, 1865-02-25
EXECUTION DE- THE MUIR
DEKEx BUc4S41Mh
A R<feE History or tho Murder and E1s
eculfons

DEkE& B1CCOMN
A Hrfef History orthe Murder and Ex.
| ecnaton.
EFtom the attumw. conrier.l -..:
| FIRST APPEARANCE OF TIE PAArf m or
Tu1fwA.
On Tuesday, March eth, 1860, party con.
Sitting Of three persons, two men and Wo-
man, arrived in this city and put up o. the
Jefferson House, then Kept by John Potter.
| They came In n common tWo-horse wagon,
with IN extra horse tied on the back OF 1t.
The team was put up at ar; BloagetTs ,li HyeEy
;tEe Jefferson House, they attracted tho atten-
'tton of Mr. Potter's family, as the converse.
|tion Between tha party Tas ANYTHING but
friendly towards the young girl: While here
the men did not express themselves very free
;ly in regard to their destination or designs
but did on several occasions say that they
thought they would locate somewhere near
here rs farmers, without, however, coming to
any definite conclusion They remained here
TIL Wednesday about two o'c1ock. When the
The same evening: Here, also tho Suspicion
of the landlord was aroused By the converse
,tion heard in their room. The girl was heard
to say that she wished to returhIEo her moth
er from whom she had been stolen. We
might here say, however, that before they
1eft the city the men called at Dr.. Taylor's
drug store and requested him to send for the
Rockford, Illinois, Daily Kews from March
l9th, for two weeks, and copies of the Roek-
ford Register, to be Forwarded to Eddvyii1e.
::FheJ hesttated to give their names. but final
" gave the name Of William Moore. They
lett Eddyville On Thursday morning, crossing
the bridge Southward. Before leaving they
said they were going few miles in the coun.
ny to look at farm. About II o'clock that
nnTnfntF he ~ %fsn-
r. tad, heading towards the city.
/ Nothing more was seen or heard OF them
until about II O'Clock the SANG night, when
Mr. John Prossor, the proprietor Of the ferry,
Mr. Barnes and two Others we're going home
from town; they had crossed tic river and
had gone some twenty rods-or about half
way to Mt. Pressor's house, when wagon
drawn BY two horses, and one horse follow
ing, and two men aboard, passed rapidly
quito near the party, driving towards the
ferry; Prossor sent his son to the boat to
cross them oFer if they desired. The boy
went, but9'hey had already driven into the
river, and san the two men STOPPING over the
If they were throwing something IL the
stream. 1t being quite dark he could not see
distinctly what the men were doing. The
team drove on In few minutes, and the boy
vent home About m hour afterwards
wagon Was heard passing Proasor's house,
and as they could not be found next morning,
it rus supposed they had recrossed.
TIE MURDERED GIRL FOUND.
On Friday morning, March 30th, the body
of the woman was found below the lower
ford. When found 1t was nearly covered with
wafer, and to some extent By sand. It was
thrown In the channel Of the river, and COM
ing in contact with root it lodged there.
4E Aumack1 the milk:man, first. discovered
the body. &c, with Mr. Prossor and others,
placed it in akiH and brought it to this side
!. Of the river, where 1t remained until the ar
rival Of the coroner. 1t wak conveyed to q
building in town, when jury WAS impan-
neled and an Inquest held. A large number
Of witnesses we're subpnncd and testified.
The boly WAS subjected to a post ,,sortezn e1-
animation, which proved that che had not
Ct mmitted suicide. There were wounds on
the head which were both severe and fatal;
one eye Was black and blue and much swollen,
and on The thtoat were marks of fingers deep
II indentcd, enough to choke person 10
death. Tho jury, after hearing all the testi,
mony, &C., returned q verdict that the de.
ceased came to her death By blows inflicted
upon the head, BY person or persons to them
unknown. As soon as possible, officers and
men we're sent out II every direction to &C.
cure the perpetrators Of this brutal murder.
Up to this time, re believe, no names could
be found Of the gill or the murderer, although
she was identified as the same person WHO
had been at the Jefferson House few days
befo5e.
A week passed By, and large rewards we're
offered for their arrest, and ret no t!dtngs Of
the murderers, only that thoy had been Traced
horses and harness, which>were identified as
the same the party Of three brought to this
city. Alter thnt all efforts skFefe IN vain.
Meanwhile letters were written to Rockford,
ILL.,, and, in answer to the whole matter, the
names and character of the men were given.
Il appeared that all were from Rockford. and
their names were George Laurence, Benjamin.
A. NcComb, and Laura J. Harvey. Miss
Harvey had been receiving the attentions OF
lawrence for some time, against the wishes
Of her parents, and 1t seems that some ten
days before they left for Iowa, thcy had gone
to Beloit, Wis, and there clandestinely mar.
ned, as she showed her mother the marriage
she and Lawrence started of In the cara for
Comb, With txo % Of Lawrcnee's % torses' s md and
one Of his Own, started after them. It Geema
to hnye been concerted movement between
Lawrence aud McComb. Lawrence had some
stole before he left. Nothing more was heard
from them until the body Of the girl wass
found DEAD.
The general impree.s-,,., 1-as- At The time.
that Lawrence and McComb we're both equal
II guilty Of the murder, but AS it afterwards
proved, Lawrence met The same fate as the
TIE BoDY OF GEORGE LAwRKycR FoUSDa4
On the 28th of July, 1sC0, Just four months
after the murder Of Laura J: HsrTy, the body
OF man Was found in rnT,.ne heading Cop
peEas Greek, about four mics from ills city,
eastward The coroner empanne1ed jury,
and soon the mystcry:was solved The aesh
WIS nearly gone, but the skeleton with the
exception OF one leg, was there. Tue clothes,
including coat, vest, pants, gaiter boot on
one lee and ailk craTat around The neck, were
In pretty good preservation, 20 that they
were readily recognized BY the witnesses as
nesees testified to peculiar seams in bis pan to,
to the buttons on his coat, Ind other articles,
So. that there conla possibly be no doubt OF
the identity Of the man. After hearing ali
the testimony, the jury returned q verdict
that the deceased was George Lawrence, and
st1ument BY some pelson or persons un-
known.
So it is, that ths mystery Of crime is unrav-
e1ed, link By link, until the chain reaches to
the criminal, and brings him, sooner or later,
to justice. Therewas no doubt that hcComb
WAS the real murderer Of both the victims. |
But where WAS he?
HIS ARREST.
On, the "a of March, 1864, three officers Of !
AEIe6LeQ a. 6nEflk so1oon man
supposed to be McComb. He was brought |
here On the 4th Of the sang month. His a1-
rest. as neQTaas We Gin leain, was about a. |
follows: A young soldier stationed at Camp
and who Knew this man McCdmb |
previous to his committing the murder, hap-
pened to meet him. and recognized him Tic |
soldier. being cogn'zant Of the murder, and
the fact that McComb and the girl left Rock,
ford together, immediately Informed the |
proper officers Of the fact, who started at !
Dncc to find the individual. lie WIS found at
The saloon, Just as he had concluded trade
with man for horse, for which he paid
fls0. When arrested, he quickly asked |
, what for ?' but made no resistance.
When brought to this place, he appeared +
cheerful, and couversed- freely with visitors.
ae admitted that he was the McComb they
were after-that he once lived near Rockford,
but said his neme wns Lansing B. McComb,
instead Of BENZ. A. McComb.
HIS TRIAL.
On Tuesday, June 7th, 1861, the trial Of B.
a. McComb commenced before the District
Court, then In session. When the caae WAS
called he appeared by his counsel, and filed
biz plea Of " not guilty." Two. applications
we're made for a continuance, one Of which
Eas oVer1uled, and the other grantee, but the
continuance was avoided On the part Of the
State by admitting that he could; prove the
allegations set out in his affidavit. About one
hundred persons were summoned. before a
ury could be formed. . +