The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1867-06-08
"' WHEELING, W VA, SATURDAY MORNING. JUNE 6, 1867.

From the Pittsburg Commercially
TRAGEDY IN ALBANY.
Member sf Cenventisn Shot Dead
Anether Biekles Case.
Intense excitement was produced in
Albany on Tuesday evening by the
shooting Of the Hon. L. Harris Hiscock,
o member of the Constitutional Con-
vention. The tragedy occurred at nine
P. NJ, at Stanwix Hall, and was COM
mitted by General G. w. Cole, of Syra-
cuse. 1t appears that Hiscock was
standing in the large reception room of
the hotel, near the clerks desk, in his
slippers; Cole, who was sitting near by,
rose and approached Hiscock, made
some remark which was not distinctly
overheard by those near by, and imme-
diately thereafter drew small pistol,
and, presenting it at his head, fired
the ball entering near the right eye.
Hiscock fell back senseless, the wound
bleeding profusely. He expired within
thirty minutes after the shooting. Cole
remarked that Hiscock had been his
best friend, hut that while he (Cole)
was in the army, where he rose to the
grade of Generals in the cavalry service,
he had outraged his wife, and added,
81 have the evidence now IN my pocket"
He quietly awaited the coming of the
police, and was conveyed to the Third
District Station House. Cole is tall,
fine looking man, as was Hiscock, who
was, however, larger and heavier.
A cOroner's inquest was empanneled,
and the facts of the case were elicised.
The jury returned the following ver-
dict:
That the said L. Harris Hiscock came
to his death by wound from a shot
from pistol in the hands of George w.
Cole, and fred by said Cole. ,. "a
THE PRISONERS STATEMENT.
The following statement was made by
Gen. Cole, the prisoner:
The cause of the, tragedy is this /
had friend, L. II. HiscOck. / thought
him the best friend I had in the world.
I have a wife and two children; she is
as pure as snow, OF was before he be-
came acquainted with her in 1864. l
was in the army first as private, and
last as Major-General. / was in the
army five years during the war. In 1864
my wife was taken sick and expected to
die, and sent for this lawyer to make
her will, knowing him to be friend
of mine. While she was in bed he came
and lifted her up, and kissed her. All
this time he expressed world of friend
ship for me and sympathy for her.
After her recovery he came again. One
evening he came under the guise of
business, when the family with whom
she boarded (relatives of hers)
were absent, when he started to
leave; she started to the door
to bid him good night; he threw
his arms around her and endeavored by
all means in his power to have criminal
intercourse with her; she demonstrating
and praying him to desist, which he
finally did, but not until after shame
fully insulting and exposing her; she
was still weak from the result Of her
sickness; he then went away, and she
sank to the floor with shame and eX-
haustion, fearful to make any alarm, as
he had been there so frequently before,
and false opinion might he formed. She
was fearful also of the consequences if
l should know it. He afterward called
again, and expressed so much sorrow for
his conduct that she did not make any
exposure. After that lie continued to
call, and endeavored by all means in his
power to seduce her, and even made
similar forcible effort again. She, OPP
pressed with feeling of shame and
guilt for having permitted him to kiss
her, and for not having exposed the
former interview, did not dare to make
an exposure This was repeated num-
Der Of times, she resisting and prevent
ing the full accomplishment of his pur-
poses, and he making efforts at all times
to overcome her by exciting her pas
sions. At last upon threats of ex.
pOsure to me he desisted for time. At
ter my return from the army l had
occasion tosvisit Washington about four
months since, and while / was absent
he went to my house and solicited my
wife again, beseeching her that she
would submit fully. To this she made
an indignant refusal, but was still not
relieved of his opportunities, he taking
every opportunity to annoy her, but he
never fully accomplished his purpose.
All this time, as husband, felt that
there was something wrong i'll regard to
nv wife, because she seldom smiled,
and seemed broken hearted during all
these three years. Only week ago last
Monday he met me in the street, and
asked me when was going away again,
which he has done at previous times,
and therefore noticed it. His guilty
manner awoke the first suspicion in my
mind as TO my wife's virtue. Upon that,
after my return to New York, / wrote
to friend, asking him if he had ever
seen any improprieties between Mr..
Hiscock and my wife. He replied that
he had seen suspicious circumstances.
Immediately came home on Sunday
morning last, and learned the above
facts from the lips of my wife herself.
When l found that he had betrayed
the love of my wife, had dehled her
person, and when / found her utterly
broken hearted and my home desolated,
/ felt distracted, and as if / should
be obliged to kill her destroyer.
At her solicitation, that might avoid
$50 great calamity to her and her poor
little children, instead of hunting him
up at once and shooting him, as felt
incliYed, / waited until to-day, that i
|
Albany to-day from Syracuse with my
wife, intending to take her to her sis
ser's in Brooklyn, where she might have
less opportunity to brood over her
troubles, and then return myself to
Albany, where l learned Mr.. Hiscock
was, force him at the mouth of pistol,
on his knees, to beg forgiveness for the
great injury he had done me, and then
to compel him to leave the county in
ten days. thought 1 had better have
it off my mind, and / went over to his
hotel; and when I saw him, the fall of
my poor heart-broken wife and the dis
grace of my children rose up before me,
and could not restrain myself had
not spoken to him. thought was
calm. / could not speak. Something
was in my throat, and | could not say
word.
At the station-house, the prisoner be-
ing required to hand over everything
he possessed, he delivered his pistols,
&C., and declared positively that he had
L n H..