The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-03-04
Probable Murder "A Man: Found
Dead in the Street.

n,
itemically, the fact that month had passed
and no murde- had been committed in t'ne city;
but at that very moment, from what we can
learn in regard to the time of the occ urrence,
a man was killed at the corner Of Rice street
and Cherry alley. Tragedy after tragedy has
been enacted in our streets, and each one added
in its place to the appalling record yet none of
them appeared to be SO completely envelOped
in mystery as this.
About IL o'clock on the night of Wednes-
day, man named George Busch, who is the
driver of one of those superlativey prosaic noe
turnal vehicles, found man lying; upon the
sidewalk in front of, or near, the residence of
Mrs. Burns, tho wife of james Burns, who
short time ago was convicted Of murder and
sentenced to death. Information was given to
tho policemen, who took the body--which was
recognized as that Of a moulder who resides in
that neighborhood, named John Gillman--to
the Poart- street Stati on house.
A post-mortem examination was held and
three wounds were found upon the body-one
on the check, which cut completely through,
making passage-wey into the mouth, and one
on the temple, bruisc, both apparently made
by slung- shot, or some other weapon of that
nature, and another upon the neck, giving the
| impression that the deceased had been severely
l clicked. The physicians concluded that the
blows, taken in connection with tho dissipated
habits--of which the evidence was clear-of
| the deceased, were sufficient to produce death.
In the mean time the officers had arrested
Peter oonklin, Lewis Duncan and Mary Simp-
son, who, it was understood, had spent the
evening with Gilman, and who had been seen
in CO mpany with him but an hour or two be-
fore his dead body was discovered in the street.
'fhe Coroner was summoned and jury i'm
p'Lnneled, when the following testimony in re-
lAtion to the matter was all that could be elic-
tied from eight or ten witnesses which had any
bearing upon this mysterious affair:
George Busch, whom we have mentioned
above, said that he saw a tall man, with his
coat torn down the back, wash his hands in the
gutter and afterward disappear up Cherry al
ley. He afterward saw the body and gave the
alarm to the police. ... .
Mary Simpson stated that Gilman, Duncan,
} Conklin, herself and man whom she did not
know, had been in company at the house of
Mrs. Burns, and left it to 60 to Race street for
oysters. On the way they met party of men
: and she returned to the house and went to bed
leaving the men together. .
Duncan said they had been playing cards
and Gilman proposed to treat the girl, simp-
son, as she had said, and they went out for thai
purpose, when he left them and went home.
1t will be seen that these statements do moi
agree; besides, blood was found on the sleeve,
Of Duncan, and his coat was torn down thu
back although Busch says the man he saw
, was taller thar Duncan, and the two coats wcr,
not torn alike.
The Coroner and his jury spent almost tn,
entire day in learning what VIC have giveI
above. Duncan is an amiable- looking awning
maker, and AYERS that his worst fault is hi
tendency to drink, and, from his face, W
should judge he told the truth. He appeared
quite calm, and said he knew nothing of tn
i matter with so much apparent sincerity tha
we found it hard to doubt him. He accounte
7 for the bloodlupon his shirt-sleeves by assert
d ing that he had wiped his nose upon them-i
having bled the day before while he was a
: work-and said, also, he had not worn his Goa
u for three weeks, and that it was then at tn
house Of his washerwoman, a negress, whor
o they called Aunt Mary, for the purpose of be
ing mended. This statement was corroborate
10 by others who said they knew him well.
The inquest resulted in rendering verdit
y that John Gilman came to his death by wound
inflicted upon him by some person or person
unknown to the jury. The Coroner felt just
- fed, however, in holding the prisoners over fc
further examination, and they were sent I
the Hammond-street Staticn-h house TO ava
:, the session of the Police Court this morning.
The deceased is about thirty seven years
age, and, as we have already stated, quite dis
solute in his habits. He was born, we believ,
'S in the ward in which he was killed, and ha
!. been married to woman who, it is said, he dc
= serted short time afterward.
1t is useless to conjecture, and for it we hay
a. no inclination. "Time, at last, sets all thing
- even," and to the revealer of all secrets "
leave the unfolding of this Over the dead "
w cast tho mantle of charity, and leave the a,
cused in the hands of justice.
ts Since writing the above, We learn that ma
an named Barnard Casselly, has been arrested an
bo lodged in the Hammond street Station -hous
rs charged with having been concerned in IL
rs murder. He will have hearing this mornir
hefnre Judoe pr1iden