The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-02-11
THE HIGHWAY MURDER NEAR
CINcINNATI.
Man Killed for his MOuey-The VII
lRins Fall to Obtain the Prlze.

lRins Fall to Obtain the PrlEe.
One of the most calculating, cold-blooded
m1rders which has ever disgraced our city or
vicinity took place last night, at about half past
. o'clock, on the Lick Run Turnpike, one and a
hah miles beyond the Brighton House. The
victim was James Hughes. a clerk I'm the office
OF II, B. Smith q Co., well-kl own coal dealers
OF this city, and the object was undoubtedly
plunder, as Mr.. Hughes bad no enemies In the
world, but was on his way home at the time
with considerable money In his pocket, as was
his usual custom, he having passed the same
road for many years, as was we'll known to the
public.
We we're present at the Coroner's inquest
this morning, and give all the facts as de-
Veoped:-
The drst witness called was a boy about thur
teen years of age, named Leonard Keller, VINO
states that he was at Mr.. Metz's grocery, on the
Lick Run Pike, and after having transacted his
business he started home, his fathers house
being nearly a quarter of a mile distant, and
about nifty yards from the road. immediately
behind him. say forty yards, he saw three men.
and about twenty steps to the rear OF them a
man riding in buggy, and the three parties
kept at about the same distance apart TIL they
reached the gate, when the boy turned oil. All
was quiet TIL he (the boy entered the ward,
and had gone about half way to the house,
whom he heard some one halo -
"Hol haiti haltln He Immediately turned
around but in moment he heard three pistol
shots and, being frightened, ran home and met
his father on the porch OF the house, and
related what he had seen.
On being questioned closely, he said the men
were not apparently drunk; that Que was a very
tall man, and the others OF medium size: and
that he could not tell who it was that cried halt;
nor could he say whether the man in the buggy
was, or was not MI. Hughes but he supposed
it was him, as not more than three minutes in
tervened between seeing the man in the buggy
and finding Mr.. Hughes lying dead in the road
He could not describe the dless of the men, but
his description of the buggy answered exactly
10 that in which Mr.. Hughes was riding.
The next witness was the father of the boy
Henry Keler-who stated that he knew Hughes
well; that he was standing on the porch, wait
ing for his boy to return from the grocery, when
he heard the explanations, "Ho! Halt! Hon
but paid no attention to the voice till he heard
the pistols crack. He then ran Immediately TO
the place, and found Hughes already dead, one
of the shots having penetrated the cerebellum,
and the others passing into the stomach. When
he reashed the spot, two or three minutes after
the firing of the pistols, Hughes was dead.
He states that he knew the deceased well,
and, under ordinary circumstances, would have
known his voice; but he paid no attention to the
hallOOing at first, and could not say whether il
came from him or some one else. The men ran
as soon as he (Keller) started from the house.
When we lett the room in which the inquest
was in progress, the jury had not returned a
verdict; but, from all we could gather, we are
inclined to believe that the murderers were
some of our profession thieves and robbers;
that they were aware that Mr.. Hughes was in
the habit OF carrying money with him at night,
and that they had intended to rob him, but as
he refused to halt at their command. they took
his life, but before they could secure their
booty they were driven off by Mr Keller, as
already narrated.
we visited the place OF the murder this
morning, and pool of blood was then standing
in the road. The exact place is just beyond
Lick Run village and near the old city work
house, a mile or more this side of the late resi-
dence of the deceased. Mr.. Hughes was fifty
nlne years of age, and has quite large family
Cincinnati Times, 9th.