Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-01-12
THE BLACKS MITH,s TRIAG,
Scene i'm n Western Court.

Ii hCSAAN Ss
[coSCLUDED.l
At this juncture the excitement in the
little courtroom was intense. The crowd.
ed mass swayed to and fro like wind
swept grain murmurs LOUD and deem.
and it was few minutes before ANYTHING
like order was restored. At length Henry
Bilger was called upon the stand. He
was known by most of the people of M
=, and though nothing positive was
known against him of . criminal nature,
yet ne was known to be q reckless, wan.
derlng fellow, sometimes trading IN slaves
and sometimes dealing in horses, and
sometimes driving fiat boat down the
Mississippi. He stepped upon the witness
block with complacent brow. and he gave
in his testimony clearly and distinctly.
lie said he was coming down the road
toward NJ, on foot, and when near
the bluffhe heard the sound of struggle
accompanied by loud grosns and entrea-
ties. He sprang forward, and arrived in
season to see the prisoner leap into his
saddle and ride off. The moon was shin
ing at the time so he could not have been
mistaken. AS soon as he found Mr..
Hampton was, as he supposed, dead, he
started to 60 after help. The murdered
mans horse fed toward home, 80 he
could gain no assistance in that way.
He had not gone far, however, when he
heard the sound of horses feet, and on
turning to the spot he found Simple and
Jordan there.
Bilger was questioned very severely,
but his testimony was not to be flaw,d.
He was explicit in all his statements, and
at the same time he was called upon to
testify against man for whom he felt so
much respect for as he did for the prisoner
At length young Adams arose to tell
his story. He spoke clearly, and with
the tone of a man who tells the truth.
He said that about an hour after Mat
thew Hampton had left his shop, on the
evening in question, he went to the sink
to wash his hands, and while there he
| trod on something that attracted his at
tention. He stopped to pick it up, and
found it be pocket book, and, on TAX
ing it to the light, it proved to be Mr..
Hampton He remembered that after
MIR. Hampton had paid him for shoeing
his hors e, ne went to the sink after
drink If water, and then he must have
dropped the book. The young black
smiths first idea, he said, was to keep
the book until Hampton came back; but
on second thought he resolved to sad.
die his horse and try to overtake him,
and restore the money. Accordingly,
he set of. and when he reached the bluff
his horse began to rear and snort. He
discovered something on the roadside.
and upon dismounting and going to it,
he found it to be the body of Mr.. Hamp-
ton, still warm and bleeding. He first
satisfied himself that he could do nothing
alone, and then he started back towards
NJ for assistance. When he was
overtaken by Jordan and Bilger, the idea
broke upon him with stunning force, and
hence his strange and incoherent manner.
When the prisoner sat down there
was . low murmur which told that his
story was believed. But the Judge shook
his head, and the lawyers did the same.
and the jury looked troubled and anx.
ious. The prisoners counsel did all he
could to establish his clients character,
and also to impeach the character OF
Bilger, but he could refuse none of the
evidence that had been given in.
When the judge came to charge the
jury, he spoke of the testimony against
the prisoner, and of the corroboratiye
circumstances. With regard to the pris.
oner's story, he said it was very simple,
aud sounded very much like truth; but
he would have the jury remember how
easily such stories could be made.
1t was long after dark when the jury
retired to make up their verdict. They
were gone half an hour, and when they
returned the foreman showed by tn,
very hue of his countenance that thu
verdict was to be fatal. All saw it. anG
| could hear the throbbing of the hun.
dred hearts that beat about me.
"Geatlemen of the jury, have YOU
made your verdict 20
We have"
! a" Yes"