Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1860-12-05
sattHiseaft.
nrial If KEngsnsulA.

Eisl of KlingsnsnIA.
An abstract of the testimony given in the
<rial of John KlingeDsmith for the murder Of
: Archibald Reeves Jr. is on the first page Of
, this paper, on the second, viii be found the
able charge of fudge Hoffman to the jury
The trial occupied the entire week. with the
exception Of Thursday. Thanksgiving day
the case going to the jury on Saturday at about
S o'clock z. NJ. The time was occupied I'M
til Friday afternoon in examining the wit
nesses, some twenty-five or thirty having been
called and examined by the prosecution
s About sixty had been ~subpenaed by the de-
fence, but when the evidence of some half
~ dozen had been taken, the counsel for the Grim
inAl rested. and the remainder ofthe witnesses
were not called upon. This took the counsel
for the State somewhat by surprise, but prob
ably did not affect the final result. Hon. J..
D. Cox opened the case for the prosecution
in an argument of about one hour in length.
He was followed by ". o. Forrest, and F E.
hutehins Esqs. for the defence, C. ". futile
4. Esq closing for the State. The case was
managed with great ability, by the counsel on
both sides, both in the examination of witnes-
s-ses and in the arguments to the jury. All
that men could do. the counsel for the prison
srs did, but the proof of his guilt was too
clear to admit of an a~equital. The counsel
the counsel for the State performed their duty
After Judge Hoffman had given his charge
to the jury, they retired to their noon, and re-
turned in about an hour, with a verdict of
equity Of Murder in the second degree
e This verdict carries with it the penalty of i'm
PrisOnment for life IN the penitentiary, and
on Monday Judge Hoffman pronounced SEN
tence to that affect upon the criminal.
During the progress of the trial from first
TO last. Kiingensmith maintained an uncon-
'eerned demeaner, generally paying some at
tention to the testimony of the witnesses, the
arguments of the counsel. The charge ofthe
Judge, but never betrayingb by look or motion
that he was at all interested in the result
The court room was filed with spectators
most of the time. and was crowded on Satur-
day. When looking over that audience, see
AH0 /
ing SOME of the ladies smiling and whispering
to each otner, some men nOdding, some chew
ingtobacc0. some laughing at a puzzled wit
ness, lawyers not engaged in the suit, reading
newspaperss others taking notes DE, and the
polite sheriff and his deputy busy finding
seats for tardy ladies. it was difficult to realize
that the life. or the liberty for life. of a fellow
creature was at stake and was then and there
icing decided. But such was the case, and
in this as in all human affairs, the tragic and
the comic trode upon each others heels.
The moral to be drawn from this last sad
instance of crime, its effect and punishment,
is the same which has time and again been
placed before the eyes of this community. viz.
that such is the consequence of liquor drink
ing" Within the last eight years. four muir
ders, Tor homieides. if that is the more polite
term,) have been committed in the county,
three of them within the corporate limits of
the town, and one in its immediate vicinity;
every one of which is directly tracable to the
effects of GqnOr drinking. The first is the
murder of John Wilson, by Robert Magary.-
AaSaIl WIS urunk Wnen the crime vas CON-
mitted, He escaped for the time, but the ven
genenee which man did not execute, reached
him through 8 beast. and some two years since,
he vas found dead in the road, near Wheeling
Virginia, kicked to death by 4 horse.
The second was the killing of Conover, by
George Barriball The fatal blow was struck
with s bottle, over a counter, in a grocery
Owing to the extenuating circumstances, the
provocation, and the previous good character
of Barriball, after serving in the penitentiary.
Ito which he was senteneed) about two years,
he was pardOned by the Governor.
TIL third was the murder of MeWhinnev.
POr this. his son Robert MeWhinney is now
incarcerated in the penitentiary-undeF a SEN
tsnce for tenyeara, and another son barely es-
capped a similar sentence. This crime was
committed when part if not all of the actors
were intoxicated.
And last is this crime by Kiingensmith,
which has cut of one youth just entered upon
manhood and cOnsigns the other for life, to a
living tomb. H.