Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-02-13
For the Chronicle.
VIENNA LETTER.

After some enquiry and elaboration, ]
will try to give the facts as they have
come to my knowledge, without anye
aggeration or concealment. That the
statement may be understood, 1t Is
proper to remark, that we have, at the
rcenter of Vienna, a Hotel, and a few
rods east of it, a Grocery, at both of
which places licuors have been sold and
and drank. The Hotel is kept by a
man and his step-son, with their wives.
The day before Mr.. Alderman was
last seen, in the fore part of the day,
he was at the Grocery. After the mid
die of the day, he wa in the bar room
of the Hotel. In the evening, towards
night, he was found, stupidity drunk,
in the loft of the barn of the Hotel.
1t was cold, and those who found him
brought him to the house and set him
on the porch. He was still helpless,
and some persons seeing him in this
condition, remonstrated.at leaving him
there in the cold, and one remarked,
that sooner than leave him there, he
would take him to his own house ; but
the hotel was the place for him. A
bottle was found on him with a little
LIQUOR in it, which was taken away. He
was taken into the house, at the hotel,
and kept for the night by the fire. He
seems to have been kindly taken care
of, and at some considerable trouble.
He left early the next morning without
his breakfast. Afternoon, of the same
day, he was seen to get off from a sled,
about a mile and a half east of the CEN
ire of the cross roads, and take the
north road. Where hewas from, morn
ing till afternoon, 1 have not learned,
or where he got on the sled but he
mnst pass the grocery to get from the
hotel to the cross roads. In the after
noon he was seen north of the cross
roads, probably less than a hundred
rods, in a fence corner, lying down /;
but not so far gone but that he could
talk, though evidently drunk. This
was about the Goth of December, or
near that date. This was the last that
was seen of him till he had been miss
ing about four weeks. Although it
was known that he was missing, yet no
search was made for him, as your cor
respondent states, till the day he was
found. There might have been some
enquiry but there was no proper search.
In explanation of this neglect, it
should be SAID, hehad no proper home;
but lived sometimes in one place and
sometimes in another The place where
he had been recently was a by-plsce,
away from the road, about two miles
north of the cross roads, where he left
the sled. But after about four weeks,
one of the men who saw him leave the
sled, went with a neighbor to examine.
a little from the place where he was
last seen in q fence corner. A short.
distance north of that was a hog pen;
which had at some former day been
used as q stable, but now was without
any covering. They went to look in
that, and there just one hand was seen
above the snow. This was nbout noon
on Friday. They left him and gave
information; and as the Coroner resides
at a distance, a Justice o fthe Peace, as
the law allows, was called on to make
up q jury of inquest. The body, how
ever, was left alone in the snow till the
next day, when the jury went and
cleared away the snow. The body was
foundin such position as itmight be sup
posed a drunken man would be found,
partly sitting and partly fallen over on
one side, with the face turned down
wards. Under the arm, partly, was
found a bottle, with still a little liquor
in it. Since the body had lain thore,
H. IL I,1- a FIo- onH ~ LII -
tied down into the dirt and litter in
the bottom of the pen, and considera-
bic violence was necessary to loosen it
from its frozen bed. When the face
turned up it exhibited a frightful
appearance. The vermin, mice or some
thing of the kind, had eaten off the
nose, and otherwise disfigured it. He
well dressed. The jury identified
the body, and then on account of the
inclemency of the weather, it was tax
en- on a sled, and brought to the Town
The verdict was rendered according to
the facts. The deceased came to his
Heath by freezing, while under the
effect of liquor ; and there the inquest
stopped. It was suggested by the fore
of the jury, whether this enquiry |
not extend further, and endeaY-
or to bring to light where the liquor
obtained. Some members of the
ury thought that was beyond theirjur-
sdiction, and SO it was left. Although
5he relatives were notified of the body
being found, none came near, unless
.tmighthaTe been a nephew who came
lud looked at him. After the inquest
/ box was made, in shape somewhat to
accommodate the frozen body, as it
could not be Strengthened, and with
Iome pressure the lid was nailed on,
md the whole, without ceremony, was
1ut in the ground, near where his wife
lad been buried less than a year ago.
Your correspondent closes the former
communication with the remark, that
ntemperance was Mr.. Alderman's be-
sin and the verdict of thejury
but little more. 1 would rather say,
Here is another victim Of ,OhiSkey and
sellers. While the man was to
,e pitied, as well as blamed, as a con-
inebriate, those who have Guilt
the appetite, and furnished the
atal contents of the bottle, should be
leld up to the community as the guilty
,artakers of the guilt. The verdict of
he public sentiment will not acquit
hem neither will the verdict of a
,ighteous judgment.
Before closing, 1 wish to make a
plain statement, in regard to the con-
jtruction of the jury. 1t was summon
ID by our magistrate according to law.
Without implying any lack of integrity
N his part, l must say, he was the for
ner keeper of the hotel on the corner.
As Aldermsn haslong been an inebriate
md familiar about here, he had doubt.
ess been his customer. It is more
han is to be expected from poor hui
nan nature, if he had not some recol-
ections, which did not make him very
iesirous of a jury, who would push
he enquiry beyond the unfortunate
Tictim to his aecomplices. Whether
his had any influence with him or not,
probably many of those who voted for
him would not have done it, had they
that a part of his duty, as a
magistrate, would be to summon a jury /,
# inquest, where the subject of in
temperance was involved. If common
aw has decided that butchers should
lot be.on the jury for the trial Of muir
lerers, because they are familiar with
he sight of blood, surely retailers of