Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1855-05-10

could gain NJ assistance in thai way. He
had not gone far, however, when he heard
the sound of horses feet, and on ;nrning to
the slope he found Simple and Jordan there.
Biller was cross questioned very severely,
but his testimony was not to be flaw ed. He
WAS explicit in all his statements, and at the
same time e profossed to feel deep regret
that he was called upon 10 testify against
man for when he felt as much respect as he
did for the prisoner.
At length young Adams rose TO tell his
story. H. spoke clearly ana with the
tone o. man who tod the truth. He said
about an hour after Matthew Hampton had
lett his shop on the evening in question, he
went to the sink and washed his hands, and
while there he tod On something that at
trac.,d his attention. He stopped Ind pick.
eG it up, and found it to be pocket book,
nnG on taking il to the light II proved to be
Dir. Hamptun's. He remembered that after
Mr. Hampton had paid him for shoeing the
nurse, he went to the sink after n drink OF
water, and that he must have dropp' d the
book. The young bjacksmiih's first idea, be
said, was To keep the BOOK until MIR Fl mp
WI N"hiS o"Nht NP'h st'Nhu th'hS'' Nv
resolved to saddle his horse and ovcrlake him
and restore the money. Accordingly he set
off, and when he reached the bluff his horse
stopped and began to rear and snort. He
discovered something laying by the roadside
and upon dismountng and going to it he
found it to be the body of Mr.. Hamp'on,s still
warm and bleeding. He first satisfied him
self thai he could do nothing alone, and then
he started back toward NJ for assist.
ance. When he was overtsked by Jordan
and Bigler, the idea OF having Hamptons mo-
hey with him broke u?on him with a stun
ming force, and hence his strange anc incU.
hcirut manner
When the prisoner sat down there was
low mnrmur which told tina, his story was
believed. But the judge shook his head and
the lawyer did the same, and the jury look.
ed anxio IS and troubled. The prisoners
counsel did al he could to establish his cli-
eul's GOOD character, and also to impcach the
character OF Biger, bu, he ctlld not refuie
the tes'im ny given in.
When the judge came to charge the jury,
he spoke Of the testimo " against the prison
er, and of the cprrubarative circun Sta"ces.
With regard to the prisoners story, he sad
it was very u uch like truth but he would
have the jury remember how easily such sto1
ries C uId be made.
It was not long after when the jury reti.'
red to make up their verdict. They were
gone ha an hour, and when they returned
the foreman showed by the very hue Of his
counttnance that the verdlst was fatal! All
saw it, and could hear the throbbng Of the
hundred hearts about me.
"Gentlemen of the jury you have made
verdict" En
ave have-'
"Shal your foreman speak for you"
Yes"
"Abdel Adams, stand up ard look the fore.
mdn in the face"
Now is Abdtl Adams, prisoner at the bar
guilty or notr
Hark. The first sy llab Of the word
guilty is upon the fureman's lips. but he
speaks il not Those who yet crowd about
the windows shout with all their night, in 1
moment more a man crowda hia way into the
court room. He hurries up and whispers to
the sheriff--and then he goes to the bench
and whispers to the Judge. Henry iB ler
starts up and moves towards ,he door, bit in
an instant the hnud Of the sheriff is on him.
All il eac,emen the most intense. Direct
ly the mass at the door begins 10 give way,
and four m n nre seen bearing upon their
shoulders ch ir "A stuffed chair -und in tie
chair sits NJ lthaw Hampton--not dead but
alive
Tue, he is pale and ghas'y, but his eyes
are open and his lips movs. At length the
chair is set dow before the Ltnch, and the
old physician ut II asks permission to
sneak As so' n Ms this fact be comes kL2wn,
all is quiet once more.
The phvscun saws that neither OF the
wounds which Mr. HampioG had received
are mortal, though he had ut first fhought
,hpv we're. The blow upon the head, and
the stab in the brcast combined to produce
state of cat lepsy, which resembled death 30
nearly that many an exp 'rienccd person may
have been deceived. When he gave on; that
Mr.. Hampton was dead he thought that it
was so. But when he found that Mr.. Ham?.
ton was living, he kept the secret tn himself
for fear that certain man whose pres
encc was very much needed might be mis-
sing.
At this juncture, Nj. Henry Bgler made
a savage attempt to break away from the
sheriff, hut /, did not avail him. the jury
were directed TO .eturn to their box and Mat
thew Hampton was requested to speak He
was TOO weak to rise, but he spoke plainly,
end in a manner, that showed his mind 10 be
c,elr.
He stated that when he reached the bluff on
the night ofthe disaster, he discovered that
his pocket book was gone. He stopped his
horse and was trying to think where he cod
have lost it. When some one came up from
the roadside. He hao just time TO see that
Il was Henry Bigler, when he received a
blow upon the head from club that knocked
him from his horse. Then he .elt sharp,
singing burning pain in his bosom, and with
momentary starting of the muscles he open.
ed his eyes Ne saw that Bieier was stoop'
1 ing over him and ransacking his pockets
H. could remember Of hearing the distant
pallop Of a horse--that he thought that his