, 1866-04-03

). learned that this woman's name was III
!, Harrictt Bclden, her maiden name RamsdeI
r That she was one Of three children, born
t the came time. That Mrs. Eliza Adams u,
/ gitimate child. They also learned that 81
}. had married. on the 18th day Of Scptcmbt
= last, Hiram L. Bclden, who was q nephew I
: this Durfce, and was about twenty years I
e aye, while she was twenty-five years old, an
n 9ad this boy They werc married on Mol
day, and that nlEht Bclden was taken vi
lently II, at he house Of 9lr. Kenney, h
step-jather.. He was attended in his Il
ness, principally, by this Durfee, and b
wife would come In occasionally and sec hin
He died on the Monday following. A doctt
was not called until day or so before b
died. There were grave suspicious that til
man had been poisoned. The officers al.
!, learned that Eelden had some property,
. team md harness; that this Du1iee had di
: posed Of 1t at the request, as he stated Their
| OF Belden's widow. They also learned ths
this woman was not q respectable persol
4 J They further learned that on or about the l6,
. of 0ciosseer Durfee and this airs. .D1.!aen ha
started West. The 6ssaacceEs traced them |
|, Beaver, but arrived there too Late Durtee, 1
! they afterwards learned, was IN Pittsburgh
$ thai time. pusfee was finally traced to Bun
, ing Springs, West Virginia, where be was a
/ | rested on the 18th Of March, md brouel
! back TO Grand Rapids. On the 9th Of Marc
he waived examination, and was taken hefo1
the Circuit Court which was then In sessio1
An Information for murder had been fled. e
was arraigned. After the information va
read, to the usual question Of the clerk OF th
court, "How do Jon plead to this lnEorma
ton, guilty, M or not guilty. he said that h
Dnrfee had made to Prosecuting Attorne,
Ball, fnll statement Of his guilt and Of th'
circumstances surrounding 1t, and bis move
ments both before aud after the commission
Of the offence; and, on request, spent somf
three days In writing It out. He has written
some thiEty:iour pages on fine ruled paper, a
good deal Of which Is known to the officers to
have but very little truth In It.
Yesterday, the 2Sth, large and excited
crowd gathered about the Court House, aud
were there In waiting some two or three hours
before disappointed time for his examination.
The Court opened at three O'Clock, p- IN.
Durtee Was brought In. Prosecuting Attor-
reading the information, the law, aud then,
at the request Of Durfee and by the consent
Of James Miller, Esq, his counsel, who had
! been appointed by the Court, read his con-
fession, which was Substantially as fellows
was discharged from the United sta.es
9nd went to my brother's, Henry Durtee.
Beaver, Pennsylvania. August Goth, was
introduced to girl by. the name Of Harriet
Ramsdcl. She was not handsome, but ap-
penIed to be very socfable. She had q nice
net @ he9 day. R2h5hs @ SUI
made the acquaintance OF my nephew, Hiram
L. Bc1den. August 9Th, my sister went to
Mr.. Adams, Miss Ramsdelps brother-in-law,
md got Miss Eamsdell to come and work for
one week. My lister was afraid that Hiram
Bellen, her son, would marry Miss Ramsdell,
and They I'D not agree very we'll, and Hiram
took her home.
On the 18th Of September, Esquire Relknap
married Hmm L. Belden to Miss Harriet
Ramsdell. Isaw Belden that morning. Did
not sea him again until the a1st- T went to
Mr.. Knney's, bis step-father, and found him
(Beldcn) very sick. On the ed doctor was
first called. Mrs. Belden came iu to sec him.
but did NOT seem disposed to help him much.
I remained with him all day, md aud Ms,
Belden sat up with him that night At !
o'clock p: m.,, on the 25th, Belden byeathed
his last. I went and bought his coffin, aud
had all the preparations made for burytns
him. laid him out all alone. We buried
him. Afterwards, Mrs. Belden wanted me
10 sell her late husbands horses and har-
81 saw Mrs. Beldcu, and told her that Ihad
sold her horses and harness. told her that
I WINS going ont to Missouri, and perhaps to
Nebraska: She sail she was going to see her
aunt IL Minnesota, and that she would like to
60 w1th H. ne to Cleveland; told hes she
went to Conneaut, Ohio, to meet me there
and be ready to start on the 10th. Ny
brother, Henry B. Dnriee, took me down to
Couneaut on the 18th.
On The 10th Of October, 1855, Hrs. Belden,
her little boy, Johnny, and myself, left Con-
night, and stopped at the Weddel House as
man and wife. was quite tmwell that night.
thought she had drusgcd nc by putting
something In SOME cakes ate, that she had
at Conneaut before we started.
IN the morning Of the 18th, went over to
the New ENGLAND House about 10 O'Clock, and
finding that my friends were gone, went back
to the Weddel House. Mrs. Be1den asked nc
If would not marry her. told her never
would. then took receipt out Of my pock-
et,and asked her to sign It. She did 30 with a
pencil, but there were two persons by when
she signed It. then paid her slso, being the
sale Of her property. Then sue told ne TINT
she would like to have me cone TO Grand
Rapids with her; that II l wanted to see my
eIster, and would come with her, she would |
pay my fare, and that could leave her any
time saw fti that if I LEFT her then, she |
would return to Beaver and swear that /
agreed to marry her, and prove that staid |
agreed to come with her; We came to De-
trolt on the 17th; stayed over night at the |
franklin House. On the 18th we came to |
Grand Rapids and stopped ut the Bronson
House, md passed as nun md wife. The |
next day, the 18th, | took her to the Bridge |
Street House, and tried to have her agree 70
board there, and would go up into the co1n- |
try to work. She would not consent to stay |
there any longer than the Tuesday following, |
which Sas the e4th Of October. On the 10Th |
! left her at the Bridge Street House, and
went to Grattan Centre, in this county, to see
my sister, Mrs. Stanton. remained there |
until the morning Of the ed, when told |
them was going to Courtland to see some !
friends. Istarted that morning for Conrtlaad |
Centre. On my way there 1chauged my mind |
about visiting any friends, and made mp my
cost me my 1ife.' ate dinner at Saunders'
Hotel. then started, and went aud looked
around the lake, near Hafnes' place, and found
the location where afterwards killed her. I |
returned to Grand Rapids that night.
The next morning. Tuesday. the eth of
bought pint Of ginger wine, took It to our
room, drank some Of 1t, md handed 1t to
her; she drank some Of it and set 1t down.
l then went out and engaged livery team
at the stable Of Jed. Rathbone, to 20 INTO |
the edge Of Courtland, about seycu miles
from Cannousburg. BroTe the team over
to the hotel; went up into our room; after
l entered, she took The bottle Of wine, and
shaking 1t, offered It to me, and says, this
finishes the wine. l told her 70 drink drst;
4 l
ilriuk first she would drink the rest. /
was afraid to drink It. I had some
thoughts that It might be drugged we aid
rot drink the wine. I then asked her II she
would like, to ride up to PlaIn1eld. She
The intended TO do She said that she intend
ID to live with me. I told her could not !
I've with her long. She said If left her she
Fonld go back home and tell that had mar
led her: 1made Up my mind to try to hire
,er to stay about the Rapids, and let 40 one
NOW = That had been With her, and that, If
1othing about me having been with her, and
hat Il she would not consent to do either,
hen, that would do the best I could. We
'tarted from the Bridge Street House with the
,hild and team about O'Clock p. NJ
On the way to Plaindeld made her two or
:hree offers, one was to give her two hundred
1ol1ars It she would let me of, and not hint
% any one that had been with her. 70
hat she would not consent. then offered
% pay for her and her ehild's board six
3onths, at which she laughed. I then told
,er that she might take worse than that.
She seemed to think dare not leave her,
nd 1nd that might marry her after q while:
made mp that there was only one way for me
o do. drove up to the tavern, stopped In, !
warmed myself, drank glass Of gin, gave
me to her, and then went to store and tried !
o bny rope, with which Intended to choKo !
where did XIII her, but / could not find one,
then drove on to Laphamviue, stopped at
he hotel, had my team put n,p, believe It
ras at Stnson's, had supper. then vent to
store where Pickett used to keep and bought
sord. then called ior my team, paid my hfll,
Ind with Mrs. Beldtn and little boy ne start
,d. Il was about I O'Clock p. m.
About onc mile south Of Laphamgille I nm l