Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-10-01

there Joined company with Two gentemenA with
whom be supped, and in canversation ungnTded-
lie sum of money In due tins they retired to
their respective chambers, the gentlemea 10 a two
bedded room. leaving, ~ customary with many
candle burning Some hours after they were in
bed, ono Of the gentlemen, being awake, thought
he heard deep groan In an adjoining ROOM mud
this being repeated, he a~oke his friend. they
listened together and tho groans increasing as Of
one dying in pain. they both instantly rose and
proceeded silenlly to the door ofthe chamber from
which the groans seemed to come. They door be-
ing ajar, they saw light in the room. They en-
tered; but it is impossible TO paint their constei>
nation on perceiying aperson weltering in his
blood in the bod. and man standing over hiT,
with dark lantern in ono hand, nnd II knife in
the other! Tho man seemed rs much petrifed rs
themselves, hut his terror carried with IL NIL the
Appearances of guilt. Tho two gentlemen soon
discovered that the murdered person was the stan-
ger with whom they had that night suppcd, and
that the man who was standingo over him was thcir
host. They seized Bradford directly. disarmed
him of his knife md charged him with being the
murderer. by this time he assumed tho mir Of in
uotcnce positively denied the crime, and asserted
that he came there with the same humane inten-
tion as themselves: for that hearing noisc which
was succeeded by II groaning, ho got out OF bod.
struck light. armed himself with II knife for his
defence, aud had but that minute entered the
room before them. These assertions were Of
avail: he wns kept in close custody till the morn
ing, aud then tnken before n ncghboring Justice
ol the peace. bradford still declared his iuno-
cence. but with such apparent indications of guilt
that the Justice hesitnted not 10 make use of this
extraordinary expression Bradford, either
you or myself committed this murder" Brad-
ford was tried, convicted condemned and execut-
ed To tho very last he persisted in the same
story that he told the two gentlemen who surpri-
sed him with the knife and dark lantern ia his
hands hcnding over the bleeding body OF the mur.
der"d man. But no one believed linn. Yet he
told nothing but the truth bradford WAS not
the murderer, Who. then, tho midnight as-
sassin who took away the life of the sleeping
many No other than the footman oi Mr. Hayes,
the murdered man. This miscrcunt. immed .atcy
on s,abbnr his master. ri1ed his pockets ofhis
money, his gold wa,ch, and snuff box, md then
glilcd back to hi, own room. This could scarcely
have been effected. ns after circumstances showed
more thnn Two seconds before Bradford entered
the unfortunate genileman's chamber 10 the af-
ter rcmarse of this villain, the world is indebted
for this information. 1t wasa death bed cor1os-
sion, nnt iy that lrnth-bcd justice was dcirauded
oi its due. More, however remains to he told.-
Bradford, though innocent "i the aeun murder,
and not even rriyy to il, was, nevertheless, muir
dcrer III Intention. lie had heard that Mr.. Hayes
had money and lis entered the chamber of the de-
ceased with the Same criminal design rs the ser
want. To his utter astonisInent, he found him
self anticipated lie could hardly believe his
senses and, in turning bnck the bed clothes TO
assure himself of the fact he, in his agitation,
dropped the knife on the bleeding body, by which
means both his hands and his weapon became
hl,oiv. These circumstances Bradford ncknow-
lodged to the clergyman who attended him nirr
his sentence, but who. it is extremely probable,
would MT believe them Mt that time