Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1859-04-14
The Goshocton Co. Treasury Robbery!
PETITION OF SAMUEL KETCHUM.
To the General assembly

4 u LII IO1N OI OAIu UIu hI1OuCm.
To the General assembly
ofthe State of Ohio:
Your petitioner, Samuel Ketchum, OF
the county of Coshocton, in the State Of
Ohio, respectfully represents: that he now
is, and has been for more than two years
past, Treasurer of said county; that on the
evening of the 2lst of January, A. D.
1859, be was in his Office, as he honestly
believed then, in the discharge of his Of
fetal duties as such Treasurer, for the pur-
pose of paying off a large number of wit
nesses who had been attending the Court
of Common Pleas of said county, in GRIM
inal case then on trial in said Court, all OF
whom had been discharged from further at
tendance on the Court on that evening
that most of said witnesses could, if they
received their pay, reach home by the
eleven o'clock train of cars leaving Coshoc-
ton that night, but if they were compelled
to stay over and miss that train of cars,
they could not leave town by any public
conveyance until two o'clock of the next
day. 2
Your petitioner further represents that
after paying off a number of said witnesses,
and it being then about nine o'clock, he
called on the Auditor of said county, who
was then in his Office, in an adjoining room,
doing business, and advised with him.
whether it would not be best to shut up
the office, and let the witnesses then un-
paid remain until morning the Au-
di,or advised him that as they had been
discharged, it would be better to pay them
off at once and let them go home; that
they would draw no more pay, and if they
did not get away that night, they could
not get home until a late hour the next
day. Your petitioner further says, that
after this conclusion with the Auditor, and
believing at the time, it was best and right,
he returned to his office, and continued to
pay off the witnesses as they came in un-
til between nine and ten o'clock, when he
was informed, in answer to question to
the last witness paid of, that there were
some eighteen witnesses yet to receive
their pay, who would all be in, in body,
in a few minutes. After waiting few
minutes, your petitioner bolted the inside
door of bis office, and unlocked the safe,
and took out as much money as he sup
posed would be sufficient to pay off the
witnesses yet remaining, and then carefully
locked up the vault and safe, but did not
then change the key, for be intended if
NO in IN rxy
few minutes, to return said money, change
his key, and close up for the night.
Your petitioner further represents that
the Court, at that time, was still in session,
in building almost adjoining the building
in which the Treasurers Office is kept, and
thinking it best to step down to the court
room to see if there were any witnesses
there, he locked his Office and went to the
court room, and remained there but min
ute or two, when finding that the court
was about to adjourn he returned TO his
office Immediately, and would have left in
a very few minutes, and before the court
had adjourned; but your petitioner says
that be had been in his Office but a mo-
ment and was standing by the stove when
two men came into the Office; one of them
stepped in before the other, and the second
man as he came in asked him if the taxes
were paid on lot No. II or III in the
town of West Carlisle in this county; the
first man had then approached to near the
stove, the second man stopped near the
table standing in the corner of the room,
and near the door. Your petitioner then,
in answer to the question asked him, re-
piled that he would look and inform him
whether the taxes were paid-and as your
petitioner stepped towards the door Of the
counter for the purpose of getting the du-
plicate, he necessarily passed near to the
second man who came into the Office
When the second man came in he had a
shawl hanging loosely on his left shoulder,
and as your petitioner came up TO him he
threw the shawl suddenly over the head of
your petitioner, knocking off his hat and
clapping his hands on the mouth of Pc
titioner, forcing part of the shawl into his
mouth. Your petitioner says he then tried
to halloo, but could not, and that imme-
diately after the shawl was thus thrown
over Lis head the first man who came in
seized mby the arms from behind, and
as your petitioner struggled and attempted
to throw himself back against them, his
feet were Slipped from under him, and as
he went down some one of the two men
put his hand under the shawl and caught
bis cravat in such way that he choked
him severely. Just at this time your Pc
titioper says he heard the bolt Of the out
side door of his office click, as if some per-
son was boiling the door on the inside,
and third man walked with quick step,
from the outside door apparently, into the
inner room of the office; they then, after
choking your petitioner until he was al
most unconscious, put gag in his mouth,
all the while keeping tho shawl close over
his head and face sfter which, partly by
dragging land partly carrying. they took
him behind the counter and laid him on
his back on the floor. Your petitioner
knows that at this time three men had hold
of him, that after he had laid upon the
floor, in attempting to spring to bis feet,