Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1865-01-06

| thought was dirb changed to o bright red
before being washed OF altogether. Terri
| fled at wha, saw. and knowing that l had
no right to he where was, tried to draw
back farther into The darkness, and in doing
| this saadc slight noise, which caused him
10 look up. He saw me directly, aud the
surprise secuted TO deprive him Of his fscul
ties for an instant; hut this was only mo.
ncntary; for before ! could offer an eypla
nation, he caught UP hatchet, used in
chopping wood and began climbing toward
me with such savage expression IN his face
that knew he meant to murder me.
| II shouted for Esther, knowing that
could expec, help from no other person, there
being no cottage near, and she rushed in and
caught her father by the arm. He tried all
he could to shake her Off by means OF blows
and force, but she held SO tightly, that, if
she had caught his right arm instead of his
left, should have had time TO come to her
assistance; as it was could not approach
| Ia without the certainty of being cut down.
tthought her prayers had some effect upon
him.. and tried 10 increase this by promis
ing not to say wo,d Of what had seen.
He considered for n minute, and then threw
the Ratchet into corner and told he to come
|
meant to let me go, but the moment | put
my foot on the ground he struck me several
blows on the face, and then dragged me into
| his daughters bedroom and locked me in,
and lcit ne there about half an hour. -.
hen he came to fetch Inc out, he had
his hat on and his white smock frock. lie
told me TO come with him. My face was all
! bloody, and being in the dark ali this ti,nc
it had ran down on the front Of my clothes
without my knowing it. thought he was
going to take me TO my father, and being
afraid 1t wonld fr;ghtcn my mother and sis
ter, begged him az least to let me wash MY
face and hands. which he refused, with many
osths and taking hold of nc by the arm,
nc made me 80 with him across the fields to
| the London road. After walking along this
road in the direction Of Gloucester for four
or five hundred yards, we came 10 part Of
| il which bad on one side narrow strip Of
land, on which few trees grow aud little
underwood.
"Levcrscdge walked IN here, still holding
me by he'arun, and searched about FOR few
inmates. was mortified to fnd that what
| he was locking for was dead body. The
dress showed that il was The body Of q la
boring man, apparently wagener, for there
was long whip lying near him such as they
use. could SEQ the white face and half
closed eyes, Which reflected the moonlight,
but could not recognize il, though felt
sure had seen il before. Leaving the body
| whore 1t lay, Leversedge went on with me in
the direction OF Gloucester, and now began
to form an idea Of what he intended 10 do
with me. just after we got into tho city we
came up wih.a carriers wagon. The horses
were standing still and q crowd had gathered
round it. and heard the people wond,r what
/ had become OF the driver. Lcversedge push.
cd me into the midst OF them AID said:
/ ION will never see the drive, any more,
but here is his murderer."
"The people shrunk away from US, but !
was recognized directly. protested as car.
neStly as could that | was innocent, and
charged my acenser with having committed
The n,urdcr himself; bat he in a jcering way
called the attention Of those present 10 the
appearance Of my clothes, and contrasted
| them with his own, so that no ont seemed to
believe what said, and Que Of them fetched
the constable, who locked me up. was
taken before the justices, and they commit.
ted mc to prison 10 take my trial at the as
SIZES for the murder Of tho WAGNER"
Before going to see the prisoner in the
morning, called on his father, and was sur.
priscd to find thtt he had refused the services
Of any local attorney to prepare the evidence
for the defense, thinking il would ouly he
necessary to give ME his sons statement 10
enable me to plead his cause successfully.
next visited the prison to hear what his son
had to say. He was quiet, good looking
fellow, with an appearance calculated to make
a favorable impression on jury. lie per,
sisted in asserting that every word he had
written was true, and as be had nothing to
add, lost very littlc time in conversing with
hm.
On reading the dopostions. I found that
omlting Important details, i.cyersedge's eyi
donce amounted to this That he had beer
drinking at the public house with friend
and the landlord till about half past 10 o
clock, when hls friend bid him good nighv
aud went away, leaving him taking to III,
landlord at the door that he himself left q
few minutes aiterward, and had go: within q
quarter OF mile OF the turnpike gate
through which he had TO pass to get to his
cottage, G'hen he heard a cry for help. There
was road wagon at some distance before
him, and he thought some accident had hap
pencd to the driver and ran along till he
overlook it, when he found there was no dri
yer with the wagon. He had seen nothing
in the road; but he directly turned round
and went back to look more carefully, first
stopping The horses. On reaching place
by the roadside, called Turnpike Folly, he
SAW man run out Of the Folly; among tn,
trees he saw the dead body of the driver o.
the road wagon, and he ran after The mar
and caught him, and this man was Henry
Dowding.
/ Such was the substance of his deposition
which was supported by the evidence of th,
landlord Of the public house, and The mar
who had been drinking with them. Without
this coniirmatory testimony, the bad charac
ter Of Lcyersedge would have prevented his
statement from being accepted with conf
dcHce by the jury but when to this wa.
added the evidence Of the witnesses, wht
spoke to the state of iliQir clothes at the linu
when he brought Dowdng into Gloucester
It became pretty certain ti.at there could u,
only one termination 60 the trial. and that
i Dowdng, whether guilty or innocent, would
/ be condemned the .jg&Hg d
4 was myself dispos,d to, accept the pris
oner's statement, in spite Of lis improbable
ties, but 1t was clear that the only chance oi
/ gdting jury to do so Was by producing
Esther LeVersedge IN court, and her giving
evidence in support Of it, turned over tbt
Idepositons again and again, but could mol
find hers among them and on n9urine
about the omissions, learned that her at
flcndance at the examination before the ius
tces had not been enforced, and consequent.
kly, she had not given evidence at all.
| sent for the constable into whose custo
dy Dowding had been given, and, according
to him, nobody who had seen the two ner
OH the night Of the mur,itr bad any doubt oI
the prisoners guilt. lie owed money to
nearly every body in the town, and be knew
as well as everybody else, that tlic carrie,
was 10 the habit Of bringing money from
! London to psople in Gloucester it was
therefore natural that be shonld try TO get /,
By robbery and yolsnce.
directed this official to provide for the
attendance Of Esther Levefsetige at the trial
/ promising him reasonable remuneration for
his tronale and expenses The trial was no,
likely to come off before the afternoon Of the
! Succppdino fny but thu duratiau ,.r ft..,