St. Mary's gazette. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1863-1867, 1866-08-16
cIRcUNsTANTIAL EVIDENCE.

he DOfe IehpectaDic CnaEbckcF. Mfs
} Hayes. = gentleihan Of fortaae, being On
his weyio Oxford on visit to q relation.
put up at Bradford's, He there joined
company with two gentlemen with whom
he ssppcd, and in conversation anguardcd-
ly mentioned that he had then about him
i a considerable sam Of money. In due time
they retired to-their respective chambers !;
the gcntlonien 10 two4bcdded Rooms. lsas-
Z ing .sak Il usfpsAlp "a nth many. asnendla
fburninRAh tlie chimney Ncorner. Some
hours after they we're ID bed, one Of the
I gentlemen being awake. thought he hoard
i 4 deep eroan in an. adjoining chamber |;
and this being repeated, he softly awcke
his. friend. TLey listened together. and
tho groans Increasing 10 u one dying and 10
pain, they bo b Instantly arose and pro-
ceeded silently 10 the .dtlorf Of the merit
chamber, from which the gfoans bad secna-
Cd to come The door being ejaF they
saw a hght'iu the ROOM 1'hoy entered.
but Il ia impossible 10 paint their conAtcr-
nation on perccising q person WelleriEg 10
his blood 10 the bed, and man standing
over him, siai n dark lsalsan ia one hand
and knife in the other. The man seen-
ed as much pctriacd as themselves, but bis
terror carried with !. all the appearance Of
guilt. ~ oi
The gentlemen soon discovered that the
murdered person was the stranger with
whom they had that night soppOd, and
that the man who was standing over him
was their host They seized Bradford d.
4 rertly, disarmcd him Of his knife. and
charged him with being the murderer. -
lie assumed. by this time. the air Of in.
uoccnce, positively denied the crime, and
asserted that be game there with the same
humane intentions rs themselves that,
hearing uoise. which was sucecedsl by .
grooming. he got Out ofbcd. struck light;
armed himself with knife for bis dsss0ee.
and had but that minute entered the room
before them. These sssertions we're Of
iiulc avail be- wus kept ia close custody
LTD moruiag, aud thea taken before i
neigbborins jusiiec Of the peace. Brad
ford still denied the murder. but with
such apparent Indications 81 guilt shas the
Justice hogitated not 10 make use Of this
extraordinary expression on writing bis
niit,iinus, Dir, bradford, either y0a or
| myself committed this murder
This remarkable atFaif became . topic Of
conversation 30 The whes country. Rad
ford vas coldemucd By thc general voice
cf every company III the midst u this
predelsrmiBAsion, came % the aasiaen al
oxford Bradford Was brought TO trial /;
be plead not gsgily, Nothing could be
stronger than tbs evidence Of The two gen
liemen They testified 10 fh1iag asF.
Hayes murdered Ia bic bed. Bradford At
the side Of the boIy with a light and knife.
and that knife in tho baud which held IL,
bloody. They stated that. but few min
uies preceding, they had heard grOans
| Of the deceased.
BraJfords defence on bic trial was the
same a. before b. lad heard noise be
inspected that soine villainy was Transact
ing he struck light. suatehed up his
kuife. the only weapon on hand, 10 defend
himself. and entered the room Of the dc.
eoassd. He ayrrred that the terrors he
betrayed were merely tue feelings natural
to innocence, a. well as guilt. on sceiug 10
hor ii seeue. The defvnse, however,
could not but be considered ~ weak, con.
Etrsstcd with the several ppwerful circum-
stances against him. Never was eiFcan-
stantial evidence 90 coucusvey no room
appeared for exteuuation and fha prison-
or Was declared Lpity by the Jury without
their even leaving the boz Bradford was
exccutel shortly after still declaring that
he was not the murderer. nor pfivy 70 the
murder Of Mr. Hayes bn. died disbe.
4 lieye1s by ALL r ~ a.
Yet were these assertions Dot untrue
The murder was actually committed By the
! lootinan or Mr. Hayes and the assassiug.
Immediately on stabbing bis master. riHad
his pockets Of his money, gold watch, and
snuff box. and then escaped1o his room.
This could scarcely have been affected. as
after circumstance showed, more than two.
sccoFds before Bradford entered the unfor-
tHnate gentlemaB's chamber. The world
owes this information 70 remorse OF COM
science on the part Of the footman (eigh-
teen months after the execution Of Brad
ford) when laid on bed Of sickness. Il,
was death-bed repentance, and by that
death tho law lost i.s victim. ,
It were to be wished that this account
could close here but there il more 10 DO
told. Bradford. though innocent Of the
murder, and not even . privy TO 1t, WAS
neTertheiegs a. murderer in design. He
had heard, as well as the footman, what
Mr.. Hayes had declared atlsnpper. ~ 10
his having sun Of money Aboat him and
he went to the chamber Of the deceased
with the game dreadful Intentions as the
servant. He was struck with amaxcmeht
on bCholdipg hiluself anticipated in the
crime. Ho could not believe bis senses |;
and in turning back the bed-clothes to as.
sure himself Of the fact, he. in bis agita-
ton. dropped his kuife on the bleeding
boly. by which means both bis hands and
the wsspcn beeaMs bloody Thtss cir