The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-07-11
TuE TORN BILL.


of the snow, left the roads very muddy,
and rendered the travelling very bad. l
thought of this as closed the shutters at
Q o'clock in the evening, and also re-
membered that, as it was wednesday,
the stage from c. was due at but
owing to the bad going it was not yet
! in. ! therefore determined that would,
as I had often done before, lock the
front door and the door between the in
ner and outer rooms, and leaving light
burning, 20 to sleep, trusting to the
driver to wake me by rafting the door.
It seemed but few moments, SO sound
ly had / slept, ere was awakened by a
pounding on the door. CHANGING at the
clock, which stood opposite, discovered,
however, that it was o'clock in the morn
ing, and that had been asleep nearly four
hours. AS hurried toward the door |
put my hand into my pocket for the key,
and found it was empty. The two door
keys and both the keys of my safe, all OF
which I had when ! went to sleep, were
gone. Stepping to rear door, in the lock
of which I always kept the key, | found
that also locked, and the key gone. This
so surprised me that for few seconds
remained on the spot, utterly unable to do
anything to solve the mystery. From this
state was aroused by renewed pounding
on the door. There was but one available
mode of exit from my prison, and that was
through side window. Throwing up the
sash. I sprapg out, and hurried around to
where expected to End the driver. Mys-
teries seemed to have no end, for instead
of meeting the driver, came upon an e1-
cited crowd Of about twenty. Ny appear
ance was the signal fos all to commence
telling me the cause Of their excitement.
Silence was, however, at last obtained,
and then the sheriff told me in as re"
words as possible the state of affairs.
1t seems that one Of the physicians OF
the town, DR.. Smith, was returning from a
prolonged visit to a patient, and when
about o mile from tho town, heard in the
road ahead of him pistol shot. Hurrying
on, the stage for which I was waiting was
drawn up by the side of the road, and in
the middle of the road the body Of man.
Bringing his lantern near the face, he
found that it was the driver, and that he
was dead, having been shot through the
head. He found the robes, &C., Of the
team scattered around on the ground, as
was also the mail bag, but the latter had
been unlocked, not cut open, and the con-
tents were gone. He lifted the body up
and placed it in the stage, and was just
starting on for assistance, when he'Saw a
revolver lying near by, which, from the
fact that one barrel had been discharged
he decided was the weapon with which the
deed had been committed. Arrived in
town, he aroused the sheriff and few
neighbors; and while some were dis.
patched after the body, the sheriff had
gone to my house after me. Finding
was not there, they had come to the
office, and just as l joined them the body
arrived.
This was the substance Of the facts re.
lated to me. 1t seemed strange that the
sheriff should have gone to my house in
stead of after the body, and / was about
to SO express myself, when he stepped
forward, and laying his hand on my shoul.
der, said:
81 arrest you, John Blanchard, for the
murder of Charles Smith, Stage driver"
If he had struck me should net have
been more surprised. ! tried to reason
with him, but although he was very civil,
he was equally firm, and the result was
that I spent the remainder Of the night in
the county Jail, which building was situa-
ted in L -, that being the shire Of the
town. The examination the next morn
ing elected the following rather curious
facts
When the sheriff searched my person he
was surprised TO find no keys, and indeed
no wallet nor memorandum book. Send
ing to my assistant, he obtained the door
keys: but the safe keys could not be found
and my clerk said that | always carried
them with me. Upon entering they found
that the letters were all gone, the money
drawer empty, and a few stamps, Which
the clerk informed them we always left
out of the safe at night, missing. And no
trace could be found Of the safe keys.
Surprising that l had disposed of them in
order that the trace of my guilt, which it
| was taken for granted had concealed in
the safe, could not be disco 4ered, they
brought a locksmith, and, after much
trouble, forced the lock. This labor
served only to show them that the safe
had been completely ritled, and that the
sum Of three thousand dollars, which had
been in it the night before, was gone.
found that the cause which led to sus-
picion being fastened on me were the three
following: First, the revolver with which
the deed was committed had upon the butt
a silver plate, on which was engraved my
name. The clerk took oath that the wea-
pom was mine, and that | always kept it in
the office. When they produced it could
not for moment doubt that it did belong
to me. Second, that the bag was unlocked
and not cut open, showing that it must have
been done by some one having in his pos
session United States Mail key. Third,
that had not been home during the eve
ming, and that when summoned at the post
Office I delayed SO long in making my APP
pearance.
To combat these facts argued that the
state of the office proved conclusively
that it had been robbed, and that without
doubt the keys and revolver had been
taken at that time. Also, that no trace Of
the stolen articles was found about me,
my house, or my office; and that further,
if l had desired to rob the mail l might
have waited until it had arrived at the
office, and thus saved myself the crime Of
murder. Against the third statement, l
told the reason of my remaining in the
office so late, and brought forward wit
nesses to prove that often did so on We'd
nesday evenings, in order that the mail
might DO delayed as little as possible.
Further, that the reason of my remaining
SO long in the office was that | could not
open the door, and brought forward the
fact that the keys were missing to sustain
my declaration.
Although these arguments were by no
means fully satisfactory to those who took
the ground that l was guilty, still they