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

loved by all his tOwRsmen. aud but few of
then could believe anything Of the reports
that cre,t into circulation.
! As ! was in no particular haste, | resolved
To remain at M--- until the trial had
come off; su ! went aud erased my nnme
'fr IN the stage book where it had been pa-
ced' aud then informed my host Of my deter
minnt;un.
| On the,fol;owing morning at an early hour
! the people began to flock to The court house,
and saw that # | would secure u place
must Join the crowd. l did so, aud al length
found myself within the building, ana US
gooJ luck would have il, I made a stand
near the prisoners box. Ten o'clock was
the hour fixed for opening the court, and be.
/ fOre that time every conceivable standing
place outside the dock was filled Stagings
were erec ed outside under the windows, and
these Two were crowded.
AT the appointed time the court came in,
and The prisUnef was conducted to the box.
Sud prisoner was not more than five aud
twenty years OF age. He possessed one of
| the most pleasing countenancPs | ever say.
1t was one OF those bold, frank faces, iull o.
Courage and good nature-just such an one
as is unnesi'at ngly taken as the index to u
pure and generous SOU. He was stout and
athletic man, and carried the palm at every
wrestling match ia the country.
thought within myself, this man is no
murderer. And yet We know not to what
extrrmit es IL man may sometimes be driven.
Young Adams was quit. pale, and hii nelher
lip quvered us he found the gozc oil the null
tltpde fixed upon him. but his ey!' was bright
and quick, but 1ot d, tiant, yet bold and hope.
Iul III its deep b ur light.
The trial culnmenced. The indicimeht
was cleur und distinct, setting forth the Iuct
lha, the prisoner, Abdel Adams, "dd with
malice uforelhuught," kill, &c on such day,
one Muithr " Hamp mptOu-in the lirst place by
striking him on the head with some very
blunt apon-,nd in the second place by
stubtin. him in the breast &c IT, all, the
prisoner plead not gully From the first
testimony learned the following iacts:
Mar sundo Nn, one afternoon, ubout week
prcvious, Matthew Hampton stopped at the
shop u! The prisoner 10 yet his hurse shod
hi, Hampton WAS n wealtIiy farmer, aud mis-
eNlale l.y On the 'utbw ,rd near the Trnnc.
see line, aid only fl fitren miles distan. from
II -----. lie wal In nIwnio have had some
Two thousand dollars with him at the time
money xhici he had received ut Columbia
| tor cnrn. II was nearly dusk when he start
ed from the prisoners shop He took out
Iis pocke, book to pay for the job OF shoeIng
his hur>c. This he did within the shop, aud
two persons were now present who testified
% the tact, and also that when The pocket
book was upeneo large bunch Of bank notes
were eHpnstd. About an hour after Hump
ton le!t, The prscner came out or his shop
| aud went tu The stable, aud having saddied
his llretest horse, he mounted and started
off attuIl gnl!op,n the direction which Hamp-
ton had taken.
NrxI came two Witnesses Mr.. Simple
and Mr. jordan" both o.: them respectable
citizens IF NJ, who testified as fol-
| lows:
They had been to the edge OF Tennessee
on business, and were returning home. At
! about niae O'clock en- the evening in ques.
ton they come to point in the road where
IA high bIuif overlooked the way, and while
passing tn r. they were startled by seeing
something in the moonlight that loIked ike
that what they had see was the body OF Mat
thew HamPtun,ulI g0re-Covered and bleeding.
They had not teen there mere than minute
wien they were Joined by third man, who
said thai he hid seen the murder committed,
an that the murderer had h,d owirds
II.
Slup e and Jordan both recognised this
rev conner os H'ury Bl"!er. aud though his
character was by no means of the most TX
cmplury kind, that was 10 Zine Tor dis.
cussiun The body OF Hampton was still
warm, SO that the murderer could not have
been gone long. Bigier had no horse, 50 Nj
Simple agreed TO remain by the body while
Jordan aud Rg'cr went in pursuit OF the mur-
derer. They put their horses to the top 81
their speed, nn1 in half an hour, they over
took the pIisun,r, whom Bigler at once poin-
TED out as the man. Jordan hailed the young
blacksmith, and found him nervous and excl
ted. He then asked him il he had seen Mat
thew Hampton, and A dams replied in he aI-
lfmatlve, but he spoke in II very Stringe
manner. After some expUstuation, the pri.
soner accompanied Jordan to Nj. and
there he was placed in the hands OF the She
riff, and on examining Lis person, Mr.. Hdmp-
toms pocket book, containing Two thousG nd
dollars, was found upon him, and his hands
were all covered with blood.
At this juncure the excitement in the lit.
tie court room was intense. The crowded
mass swuyed TO and fro like windswept grain
--murmurs broke the sanctty OF tie place
murmurS loud and deep; and it was n few
minutes before anything like order was re
stored. .
At length Henry Bigler was called upoa
the stand. lie was known by most of the
people of NJ, and though nothing pos
tive was known against him Of a cru,na
nature, yet he was known To be a reckless
|, waruerlng iellow, sometimes trading il
slaves sometimes dealing in horses,and some
times driving fiat bout down the Missssip
. pi river He stepped upon the wilnesse
:, stand with u complaisant bow, and he CAV
: in his testimony clearly AMI distinctly.
He said he WI S coming down the road 10
- r1 fNnt ,han iii