Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1854-03-18
Found Guilty of Murder and Arson.

The Circuit Court of Goochland county was
engaged the last week with the trial of man
named J. b. Currier charged with numbering
Roval w Blackburn of that county, on the I'D
of February, 1853, at the residence of b.. and
the setting fire to the house and burning the body.
A correspondent of the Penny Post has furnish
ed that paper with the evidence in the case, from
which il appears that Blackburn and Currier
lived neighbors, not more than mile apart
Blackburn was a constable, and had claims against
Currier, which seemed to ALLEVIATE the feelings OF
{. from b., who had at times been on terms of
neighborly friendship. On the day of the muir
der, c. was at mill in the neighborhood, short
distance from BIS, where he accdenty disclosed
the fact that he had pistol i'll his pocket. lie
left the mill between / and IL O'Clock, and went
in the direction of home. BIS house was be-
tween the mill and C.'s residence. Soon after he
left the mill various persons heard two reports
from gun or pistol, in quick succession, and a
few minutes later BIS house was discovered on
fire. The neighbours gathered around the burn
ing house and found that no person was at home.
c. also went to the fire, and while there betrayed
evidences of guilt in various ways. He called
upon persons to feel his heart TO how it beat,
arising, he said, from excitement in running
to the fire. When question propounded as
to where b. could be- some person answered by
saying, ''may be he is in the house, c. replied
that "B surely would not be foolish enough to
go in the house and get burnt" And when it
proposed to discover if possible whether b.
in the house. c. exhibited uneasiness and
attempted to convince the company of the folly
of supposng that he OBJ was in the house.
When G. was asked where he when he first
discovered the fire, he answered, Eat the corner
of the fence :" and when asked ''what fence"
pointed in direction in which there was no fence
in view of the house. He also stated, that when
he discovered the fire, instead of proceeding to it,
he home to tell his wife, fearing that she
would be frightened. After his arrest, he asked
different persons what they thought of the case
Being told that suspicion rested on him, he re-
piled ''Well, they can't hang man suspi-
cion--l may be sent to the Pententiary few
years" The family of the murdered man was
absent on the day of the murder, on visit to a
neighbours "a fact which C. knew) The body of
b. was discovered after the burning of the house,
beneath the lower floor, in position and under
circumstances which created a belief that he was
shot while sitting at desk in which he kept his
papers. The body had fallen through the floor
lfter the fire had destroyed it. The evidence
against him was wholly crcumstanta. yet made
up of variety of links which made formidable
chain The Court was laborously engaged sew
eral days with the investigation. His counsel
defended him with marked ability; but the evil
dences of his guilt were too overwhelming to al
! low him to escape. He was found guilty of MUIR
der in the first degree, and the Court has refused
to grant him new trial, which his counsel petit
toned for the verdict was rendered.
Bills of exceptions to the Judges opinion reject
ing the motion for trial were filed; and so
the case stands. The facts in this case afford a
strong exemplihcation of the truth of the old
MAXIM that "murder will out" The very efforts
employed by the accused to ward off suspicion
and to make his innocence appear, fastened guilt
upon him. His heart so violently agitated at
first, remained restless and caused him to exhibit
guilt to the last.-R. Enc.