The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-12-24
Terrible Murder of a Farmer
Near Marietta,


Thomas A t. Jett, of this town
ship, was murdered for his money
last Saturday evening, on his farm
about five miles east of town, on the.
I.ittlo MnskinGura1, just slboye Lung
Run.
He had been in town that day to
get his two horses shod. and to pay
his taxes. He had considerable
money with him, probably $400 or
perhaps $500. He started home,
and just at dusk was seen at the
Brick Church, some two miles be-
low his place. He was a bachelor,
and at the time there was no family
in his house, but he was living
alone. Sunday morning, a German
woman who lives a neighbor, went
to the house to carry him a plate of
meat, and finding no one. went to
the stable door, which was swinging.
and there lay Mr.. Jett, across the
passage at the rear Of the horse
stalls, with his head in the second
stall from the door She was alarmed,
and without waiting to examine,
went for her husband, who came,
when he was discovered to be dead
and frozen stiff. His head was badly
beaten up, the back of the skull and
the forehead both broken in, also
the right cheek bone and jaw both
broken; besides there were several
cuts and bruises, evidently done with
some sort Of a club; the bleeding
was profuse.
DR.. S. D. Hart, Coroner. held an
inquest, and the jury found that "the
deceased came to his death by vio-
lence, at the hands of some person
unknown" to the Jury, using :'some
heavy blunt weapon"
1t appears that when Mr.. Jett,
arrived at the stable, just after dark,
he turned his horses in they went
past their stalls, and Que of them
was found the next morning with his
bride still on, and said to be shiver-
ing with fright, as if from the vic
lence and the smell of the blood.
Doubtless the assassin was conceal
ed in the stable, and as Mr.. Jett
went into the door he received the
deadly blows It would seem as if
the murderer had laid the dead body
with the head at the foot of the stall,
to create the impression that the vio-
lence had been done by the horses
heels.
A year and half ago, Mr.. Jett
had $34O stolen from his house, in
the day time, while he was out on
his farm. Since that, he had, as his
friends say, carried his money with
him. He was seen to have large
roll of bank notes in town, on the
day of the murder. No money could
be found about the body or the
premises, after the murder, bnt a
purse was found in the house that
was not his. The perpetrator of
the deed has not yet been discovered.
Mr.. Jett was son of the late
Deacon Thomas Jett, was born here,
and was nearly fifty years Of age
p. S.-Simeon M. Devol and La
fayette Lagrange (an uncle Of De-
vol,s), were arrested Tuesday even
ing and lodged in Jail that night, by
Marshal Darius Towsley and Con
stable L. X. Dutton, on the affidavit
of Wesley T. McKibben, brother-in-
law of Mr.. Jett. AS We go to press,
they have not yet had their exam
ination, which will take place before
f. A. Wheeler, Esq. The affidavit
charges the parties with killing Mr..
Jett, robbing him Of $400 or $500
and four or 1--WE pounds of tobacco.
Devole has family in the neighbor-
hood of the murder, and Lagrange
| a iIy of Macs Pu,, H,.toJJ<, :,