Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-08-27
Mltstellaneons Reabmg
CIRCUMsTANTIAL EVIDENCE.

! serving MS apprenticeship IN London to
master sail-maker, got leave to visit his moth
er to spend the Christmas holidays. Sh
lived few miles beyond Deal, in Kent
He walked the journey, and on his arrival a
! Deal, in the evening, being much fatigued
and also troubled with bowel complaint
he applied to the landlady ofa public hous,
who was acquainted with his mother, for
nights lodging. Her house was full ant
every bed occupied, but she told him that i
he would sleep with her uncle, who had late
ly come ashore, and was boatswain of an In
diaman, be should be welcome. He wa,
glad to accept the offer; and after spending
the evening with his new comrade they re
tired to rest.
In the middle of the night he was attack
ed with his complaint, and wakening his bed
fellow, he asked him the way to the privy
The boatswain told him to go throug Oh the
kitchen, but as he would find it difficult tc
open the door in the yard, the latch being
out of order, he desired him to take knife
out of his pocket with which he could raise
the latch
The young man did as he was directed and
after staying half an hour in the yard, re.
turned to bed, but was much surprised to
find bis companion had risen and gone.-
Being impatient to visit his mother and
friends, he also arose before day, and pur,
sued his journey, and arrived at home at
noon. The lady, who had been told of his
intention to depart early, was not much sur
prised; but not seeing her uncle she went
to call him.
She was dreadfully shocked to find the bed
stained with blood, and every inquiry after
her uncle was in vain.
The alarm now became general, and on
further examination, marks of blood were
traced from the bedroom into the street, and
at intervals down to the pier head, Rumor
was Immediately busy and suspicion fell of
course upon the young man who slept with
him, that he had committed the murder, and
thrown the body into the sea.
A warrant was issued and he was taken
that evening at bis mothers house.
On being examined and searched marks
of blood were discovered on his shirt and
trowsers, and in his pockets was knife and
remarkable silver coin, both of which the
landlady swore pns;ti-oly wnrn her nnclo's
property, and that she saw them in his poss-
ession on the evening he retired to rest with
the young man. On these strong circum-
stances the unfortunate youth was found
guilty.
He related all the above circumstances in
his defence, but as he could not account for
the marks of blood on his person, unless he
got them when he returned to bed, nor could
account for the silver coin being in his pos
session, his story was not credited.
The certainty of the boatswain's disap-
pearance; the blood at the pier, traced from
his bedroom, were two evident signs of his
being murdered and even the judge was
so convinced of bis guilt, that he ordered
the execution to take place in three days.
At the fatal tree the youth declared his
innocence, and persisted in it with such af-
fecting reservations that many pitied him,
though none doubted the business of his
sentence.
The executioners of those days were not so
expert at their trade as modern ones, nor we're
props and platforms invented. The young
man was very tall, his feetsometimes touched
the ground, and some of his friends who sur
rounded the gallows contrived to give the
body some support as it was suspended
After being cut down, those friends bore it
speedily away in coffin, and in the course
of a few hours animation was restored, and
the innocent saved. When he was able to
move: his friends insisted on his leaving the
country and never returning. He according
ly travelled by night to Portsmouth and en-
tered on board ofa man of.war, on the point
sailing to distant part of the world and
as he changed his name and disguised his
person his very melancholy history was never
discovered.
After few years of service, during which
his exemplary conduct was the cause of his
promotion through the lower grades, he was
at last made masters mate, and his ship being
paid off in the West Indies, he with few
more of the crew were transferred to another
man-of-war, which had just arrived, short
of hands from a different station. What
were his feelings of astonishment, and then
of delight and ecstaey, when almost the first
person he saw on board his new ship was the
Identical boatswain for whose murder he had
been tried, condemned and executed FIVE
years before.
Nor was the surprise of the old boatswain
much less when he heard the story. An ex-
planation of all the mysterious circumstances
then took place.
1t appeared that the boatswain had been
bled for pain in his side by the barber, un-
known to his niece, on the day of the young
mans arrival at Deal, that when the young
man had awakened him and retired to the
yard, he found the bandage had came off his
arm, during the night, and that the blood
was flowing afresh.
Being alarmed, he arose to go to the bar
ber, who lived across the street; but a press
gang laid hold of him just as he left the
public house. They hurried him to the pier
where the boat was waiting, and few min
utes brought them on board frigate, then
under way for the East Indies, and he omit
| fod ayor ,yr;t;n,. bopo fn ooooupt for hio