The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-03-04
The In Sale Rape Case.
At eleven o'clock, Wednesday night, was
ncluded one Of the most important cases

co,,rt II was case well c.tlcuia;c 20 ca
out the deepest s:mp.t,'ies 1f man', natur
in behalf o. innocence and Virtue, which la'
been so ru,h!cssly troJid-a under :,1a. Am
(, to arouse mis- iierccst i,di-r a:H.sa ag,.nst tn
I perpetrators 81 su,rares SO inhum7n, 80 blacl
+. and cowgrdly, that ti.c ecnds o. darkness
might well stand back amazed aad abashed
The annals .. ceile in the West vii! scarcei
, produce s,rthcr case So flightIi.l :. dot"I
' sc :; kcuing il, horrors. Fs"m heginning t
r end not ,,-e cxleIu.ting circumstance aF
pears. Rcmorselcss blood-thlrstincss ant
: beastly cruelty beating down and strldln'
! over with brutal strength and iron heel, a!
that is good and lovely on earth. The law
e of Justice temporarily suspended, ard devil
, revelinc in the arms of angels. The cries o
innocence from out that Slough Of Despond
heard only to be hurled back with laughte
and derision. or stifcd with clenched hands
or stiIled at the dagger's point. Bat, though
sometimes tardy, and though men ottime!
grow weary in waiting, and are found muir
mcring and rcpining, Justice ~iI come.
A brief resume of the prominent facts II
the case. as appeared from the TESTIMONY,
were these: On the night of the 9th of Sept
last. two couples came TO La Sale on the
train from Mendoza, and stopped at the Har,
DIV House The gentlemen were Mr.. Smith
and Mr. Colman. soldiers of the 10Th Illinois,
who had served three wears, and had recently
returned to their homes in Bureau county.
The ladies were daughters of respectable AID
well-todo farmers living at Dover, in Bureau
: county, aud acre engaged TO be married to
the companions-Miss Fanny l.. Storme to
Mr.. Smith. and Miss Elvira Sieger TO Mr..
Gilman. The licenses for these nuptials had
Already been procured. On Saturday the
party spent the iav in visiting their relatives
and in riding out Sunday afternoon they
started out on the Central Railroad track. in
tending TO visit their grandparents living IN
that direction. Arriving at the usual place
for turning of, they concluded it was too late
/ to make II visit that evening, i being then
! about SIX o'clock. and so turned to retrace
their steps 1t short distance on their re-
! turn they met two persons. in advance OF a
number of others. who Lad apparently been
/ following them. They passed Mr.. Smith and
I Miss Stormc. and on meeting Mr. co!man
and Miss Siege. one Of them laid his hand
on Mss Siegers arm and asked them II they
ddn'; wan; more company. Mr.. Colman
said they did not. and attempted to pass on.
when the rusans placed themselves in their
path, barring further progress and using in
deccn; and ungent.emanly language. Mr..
Coleman knocked one Of them down. when
he vas attacked simultaneously by several
others. with fists. stones. and knires, until he
was left on the ground senseless. \ similar
scene YVES enacted with Mr.. Smith and Miss
Storme. The gentlemen being thus rendered
powcrlcSs, were robbed of their money and
watches, and left on the ground for dead;
while the ladies were dragged down the hill,
eacl between ,.vo of the :-itH,..eas- pushed over
the fence. forced across the stream. and INTO
:. Will. disina! aud u'.ircqr pr o! the
rayinc. Here thev were ribbed Of their
watches, pencils and ring, Al the time ling
threatened with death Il ;hoy gave tie alarm,
bowie knives blanG:ahei IN their :. ces, the
ruG."ns declaring they void ''cut their ID
windpip,- if they res!-ted HEY were
then throw. 'pon The ground :nc;r u@ier
clothing ripped open with b.w:c-knivcs. and
were subjected .,er ami o'.: again I, the
most jiabci:cs.! ;rr:.rr.-., LAT women pussi-
BIZ can be. or. iit"i, ca-sc:'r. Urt. the tell
ish desires Of liz scoandrri- yrrc sat..,ed.
Then :hr7 left 'hr:n: aud ...g POOR, L,.r,-
broken -'r'. ..an,:rrc.! i,.nJad until fortune I
which :or Inc brief ,i.,,gh agonIliu- and .
hear, reading while hal ,,-e-.ed them. l.rcc- 7
tel their weary footsteps 10 the cottage Of
their kind old grandmother. SAFE. once
more. Yes, safe from the cruel hands and
tcrtures Of tie worse than sayages. vet des-
poiIed of all that makes life worth having
And falling on their grand mother floor, :
they mingled their tears together, and sohbcd .
a. only those can who have endured TX trials.
The gentlemen, on returning 10 conscious
ness. FASTENED into the town for assistance,
which, after considerable difficulty, was pro-
cured and then they started in pursuit. But
The deed had been done, aid the worse than
rnur,ierers for the time escaped. They then
wen, to grandmother Parkhurst'5, where the
ladies were found as we have related.
The most diligent search for the guilty par
ties was 1T once commenced: but all efforts
were incffcctu al, and he detective police be
came convinced they had fed. From the de-
scription given By the victims. as well Us the
gentlemen and others, they were satisfied as
to who they were, but whittier they had fed
c1a!d not be asccrtaincd The report was
then diligently circulated that no prosecution
would be made in hopes 10 thus induce the
villains to return. The rlsc was successful.
Two of them did return, and, though closely
and vigiantly watched. were not arrested for
some time, that the others might also be in
ducca to CON. back.
Finally, it bciLg considered unsafe longer
to wait. on the 3lst of January tLcy were
Justices Unaerhill aud Duncan. and. in de-
fault OF 5000 bail. each. JosErH O'NEAL
and Jouy NrRrxEY were committed TO the
county Jail.
The case came NJ for t.i.l Thursday. the
ID. h" prosecution was sustained by tou-
principal witnesses a. to the IDENTITY of the
accused. - well IS the curU oratiye testimony
o. -cveral others, and :, number OF important
circumstances bearing fJrcibly OH the case.
One witness testified 10 having seen the &C
cuscd near the spot whore tie ASA ut was
made, i, about the hour when the principal