoner was brought
in to receive bis sentence. The Court House
was crowded to overlooking. The prisoner
seemed hardened and unconcerned; but what
emotions might have stirred the Utmost recesses
of his soul, is known only TO the Omniscient
One. And however great the crime he has COM
mtted, in ruthlcssly numbering the innocent
wife Of his bosom, whom he had sworn to cherish
and protect-let US nol delight orr hearts with
feeling so abhorrentt to christianity, as to rejoice
in the ignomiry which he is called to suffer, or
take delight in the thought that his punishment
is severer than Gains.
State of Wisconsin, rs John McCaffty. In
dicted for the murder of his wife, July 22nd
1851.
The trial of this cause commenced with the
! commencement of the late term Of our Circuit
Court and consumed ten days of the session.
The prosecution was conducted by J. R.
Sharpstcin, Dist. Atty, S. Park Coon, Atty
Genl. and f. S. Lowell. The defence by E.
w. Evans and A. q. Chatlicd The evidence
| against the prisoner was of circumstantial ma
! I, md consisted Of r, f,c all L.
aid which were mainly as follows:
| That, On the 22nd of last July, near midnight
some Of the neighbors of the prisoner were ava
kencd by the screams of the deceased. She
was crying out ooh John spare me" and "Oh
! John save me-" These cries come from the d.
rcctionoC the prisoners house and were SO alarm
! ing as to cause an immediate rush of the neigh
bors 10 his premises. In one corner ofthe pris-
oners lot is a hogshead sunk down into the ground
which at that time contained water to the depth
of eighteen inches. Those who first arrived at
the prisoners house, swear that they heard a
splashing of the water in that FIogshea |, and on
turning their attention to, it, saw the prisoner
emerging from the hogshead, and moving to-
wards the back side of his house. His clothes
were wet ana bosmoarcd with mud. On being
asked if he had his wife in the well he replied
to one witness that there was some one in the
we'll He took another of the Witnesses TO the
hogshead, and pointing down to his wfcs clothes
floating on the surface Of the water, said, ''thcrc
is nothing in there but shirt" This witness
reached down into the hogshcad and found by
pulling on the shirt that the body of the deceased
was completely pressed down under the water.
On raising the body from the hogshead they
found that the body was yet warm although life
had become completely extinct. A Physician
was called, who, after a careful examination gave
it as his opinion that the deceased came to her
death By drowning. The hat and one of the
shoes of the prisoner were found in the hogs
head. His other shoe was found bctwcch the
hogshcad and the house. and had the appearance
of having been in the hogshcad. These facts
were elected from the examination of very
large number of witnesses who agreed in the
main remarkably well. The prisoner proved by
n number of witnesses his former good charac-
! ter, aside from this his defence was drawn from
a RIGID cross examination of witnesses sworn on
the part of the prosecution. The Jury were out
but a short time before they returned verdict
against the prisoner of guilty Of murder in the
first degree.