The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-11-17
$500 PER ANNUM IN ADVANCE
KENosHA, WISCONSIN, THURSDAY, NOV: rs, 1864

t+N' rhi@4'fffJ A-ttis -Ef4JL4 t-litt
tears even the pretty positive opinion O
Sotners that were the time asked for granted
Mr.. Gibson might come round--had no eff
feet upon the retired lawyer. To end the
matter, he took his pocket book, which be-
ing stuffed with Bank of England notes, he
ostentatiously spread open, selected ready
drawn, stamped receipt for fifty pounds from
a number of others, placed it upon the table
drew forth his watch, and said he would
just wait half an hour for the money; if it
were } not then forthcoming, he should
leave, and on the morrow an execution for
the amount and costs would be, put in
Furious, maddened with rage and disap-
pointment, Gibson leapt at his landlord, and
inflicted a severe blow upon his face, at the
same time bowling forth threats of direst
vengeance. ,,aal a-,e.f ....,..t.....f
+ The misguided man was forcibly separa-
ted from Blagden by his daughter and James
Somers The landlord Catherine after
wards told me) remained quite cool ); and
but for the culver of his ashen lips, the
calm, deadly ferocity, which cleaned in his
grey eyes, any one might have believed
that the furious assault was trifling mat
ter, of no Importance whatever. o1af f,..s
There was then slight lull after the
storm, and Catherine, taking advantage Of
it, said? 81 will go and ask Mr.. Finch to
advance my father forty pounds upon the
piece of carrots he has bought. They will be
digged next week. We have quite ten
pounds in the house, and shall then, be able
to pay the rent in flill' l''Ii" ~ ii.i3 ,sl4-
''You have just twenty minutes, Miss
Gibson, said the imperturbahle lawyer
'Just twenty minutes-not . one, more or
less. The cowardly assault committed up
on me-" he added, with flash of hell-fre
at his tenant, "a court of law shall pro-
nounce upon Mr. Somers, see the horse
is put into the trap"
Somers said that should be done, and
left the room to do it. Miss Gibson left at
the same time She was gone but quar-
ter of an hour, Mr. Finch was out, and
Mrs Finch said he never paid money till he
was in possession Of the goods purchased. =
Mr. Blagleu took no. apparent, notice of
what Catherine Gibson said, waited till the
half hour was exactly expired, took up mis-
watch, wrapped his long fur collar about
him, and left,
Soon after it was light the next morning,
two sailors on their way to join vessel IN
the harhor Of Poole came upon the dead
body of Mr.. Blagden, lying across the mar
row but high road. A little distance off
was the horse and gig; the animal, one Of
his forelegs broken, was suffering great tor
ture; and both shafts Of the gig were bro
- a,,I ~
fore long number of people came up, by
whom it was at first supposed that MIR. Blag-
den had met his death by accident. The
horse. high spirited animal, had perhaps
bolted, and the gig coming in contact with
one of the trees. which dotted each side Of
the road, had been turned over with great
violence, and Mr., Blagden, hurled upon the
hard road, had probably been killed instau-
A very cursory examination
sufficed to show the fallacy of that surmise.
There was deep wound In the back Of the
dead mans neck, apparently delivered by
sharp axe, which had cut through the stand
up fur collar of. the cloak he wore. No
question that he had been struck from be
hind, Robbery had deem added to murder
the deceased gentlemans pocket book, purse
aud gold watch were gone. There was an
other wound in the crown scalp, sufficient
in Itself to cause death, and which must
have been inflicted when the head was bare
as there was not the slightest cut visible in
the texture of the hat, which was found
some yards off. The murdered mans
clenched hands were filled with the gravel
Of the road, grasped no doubt in his agony,
and rgestiye that he must have been either
ior, Ipon the ground or kneeing when
The ,ortal blow was dealt. But how had
he gig been stopped-the horse flung down
and reduced to so pitiable a state A ques-
ion not very readily answered. Two or
;hree days subsequently clothes line, al
most new, one end of which had been re-
,ently cut, was found by a woman, buried
Under the hedge of a cottage, situate be-
tween the spot where the murder was com
nitted and Stape Hill Farm. One of the
hens, in scratching under the
hedge, had brought it to the surface. The
circumstance was spoken OF, but no inpor-
,ance was attached to it. The murdered
nan had not been strangled. The buried cord
could not therefore have been the instrument
Or one of tue iustrum ants, of death Still
t was odd that the full half Of a long, new
CLONES line SHOULD have DoSi Dui-
ed near the scene of the awful crime!
No sooner was the murder, and the Cit
:umstances connected with it, known at
Poole, than every finger pointed to Joseph
Gibson, the tenant Of the Stape Hill Farm
as the murderer. His savage threat at the
Roebuck was remembered; and it was
known to several persons that his sole
chance admitted to be so by himself, was
that Blagden should let the years rent then
due stand over till the following Michael
mas One person, OF the name OF Frost,
who had done some smiths work for Gibson
having told him be was trusting to abroken
reed in relying upon lawyer Blagden,s gen
erosity received for reply that .'Bagden
would be very unwise to provoke HIM too
faripd This expression was held to indicate
A settled determination in Gibsons mind to
Kill his landlord, should the required favor
be refused. A skilled detective would have
drawn an Inference just the reverse IF that. |
No man, unless he be deIirious with drink
or rage, hints of his intention, under Ger
tain contingencies, to commit murder l
Joseph Gibson unprovided with profess
sionaI aid, was taken before the coroner's in
quest, and the cumulative evidence brought
against him was certainly staggering, The
scene at Stape Hill already glven,-the as
sault by Gibson upon the attorney, and his
ferocious menaces, -Blaglen's threat to dis
train early in the noxt day,--the vain at
tempt by Catherine Gibson to borrow money
Of Mr. Finch to make up the rcnt-were
capped by the discovery in Gibsons bureau
in his bed room, Stape Hill, by the Poole po-
lice, of the genuine stamped receipt for the
money, which Blagden had placed taunting-
ly upon the table, and taken away with
him. Unceremonious verdict of wilfuI MUIR
der was rendered against Joseph Gibson,
who was forthwith committed on the coro7
,,or.s,, ,,,a Mt to Ilnrch ester iail raatne