The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1859-11-25
The Murder of Thompson Heroic
Conduct of Young Lady.

Tho details o. tho killing Of the prisoner
Thompson, at llarpor's Ferry, are thus givon
on the witness stand, by young man named
Hunter, sou of tho prosecuting lawyer:
Aitor Mr.. Bcckham was killed.. Mr.. Cham
bGrs and myself moved forward to the no.
tel for tho purpose of taking tho prisoner
out and hanging him; we were joined by Il
number Of other persons, who choored US
On in that work; wo went into the room
whero ho was bound, with the undOubtcd
and undsgusGd purpose Of taking his life
at tho door wo wero stopped by persons
guarding the door, who demonstrated with
us, and tho excitement was so great that
persons who demonstrated with US one mo-
ment, would cheer us on the next; VIC burst
into tho room where he was and found soy
cral around him, but they offered only a
feeble resistance wo brought our guns
down to his head repeatedly, myself and
another porson, for tho purpose of shooting
| him in the room.
Thoro was n young lady there. Tho sister
| Of MIR. Foulke, tho hotoi keeper, who sat in
! this mans lap, covered his face with her
arms. and shielded him whenever VIC brought
our guns to bear, she said to us-"For Gods
sake wait aud lot tho law take its course
my associate houtcd to kill him; "Lot US
shed his bovu, were his words oil around
wero shouting, "Mr Bcckman's lifo was
worth ten thousand of these vilo abolition
lists :" | was cool about it, and deliberate
my gun was pushed up by some ono who
seized the barrel, and then moved to tho
back part of the room, still with purpose
unchanged, but with a view to divert atten
tion from the, in order to get an oppOrtuni
ty, at somo moment when tho crowd woulc
be less dense, to shoot him; after a mo
mcnt's thought, it occurred to me that wal
not tho proper place to kill him; We ther
proposed to take him out and hang him
some persons of our band then opened I
way to him. md first pushing inside Mis-
Foulke, we slung him ont OF doors; CAV
him push, and many others did the same
we then showed him along the platform an
down to the trcssle work of tho bridge, h,
begging for his life all the time, very pits
ously at first.
BY tho by, before we took him out of tn
room | asked the question what he cam
here for; he said their only purpose was t.
D free the slavcs-that lie Camo here to fire.
tho slaves or dio. Then no begged, don
D tuko my lifc--a prisoner !" but | put til
i gun to him. and he said, you may kill m,
e but it will DO revengod there arc eight
I kUOusduu ICISOHS s"OIu ~ Out lbi
!, work" That was his last expression. w
+ sore him out on the bridge with tho purpos
u rhun uf hauging him: We had TO rope, an
u mono could he found it was q moment
wild excitement. Two of US raised ou
G guns-which ono was first do not know
i and pulled tho trigger Before he ha
= reached the ground suppose some five q
N six shots had boon fired into his body; h
fell to tho railroad track, his back down t
3 tho earth and his faco up; we then wer
back for tho purpose of getting another on
u (Stcphcns) but he was sick or wounded an
It persons around him, and persuaded theI
" myself to let him alone, | said Don't |,
l. US operate on him. but go around aud g.
IS some morc;" wo did this act with purpo3
y thinking it right and justifiab!e undor tn
circumstances, and fired and excited by tn
. cowardly. savage manner in which MIR. Beci
= hams lilo had been taken.