Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-07-23

A+lAo lAAC NAA7o VI tut
der Of the son of Mr.. John Squires, a lad IL
years of age, in Columbia, Lorain county
are so singular, that we give them from the
Oberlin News, as follows
Wallace Walrath, a nephew of Mr.. Squires
has been laboring on the farm for his uncle
for some two months past, and his son has
been in the habit Of laboring with young
Walrath from time to time, when not at school
II is said that the boys did not agree well TO-
gether. On Wednesday night Walrath came
in about o'clock, and claiming to be unwell,
did net again go to his work, but retired
very early. John, the son of Mr.. Squlres,
also retired as usual, the boys sleeping to-
gether. About daylight Walrath came down
stairs and left the house, being gone some
half an hour, when he returned and again
went to his room, but Immediately came
down stairs a second time, went to his Unele's
room and said, 'sUnele John, / am afraid l
have hurt John in my sleep. He lies in bed
all covered with blood.n --.tr
The father hurried to the room and found
his son literally welterlng in his own blood.
1t seemed that during the night young Wal
rath had taken gun that stood in the corner
of their bedroom, and clasping by the bar
rel had struck his cousin with the stock of
the gun, so hitting him that the entire lock
Of the gun was buried in the boy as he lay
asleep on his side. The stock of the gun
was broken by the blow, but by replacing
the lock Of the gun in the wound, it was
found that the end of the stock just reached
a mark on the head-board, which it had evil
4l,rI H., .
The shape ofthe wound exactly eoTesponded
to the lock Of the gun. From all appear
ances, the deed must have been committed in
the fore part Of the night.
The boy, up to Saturday morning, was
still alive though wholly unconscious. His
physicians say he is beyond all hope of re-
CoYery. s-..
Young Walrath is now lodged in jail to
await an investigation Of the matter. He is
a slender lad, nineteen years of age. He says
that he has no recollection Of the matter in
the least, and claims that the first knowledge
be had of this affair was upon returning to
his room after going down stairs the first
time, and that as soon as he discovered it, he
Immediately informed his uncle; says that
being unwell, he was forced to get up earlier
than usual that when he first got up It was
not light in his room, and that. sleeping on
the back side of the bed, he climbed over the
footboard to avoid waking his cousin. and
passed out Of the room without diseoy ering
anything unusual /; says that he has been in
the habit of getting up in his sleep when un-
well for years past, No blood was found on
any Of young Walrath's clothing, whereas
it has been stated that it would have been
impossible for him to have lain in bed with
out getting covered with blood, as the bed
was entirely saturated with it. T.TE
,1ManEio the people look upon it as cold
blooded murder, while few can hardly be-
lieye it possible that so young lad should be
guilty. ofso atrocious crime, The prisoner
admits that he had had few words with the
boy the day previous, but asserts that they
went to bed good friends.