Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1867-03-02


State of Ohio Us Il. Harwood. This case
came before Justice Wright on Monday after
noon, and was disposed of at noon on Tuesday,
by finding no cause of action. The parties all
belong to Conneaut, where the alleged transac-
tion took place. Beside an Ashtabnla Justice,
the case was entrusted to Ashtabula counsel
Cook for the State, and Sherman for the defend
ant Why all this Difference was paid to Ash
tabula, we are not advised, unless delicacy for
the moral sense of Conneaut is the reason The
Indictment was for an attempt at rape by our
contemporary ofthe Reporter. man, over whose
head has beaten the storms of nearly three score
winters, upon the person of a little girl by the
name of ADA DIsBRow, between eleven and
twelve years of age, who had become an inmate
of Harwoods family. The girl was the princi-
pal witness, but her testimony was drawn from
her with the utmost difficulty, and was to the
effect that on certain Sunday, some time since,
HAYWOOD asked her to go the barn to hold some
boards that he wished to nail up. While there
he took hold of her arm and threw her upon
the floor and took improper liberties with her
On her way home the day after the occurance,
she stopped at the house of Mrs BRONSON
and gave her a version of the story, which Mrs
B. statedupon the stand contradicting the essen
tial portions ofthe girls story before the Court
Mrs. Bronson also swore to the girls statement
at a subsequent time at her house, to the effect
that Aunt Della Hastings who seemsto have
been the earnest spirit in this suit, was going
to law with Harwood, and wanted her to tell
a story that was not true, and she did not want
her to do it. This testimony of Mrs Bronson
was fatal to the prosecution. Aunt Della and
the mother of the girl swore that she had pains
in her side and stomach, and had not been
well since the transaction. The opinion of the
spectators who listened to the testimony, only
confirmed that of various citizens of Conneaut,
with whom we talked, and agreed with the one
arrived at, we believe, by the Justice, that the
suit was an attempt to extort money from the
defendant The provocation, as we learn from
Harwood and others, was the allusion in the
Reporter, week or two since, to female
staggering about the village armed with re-
volver, which Harwood refused to retract, when
requested to do so. Vengeance was threaten
ed, and this suit is the shape in which it was to
be executed. Aunt Della is evidently lady of
grit, for when the council for the defense asked
how long she had lived at Mr.. Fenton's, the
place, We believe, of her present abode, the re-
ply Was orS years. This was followed by
asking if her husband was dead to which an af-
frmative answer was given, but when she was
pressed still farther by the question how long
he had been dead, she fatty. told him it was
mono OF his business" and the sparkling other
little black eyes was rather significant. The
spirit of the witness brought down the house.
The case was tenaciously and ably conducted
on both sides.
This is a commendable-a triumphant vindi-
cation of the sturdy virtue of profession. on
point. too, where poor human nature is la
mentally weak end Welding