The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1869-07-16
THE MURDER or col. SHARPE.
A TRAGEDY As TRUE As STRANGE.


earlier q member OF Congress, and
at that timo u leader in the newly
elected State Assembly, was muir.
dored at Frankford, under circum-
stances Of peculiar atroclty. He
was reused from his bed by some
one knocking ut his door, and he
was there seized by the assassin,
who, after some words, stabbed him
to tho heart almost in sight Of his
wife, who rushed to his side, but too
late to hear q syllable from hun, or
TO learn IN any way who was his
murderer.
Suspicion soon fell, however, on q
young lawyer, named Bcauchnmp,
who was arrested, tried, and con-
demnod, apparently on false evi-
dence, but who yet was the real
murderer. Party animosity, then
f%uriously excited throughout the
State by some question relating to
the courts, ascribod tho murder 20
political hatred, for Sharpe vas the
leader Of his party, and the IDOL Of
the people; nor was II till after the
trial that the astounding story Of
Beauchamp's actual crime, and his
reasons for It were made public by
his own ingenious confession.
Some years before, apparently as
early as 1918, Col. Sharpe had Sc.
ducod Miss Ann Cooke, q young Ia.
dy Of respectable family, educated
and refined, and, IA appears from
her subsequent course, of unusual
force and severity of character
Proud and intense of feeling, shc
Withdrew entirely IRON the society
where she hai been admired and
courted, and with her widowed
mother, her books and her elaves,
she hid her disgrace in the COM
pleto seclusion Of u Kentucky plan.
tation.
1t was here that young Beau.
cham, in n fatal hour to both, sought
hor out, urged hiTseli On her &C.
quaIntance, foil passionately in love
with her, and led on by his passion,
devoted himself, with q barbarous
m~agnanimity, to her dreadful thirst
for vengeance on her betrayer. lie
cannot have been more than nine~
teen years old at that time, and no
had boon on tho point of comment
cling the study of law with Col.
Sharpe, when he was rcpolled from
such n connection by tho story of
his villalny towards Miss Cooke
Generous, though ungOvernabIo Of
temper, no looked with aversion on
a mar 80 stalned-regarding him
mo better than q horse.thiei," as no
himself na,vely said.
Ills natural pity for Miss Cooke
was strengthened by tho praise be-
slowed On her beauty and wit by y
friend of his who had been her for.
mer admiror. lie VISITED her in
her self imprisonment, but she re-
fused TO see MIN; hc insisted, aud
she Mt last came forth, but she 70.
ceived him coldly. He pretended
to desire to use her library, and
borrowed a book. which gave him II
preteXt to cali again in a fow days,
when he again saw her. Little by
little, her reserve o of, while his
enthusiasm for her grew into fer =
vent love. lie urged hIs suit and
~besought her hand in marriage,
which she at first steadily refused,
and only yielded finally on the con.
ditlon that he should first kill Col.
Sharpe.
This was in 1924, and in the au.
tumn OF that year he went to Frank.
fort for tho express purpose of chal.
longing Sharpe, and shooting him
if he declined. The two walked out
together along the river to Frank.
fort, ard when they had como to Q
retired place outside the town.
! Beauchamp disclosed TO Sharpe in
. what relation he stood TO Misi
Cooke, and asked HIM il no would
fight him. Sharpe said he could
no. fight in such a cause, he woulC
let himself be killed rather than dc
} il; aud falling on his knees, he i'm,
plored Beauchamp not TO kill him
Tho hato Of tho enragcd man turn
cd TO scorn at what no thought tn
most glaring cowardice, he strucl
d Sharpe In tho face, called him b,
< the most insulting names, and swoII
n he would cane him in tho street
\ ovory day tall he forced him into
duel. They parted, and early tn
next morning Sharpe loft Frankfor
@ anJ Beauchamp lost his opportu.
nifty.
Miss Cooke now resolved to kl
her betrayer with hor own hanC
&c and together with Beauchamp, sh
n conceived n plot as artiul rs that b
N which Leonora betrays Lotharlo,
II, bring him TO her house, where 81
could shoot him. This failed, an
y after a long time, she gave up b,
cherished plan, and left tho murd,
again to l~ieauceamp, who, inca.
re while, by q sophistry such as u I
oe milarity with a dreadful purpo
often produces, had pursuaded hin
" self that 1t would be right TO k
W his enemy, not openly, as he had
IL frat proposed, but by assassinatio
e's Accordingly, after his marriai
with Miss Cooke, in June 1924,
Termed his plans for the deed. Ne
r's OF was q murder moro deliberate
m. committed. FOR moro than a 20
no was busy making arrangemel
on so that no evidence could be br
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