Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-01-02
/. Strange, slory. n ~ Z < x C00SSVict.

/ JThe1 IftGJTel (Ohiol Chronicle mas Che folN
lowing, remarkable narrative concerning
Ed; Day, tile negro burglar, uwhoi was reri
Gently sent from Hrumbull5 county to the
Our readers will remember that we late
,ly published two Instances iiiD wli0lTistirs
geons extracted needles JffomJDayis neck
aud breast willie in jau awaltnghisit
-Four large button needles were cut out Of
his pepsonwand, the surgeons say he 1asIa
great, many more4perhaps lifts A-ln ditffr-
ent parts Of his boGydi Bnt as the needles,
do not seriously affect him, except when
they work to sOmeespecially sensiJiYe part,
he does not like to have the surgeons Ops
crate on him. We We're present on 0neO OG-,
casion when hewas being examined by a.
surgeon, and itiwas. easy 70 obserye the To-
Galley of needles in his face and heck
When first asked how they canie to beGin
him, he. obstfiatelyl reused DO tell; but
taking sick, and thinking perhaps, he had
not ldnglto live, he yielded TO frequent per-
suasiOn to diyulge, his secret, Under cOndi-
ton that it should not be made public until
he was out of the way'of his prosecutors,
He claims that his principal, business has
been to discover, the schemes and, rascali-
ties of certain parties, and then. to black
mail them to keep him from divulgiugA--
Some eight or ten years ago the Treas,
urers office in Ashtabala county was rob-
bed. DayCclaims he was made cognizant
Of the robbery, and employed to carrya
thousand dollars to a certain party, bubin7
stead of doing SO heappropriated the. NOM
ey to his own use. This so incepsed his
cOnlederates that they determined to pun
ish. him. He was taken and bound, and
while in this helpless condition hot needles
were forced in his flesh, and he was forced
to swear eternal secresy, under penalty OF
suffering like punishment If he did not
keep his promise. Twoyears agolastsum-
mer party Of counteFleterslim this place,
endeavored to engage hint do some work
for them. (Day is a tOlerable engraver.)
After finding out their plans, he refused to
do their work, but told them he wanted
several hundred dollarsihush money. One
night he was decoyed into aplaee on Main
street, knocked down, manacled and car
ried to a certain point on a back street,
aud put to tortnres that would shame the
cruelties of the Spanish Inquisition. One
plan was to tickle the soles of his feet until
he would faint under the eXcruclating
agony. After somewhat reviving, redhot
needles were driven in his bodygarms and
cheeks. He says he knows the parties, but
is afraid to make their names public. How
much truth there may be in his storyqw
will not pretend to say. The fact that his
body is literally a needle cushion, leads to
the inference that some torcible means
were probably used to place them there.
| This strange story of cruelty and wick
edness is hard to believe as having occur
red in these days; yet there are certain
circumstances that in some degree corro-
borate his statements, Had a sharp, dis
Greet detectiveobtained the confidence of
| Day, he might have learned much that
would have aided in unearthing gangs OF
| thieves aud their ne1arious schemes. We
have no doubt there are many men at large
who are quite as deserving, to say the least,
| Of Days fate as himself Although he is
probably a. thief himself he is a sort OF
| Ishmaelite among them, because of his
| blaek-mail levies upon them. He says he
met several members of the gang in the
| penitentiary, and that he was not free from
their hate and prosecution even there, and
that the prison keepers were at loss TO
know why he was concerned in so many
quarrels with the prisoners. He did'nOt dare
tell them, because he did not suppose he
would be believed; He is more than ordi-
Darilyl sharp, has good common eduea-
ton, and read law for a while with John
NJ. Langston, Of 0berlin. He is a good pen
man. and d9says8counterteiter used him to
initiate the signatures to their bills. He
learned the, art of engraving, no doubt, to
make his, services more valuable o in the
counterfeiting business. When arraigned
before the bar for rhislatesentence, he made
short speech in his defense, in which
some points were made with considerable
ability. His attorney however, did not
consider his case defendable,oth proof of
his having committed burglary being too
positiveto be eyaded. He goes to the pen
itentiary for three years, but he told the
jailor before heleft here heidid not expect
TO live through the term. 1t is hardIto re-
alize what there is4inlife to render it desir-
able to him. ashs7T rfA