Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-12-25
stFrCm The Marietta eOhioy Times 10th y 80
AmSfhep C0nxieGiOh, In Ohio-T-A
Cnnlfnl -PamIahment Case.ueI

The trial of Hanson Bumgardner, charged
with die murderot dohn Thomas Eubmrks
has been the engrossiRg topic of CONVERSE
tioi during tbe.past week. Bumgardner
was arrested inCSeptemper .lasey he was
brought 70 Marietta, and otter preilmlT,
nary exarnination, was bound over for trial.
An indictment was found against him by
the Grand Jury at the October term'Of our
Circuit Court, and the prisoner was arrais n
ed Tor trial at the special term, which Is
noNf being held Tne following gentle-
men. well KNOWN aud respected eitzens of
washington county, composed thu jury be-
fore Which the prisoner was tried: David
II. Merrill. Hiram Caro-, Augustine Dyar,
James Ward.i Wm. Cole. George W. St.
John, G. n. Stacy, John Henry. C.D. forI,
Augustus s. Curtis, X. ID. Hollister, >. +.
o'TssdjI, s,otdjIn,e to the evidence sdduced on.
the trial, Bumgardner hired Eubank, who
was the owner of fOur-horse team, to
chine from VfrS Sinia to Ohio ostehsibIy' for
the purpose of removing his (Bumgard-
ner,s) family TO Burning Springs, back of
PafkefsBdrg For this service Bumg lIdner
agreed TO pay Eubank $l2 day. Bum
gardeners family were then living In Add,-
son, GalIid COUNTY. Eubank brought bis
team across the river at Belpre, and, ac-
comDauied by Bumgardner, proceeded
temKer 13. they camped at Hills Landing,
in Belpre township. They cooked their
OwHshppef, and slept Ia the wagon. About
eight O'Clock in Intervening, Bnmgardner
went to the house of Mr.. Roger Hill llying
near. and borrowed bis skiff, saying lie
wanted 10 wash some clothes, and alsbsay-
inuI that they wanted to take a bathing
Tie next morning Bumgardner started
with the team. and Mr.. Roger Hil5 oDsery:
ing that lis partner was not with him. IN
qlHTRd As, 10 his yAhFeabouts;;. BumgaroJ
nerr replied 20, hs's gohei-lla a liitsIai
fact, as it afterward turned ouh though
not In. the sense Bumgardner Intended It.
Five DAYS afterward, or, the lSrh,ot Sep
tember, the body Of man, with The head
cut of. was found floating IN the river near
Hockingport. 1t was taken ashore; a cor
oners IN ~ cAuyu, 'snFl' ys.r =, s,S'''s 1le :"
identify the body, It was buried. soon az
ter, EubaDk,s disappearance. excited sus- |
opicior, and. the headless body was disin- |
ierred.s After 4 thorough investigation,
the body was found to be, that Of John
ThOmas Eubank, it having been identihedl
bv his brother and several persons who
were acOuaiIited with him, by the clothes
he had on and by the general appearance
of his body. A warrantwas thereupon is
sued for the, arRestsef Bumgardner, who /
was traced % P0merOy. and then to Addi-
son, where his family had lived. lie had
taken. his family on the Wagon' ana \ mad
gone westward He was followed 70 Snil7l
licothe, and thence to Frankfort, Ross
county, where he was arrested, and was
soon after brought TO Marietta and confined
f5e syIdeace against the prisoner was
wholly circumstantial, but it was Of such
character as to leave no room to doubt that
he,,vas the murderer, The most damaging |
fact AGAINST the prisoner was the finding Of |
some Of EuBank's clothing in his possess
SION He was wearing the murdered mans /
boots at the time he was arrested. FROM
the time mgafdner LETT HIS Landing
1.-THE scene Of the murder) until he was ar
rested, be told nearly every person Win
whom he -had-any c0nversation,- n different
story as regarded theownership Of the team
he was driVings and as regarded his destiT
AS nearly as can be ascertained, the facts
of the murder are simply these: % the
night of September ID, after Enbank had
goDetOsleep iD the wagon, FBuulgardper-h /
look his life, either by shooting him In the
head efseuttins bis throat, andnth con-
yeyed the body to toe river, put 1t into the
skif hees:aee lJUrrowedg Tun Oat into tbe
river, cut the head off, and then threw the
body into the water. He had takena stone
it 10 the body with a traee-chain from the
wagon. believing, no doubt, that this would |
forever keep the body of his victim at the
bottom OF the river. But the body came
up. gain, aud with it came the evidence
unol which Hanson Bumgardner has been
convicted as the perpetrator Of the bloody
The trial ,commencsd on Monday, 10th
inst, aud continued until Thursday night.