True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1857-04-08
AtrOcious and Cold:Blooded Murder.
Testimony before The corOnsr's Jury
GREAT EXCITEMENT IN THE NEIeHHoR
HooD!i

HooDl
AT an early hour on Monday morning
says the Washington Tribune our ciIi'
zens were startled by The announcement
thatan atrocious aud cold.blooded murder
had been perpeIraied few hours before
upon The person oil Mr.. Samuel H
White, at his residence on the road lea
ding from Washington to Cross Creek
village, about FIVE miles north west o.
our town. We despatched areporter to
the place Immediately, with view tc
lay before our readers the fullest paricu'
lars of the bloody outrage. On entering
the house most horrible spectacle pres
ented itself. The murdered man was
lying on his bed in the same position he
was when he received the fatal blows, Ell
ther Of which was sufficient to cause al
most instant dl alh he seems not toshave
even moved, or been conscious Of pain,
the deed was executed with despatch and
terrible certainty. The pillow Of the bed
on which his head rested, and the sheets
and the bed clothes around, were literal
y covered with clotted gore. The blood
spurted around in all directions, bespat'
terering the head posts of the bed, ceiling
and walls, and was even traced 10 be.
reau, four or live feet distant from the
bed. On the floor at the foot Of the bed
laid the fatal axe, besmeared with blood
intermixed with tufts of hair, from the
poll to the lip of the handle; along the
handle could be seen impressions of the
murderers fingers where ne held it while
he dealt the diabolical lows.-But how
shall we describe the appearance Of the
murdered man himself? Our eyes never
bcheld more horrible sight. The face
had swollen to an unusual extent; the
lower lip had been severed and the jaw
bone broken; on the forehead over the
left eye brow was deep open wound
about one and half inches in depth and
over an inch square, undoubtedly inAic.
ted by The poll of the axe over the left
eyebrow, and up TO the intersection o.
the hair, the front skull bone was broken
in several pieces on the top Of the head
were wounds equally (righlful and fatal
and so profuse was the flow of blood tia
the whole face and head were covered
with one crust of gore.
CORNER Moses Little arrived on the
grounds abont 10 clock. and empanneled
the following jury: d. P. Lowary, Aar'
OH Miller, Il. B. Bryson, John Guthrie,
James Mcbride, VIM. Dinsmore, Jas
B. Paterson, Wm. B. Cundall, John
Stewart, Samuel Taggart, and II. ]. Ag.
new. Drs. j.. W. Wisbart, and D. r
Stewart were the examining physicians
The excitemen! in the neighborhood i:
intense people for miles around assem-
bled at the house and an expression oI
horror settled on every countenance:' Mr.
White was young married man aged
about rs years he had lately purchased
the farm, and was supposed to be in
possession of funds 10 make a payment
in few days. lie leaves a wife and
two children TO deplore the loss oil hus
band and father.
After viewing the body, The doctors
described the nature of the wounds and
pronounced either them fatal; some oil
the jurors then examined the desk, but
found no money and 'thereupon the
Coroner called and administered the oath
to Mrs. White. wife Of lhe deceased, who
testified as follows:
Mrs. Nancy White, sworn--Was the
wife of the deceased have resided in this
house four weeks next Wednesday: hus-
bnnd bought This farm from Jas Allison ;
came here iron three miles below Venice;
my husband was 25 years old last De-
cember ; last spoke 10 him about nine
o'clock last night 4; between two and three
O'Clock this morning, did not feel very
well, got up and went ont into the kitch-
en- in few minutes heard noise at the
wood pile; laid on the back part of the
bed husband was sound asleep when
got up; when | heard the noise, open,
ed the kitchen door and looked out into
the yard saw two men, who came TO-
ward The house, and then heard rattle
at the door of The room we sleep in
heard them coming in; didn't hear any
one speaking; thought they were robbers
and ran out of the kitchen; got to the
fence above the garden and stopped; stayet
there minute or two: was afraid to 90 ir
the house. and ran up 10 Mr.. Allison,
and gave an alarm when rose | crawl
ed over the foot of the bed, and did moi
disturb my husband have two children
they were sleeping in the irundle bed il
front Of our bed ;-one is three years
and the other eighteen months old dit
not hear any screaming or noise Of any
kind; came back from Alison's will
Archibald Allison; he went in the room
first ; | remained outside with Hugh AL
lison in about ten minutes ran in ant
picked up the children and carried then
out the room was dark; my husband
face looked all dark saw no signs Of lif
and heard no groans or breathing; wen
to bed at 3 o'clock husband covered th'
fire and came to bed TOO was at churcl
from ten o'clock till three husband haC
seven hundred and fifty dollars in money
in the house on Saturday forenoon hi
told me he had il, and was going to pay
it out next week j.; understood him Ii,
had it in The desk in the room we seeI
in the desk is generally locked ; he dil
not tell me since Saturday morning tha
he had paid the money 10 Mr.. Allison
did not say anything about it he went II
town on Thursday to get money, bu, diC
not get it; can't say certainly whethe
the desk was locked on last night; W,
have not kept it locked heretofore my