Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-03-10
CITY AND STATE AFFAIRS.

Wlfehcr. AQuteOu Vitcn6t, 81 n. O@Attus Nho snf
Swanson. fur killing tue. three brothssy Clement,
il still progressing bef6fc the Franklin County
Court. The Danyills Register publishes from the
evidence given in Court an account oil tbe ARRAY,
which il fers materially from other accounts pub
lsheJ The parties assembled at the store for ta-
king dispositions, aud the morning passed on qai-
ctly. Tie account prooeeds:.
Ahnst aoou u woman named BenHsu waserought
forward for examination by the Clements. Captain
Wrher requested the Justice to defer the exanrina
ton OF this witness to another dry, and gave as the
rem sons his request that he was iatgued was old
and infirnl and wished o . We o home. The Jus
rice declined TO comply and taken for
dinner After dinner, Captain Wllcher renewed his
request when Ralph Clement replied that it would
take but q short time TO examine the witness. Capt.
Witcher remarked TINT witness bad lived with the
Clements had perhaps heard only one side of the
question nn he wished therefore. to cross-exanine
her ,horoughly which would require several hours.
Clement tlen remarked that whoever said that be had
prcudiced sc witness told lie, or something to that
effect Cant Witcher, who WAS seated in II CHAIR,
smoking asked Clement TO repeat his language more
explicitly rising at the tiae from his chair. -
Al III Is junclure lhe firing commenced james Gle
ment and VIM. Clement were In rear of Capt. Witch
or seated on a bed and one or both Of them commcn
ced to FIRE at him. as he il rose aud attempted to
1roy his nistoL Just then Addison Witcher seized
p,lnh Clement Several individuals who in the
room rushed out at the door. pushing back John A.
Sm;tl, who had started into the room at the report
of the pistols. Smith passedin, and with pistol in
na hand aud knife in the other, commenced attack
,,o, I,wes and illiam Clement who still FIR
inc in rear of Captain Wicher, though the latter,
Witcberl had not up TO this time, bred single shot
his ps,ol having hung in his pocket in the attempt 10
draw il.
one of the Clements. who was still attempting 10
shoot Wacher. When Captain Whether succeeded in
drawing bis weapon, number of shots had been ir
ed by all parties and is supposed that at least two
of the Clements we're nortaliy wounded, Tough AL
kept % their firing Capt. Wncher cooliy turned and
took deliberate MIN at James Clement who was engt
ged with Smith, and at the crack Of his pistol, Glen
ent fell tho bail having catered his forehead. lie
then fred IA second shot ut Vim. Clement, who also
received the hall ia his head mud fell lastly, Capt.
Witcher fred at Raj ,h Clement who was likewise hat,
but fingered some Two hours, the other two dying
almost Instantly.
John A. Smith WA, shot ia the right shoulder as
he entered the room, and Swanson received a~ound
in tue wrist. 1t is said that Smith inflicted several
mortal wounds upon Jas. and I'm. Clement before
Cant Uitcher commenced to fire. The whole of this
engagement ranspred in less time than 80 seconds,
and after the first few shots the room was filed with
n dense smoke from the burning OF powder. The
most remarkable about the ALI Is, that
Captain Witcher escaped Lnhurt, when he seemed 20
be the object on whom the attsck WIS chiefly direc
ted.
This ARRAY occurred in the counting room of Dick
insons store n small space, sixteen by eighteen feet
had scarcely elbow room; for ia this small apartment
there were two large desks, stairway, table, an
iron safe large bale OF cotton, several chairs,
large roll of sole leather and a bed.
The HORRIBLE DEATH OF DR.. DELK-FSRTHER
PARTicUI ARs-On Tuesday morning. says the Pc
tersburg Press, we announced TO our readers pain
fol that ahont relative to the snd'ien and
horrible death OF Dr. Peyton A. Delk OF SUSSEX and
are panied to say that the report is only too true The
particulars as we CLEAN them from gentleman who
is fresh from the spot, are as follows:
On Friday evening. DR.. Dek, who had been on
visit from home, returned and, as was his usual
tom before retiring, told female servant to hand
him bottle of paregoric. Having taken dose, he
closed the door and locked it, The drug had its usnai
effect upon his system, and the Doctor was soon IN
q sound sleep. A few minutes after nine o'clock the
building was discovered to be on fire inside. Two
gentlemen Of the negbborhood, who arrived first at
the scene of conhagralion, saw through the window
the form OF the Doctor attired in his night dress y
ing mo,ionless upon the bed the clothing OF which
had not ipnited; n bowie knife and revolver which
he always carried, we're lying by bis side. The room
was in flames, and in few minutes the bed was also
wrapped ia the devouring element. No exertons
could save the doomed man, it, as some suppose, lie
WINS really alive at the time The building and all its
contents were destroyed, and upon Investigation after
the fire. nothing remained of the unfortunate Doe
tor, sare few charred bones, his watch aud gold
studs.
There are conflicting opinions regarding the origin
of the fire. There WAS considerable dry fodder in
the ROOM and Il ink that the blazing logs in the
fre-pace-which was unprovided with hand-irons-
rolled down and set the fodder on fire. The Doctor
most likely in that case. was suhocated by the smoke
which accounts for his not awakening and making
some effort to escape.
Others think that the unfortunate man was muir
dered 10y a negro who proving about the
premises at night fall, and who probably concealed
himself under the Doctors bed until the latter fell
asleep Amer the commission of the fatal deed, the
all o,a1