The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-06-13
THE MURDER or COL. SHARPE,
Tragedy as True as it In strapse.


io%o' Col Solomon Sharp, enc of the foremost
A"yefs In Kentucky. formerly Attorney General
Vi tns STATE. some years earlier member of Con.
gsess, and At that time leader in the newly elect
under circumstances of peculiar atroctv He vas
reused from bis bed by some one knocking 1t his
ooor, And be was there seized by the ASA ssn who
aiser some words, stabbed him to the heart aImos.
IN hent OF his wife who rushed to his side but too
late to hear syllable from him. or to learn in any
way who WAS bis murderer
Suspicion soon fell, however, on q young law
yer named Beauchamp, who was arrested. tried.
ana condemned, apparently on false evideuces,
out who ys. was the rssl murdurer Party ari.
mostly, then furously excited throughout the
ga oy some questions relating to The courts
ascrioed the murder to political hatred for Sharpe
was the leader of bis party, sLd the idol of the
people; nsr was It till after the trial that the a.
founding story of Besucs amps actual crime aud
bis reasons for it were made public BY hi, own
Ingenious confession.
Some years before apparently a. early as 1918.
Col Sharpe had seduced Miss Ann Cooke. q yaune
iady OF respectful family, educated aud refined
and as appears from her subse quent course of uu-
Usual force and severity of character Proud and
iotense Of feeling. she withdrew entirely from the
society where she had been admired and courted
AID with her widowed mother her books and her
slaves sbe hid her disgracs iu the complete secIu
sion of q kentucky Plantation
IL was here that young Bsauchamp, In q fatal
hour TOR both sought her urs. bins elf on her
and. led on by his passion, devvtrd himself with a
oarbarous magnaniaity, to her dreadful hirst for
Vengea> ce on her betrayer. He cannot have been
m9rs than nineteen years old at this time and be
nso been on the point of commencing the siudy
OF law with Col. Sharpe, when he was repeIed
from such connection ny the story of bis vilaipy
towards Miss Cooke Generous though uogovern-
able of temper, he looked with aversion on a man
so stained-regardiog him IS "Do better than q
horse thief, as he himself naiveIy says
for CnOks
ed by the praises besto ed on her besu.y and wit
by friend of his " DO bad been her former admir- or
He visited her in her self imprisonment but she
refused TO him; he insisted and she at laar
came forth. but she received him cpldly He pre-
tended t" desire to use her library and borro ed
oook, which gave Tim preiext to call again
In u few days, when he again saw her. Little by
listie her reserve wore eff. while bis enthusissm
tor her grew into f-fyent love He urged bis suit
and besought her band in marriage, which she at
FIRST steadily refused, and only yielded & ay On
condition that he should first kill Col Sharpe
This was In 1927, and in the aui umn of that wear
be went TO FraLklort for the express purpose of
challenging Sharpe and of shooting him if be de,
clined The two walked out together along the
RIVER to Frankfort, and when thry had come to
retired place outside the town, Beauchamp discIos
ed to Sharpe in what relation he stood to Mis-
Cooke, and asked if he would fight him Shsrpe
said be could not fight in such a cause, he would
let himself be killed rather than do it; and falling
on his knees, he imp plored Besuchamp not to kill
him. Toe hate Of the enraged man turner to scorn
at what he thought the most giaring cowardice; he
struck Sharpe in the face called him by the most
insulting names, and swore he would cane him in
the streets every day till be forced him 10 a duel
They parted, and early next morning Sharpe left
Frankfort, and Beauchamp los, his opportunity.
Miss Cooke now resolved to kill her betrayer
with her own hand and together with Beaucham amp
she cOntrived plot as artfu as that by which
Leonore betrays Lothair, to bring him to her
house. where she could shoot him. This failed,
and after long time she gave up her cherished
plan, and left the murder again to Beauchaup
who, meanwhile, by sophstry such as familiar.
~ with q dreadful purpose often produces, had
persuaded himself that it would be right to xiii
his enemy, not openly, as he had at first proposed
but by assassination
Accordingly. after his marriage with Miss
Cooke, In June, 1924, he formed bis plans for the
deed Never was a murder more deliberately
committed For more than year he was busy
making arrangements SO that no evidence could
be brought against him. He even deferred the
act till siter an election. hoping that Thompson,
who ran for Governor against Desha in 1924
would pardon him if be were chosen, as be was
not Disappointed in this he determined to ill
Sharpe at such time that bis death would seem
occasioned by political enmity; for which reason
he chose the beginning of = session of the Lpeis-
lsiure, in which, we have said, Sharpe WAS
prominent man.
He travelled to Frankfort. as if on business,
lodged at the house of relative of Col Sharpe.
house OF bis victim ill he made sure he was with-
in. He then Knocked, called him to the door,
showed his face, that he might have the agony of
knowing who his murderer was, and then stabbed
him to the heart The unfortunate man knew his
assassin, but SO sure had been the blow, that the
only words he spoke were, Pray. Mr. Beau
champ" at the same time striving to throw his
arms about his neck; but one heard that exca
nation, and Beauchamp had the satisfaction Of
seeing that no such evidence as this could be
brought against him He fingered near the house
till he WAS seen by Mrs Sharpe then went back to
bis lodgings. After having resumed his own dress,
with a tranquil and satisfied heart, as he says
himself, heiay down to sleep
In the morning the whole town was in excite
ment at the hoTrid heed Beauchamp's host
pected him, but Ills calm demeanor did away wi
all suspicion and he was allowed 10 leave Frank
fort without moestation As he drew near home,
his wife, who had been anxiously aw al ing his re-
turn, saw him approach waeiag a red flag, which
had been the token of success agreed upon be-
tween them She was full Of j y, like himself, At
the fuiflment Of her just vengeance, they
thought it, aud they talked over all the details Of
the crime with fearful satisfaction.
Bsaush mp Io1u arrested as he expected to
be, ntIafy to his expectatlcns he found that
all his p4ios to destrsy evidence had been fruitess
Circumstapces- tn Sc fatal esv.s drl ppen bore
sure WI tn ess and where q hnk wanting in
the chain Of testimony, 1t was easily supplied By
18Th Of May 1926, and a spite of the doubts of many
emil ent lawyers, who msntsined ths. there was
no existing law TO punish murder he WI as executed
on the 7th cf July following He had in vain tried
t. tn sow the chine some other person to
obtain pardon fro m Gov Desha who to he sure
had pardoned his own 500, twice convicted of muir
der and robbery
After his conviction his wife spen. much time
wi, h him, and in the hope OF dying together they
both took polsons which, however, pfoveo inc e
usl. Thy were then carefully guard d, but spite OF
This, the morning Of bis zxesu ION, they eontrived
TO stab th -mselves BesuGhsmp was not moftaiy
wounded but his wife ling rod only few hou after
mis- execution As he was can-d TO the gsi
lows too weak to sit his coffin In ths ca I,
according to the bsrbarous custom, he ask q
10 be tsa t1 tis wife, then lyin. unconscious
from her wouod. He lad mis- hand on her
fsce and sought in vsia to make b n recosnz him,
then bidding her the tenderest farewell, and
bawlps 10 the isoies at the q indGws he pas ed
sIl M the streets ne went On the scsfjid
some verses ~ Mrs Beauaos mp, w iitten just bs-
fore her death support the conception of chArectsr
which ons forms fr N her wonderful story They
al re to her husbands crime and fate and their
style ind Gates Su!tivs tea mind and lof and po
her husb ands oying with her LAY serve q speci.
And welded to his side my form shall lie
ncirced by bis arm, for nsusht bur fate
Could move my stu b 1orn spirit fee to die
" ith all my soul holds dear, or good or great"
One Of he mcst touching fasts connected with the
sfair 10 the terrible nmpiicity with which Beau
champ exhibits In his relation of the facts OF the
tragedy.
WEALTHY THIEF The wife Of 4 respectable
tradesman In Brooklyn occupying high social
position, was brought before Police Magissra te