The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-06-18
TIE ,ROCKBRIDGE HANGING
AT F AIR.
TESTIMONY BEFORE CoReNER's JURY
TILE VERDICT.
Official List Of tho "Dcgree" and
"IFonOr" Men OF Washington Col
Iegc---Actiyity In PO!itics-.-Letter
from Ex-Governor Lefchcr.
From Our Special Reporter.

! over the body OF the negro Jesse Eo"n.u u
will substantiate the account OF the alialf
| sent by your correspondent on yesterday
Thomas L. Perry, keeper of the county
iaiI, testified as follows Jesse Edwards was
committed to the Jail in my keeping on the
Sth day of June, 1869, charged win inc
murder of Susan Margaret Hlte. On the
10Th of June, about l O'Clock IN the morn
ing, was walked up, and went to the door,
and found four men standing WITH
out who said they had brought me prlSo'
ner charged with stealing horse from Go,
shen. and it was so late that they could not get
n magistrate, and wanted to have him con-
fined tin morning, when they would have
the matter investigated. Not suspcctln2
ANYTHING wrong. ! asked. them inside the
door till I could light candle. / then told
the supposed prisoner that he would have
TO be Searched. and did search him tho.
roughly. took from around his waist INC
holster of pistol, and asked him where his
pistol was; he said he had thrown II
away between this and Goshen.
also took from him knife, Il cap-boX, ano
gourd Of powder. Went then ana got tne
| KEYS of the Jail door, and went back TO the
prison part of the house. After we got there
thcv closed the centre door and turned me-
around, told me their errand and object,
which was not to put prisoner III jail, but
| to take one ollt-thc one that had committed
the dreadful outrage upon the girl on South
river that | should not make noise, and
they would not hurt me; that if | resisted
they would break down the door and take
him anyhow. Two of them held me, and
one of them took the keys from me and
| opened the door and took out Jesse Ed
wards. At this time there was conSidera-
BILE rush of disguised persons from the front
door into the passace-I suppose about
| rt1 I ard ttIl NO
outside. A Soodly number had drawn pi>-
tolls in their hands; begged OF them not to
open the door, rs had three other prison
ers where Jesse Edwards was, equally guilty
of the offences they were charged with
| as Jesse Edwards, and they must not let
| them escape. They assured me they would
| not let them escape. Three or four went
| in others came up behind with pistols, and
one or two called Jesse Edwards by name.
They tied him and brought him out OF pri-
| son, and the door was locked. They took
him to the front door and went off with
him. Three of them held me at the door
for some time after the mob had lett the
front of the house, I suppose some ten or
fifteen minutes. | did not recognize Z sim
gle person in the crowd: many of them
were masked. Two stayed with me till the
crowd dispersed, and then blew out the
candle and left. I dressed myself and re-
ported the circumstances to Il magistrate
and several members Of the bar, and they
advised me to 90 to bed.
jim Walker (colorcd) testified Dayy told
me this morning he thought somebody had
camped up here, and / came up rs far a.
Mr. Meetings. lane. | came back a far as
that dogwood tree, and saw somebody hang
ing up by the limb Of that chestnut tree
with a rope around his neck. with his hands
tied behind him. | went back and told
DaVy.
Elijah Fielding (colorcN testified After
Jim came back, l looked up and saw man
hanging from the chestnut tree. ] heard
hoNering, talking, and shouting" ut this place
last night. ! saw no person did not rccog-
niZc any PERSONS voice.
Davy Fielding (colorcd) testified heard
a noise at this place this morning about day
light. Heard some person say, - Go right
up to him; then | heard four shots. !
thought somebody had campCd here. ] did
not know anybody i'll the crowd; did not
recognize any voice.
Henry B. Bo>cman testified \ man call
ed at my house about clock this MORN
ing and asked me for rope, and promised
to return it. Shortly after | heard four
shots. | live about half 4 mile from this
spot. Did not sec the face of the man that
asked me for the rope. l did not recognize
his voice.
DR.. III. G.. Davidson testified | made Il
post morton examination Of the body 0!
Jesse Edwards. | found him hanging by
the neck from the limb of tree. showing
the usual signs Of death by strangulation.
| found also four piStol-ShotS in the front OF
the chest; one entering about the right
nipple, one about the left, one about the
mcdian line of the chest, and one about the
left sixth rib all the balls penetrating the
lungS-nonc the heart. He probably died
from strangulation, Is there was very little
internal, and no external, hcmorrhage.
identify the body as that Of Jesse Edwards
VERDICT.
"That Jesse Edwards was hanged and
shot to death on the morning OF the 18th
day of June, 1869, by persons to this jury
unknown"
The affair was certainly most admirably
managed, and there seems to be the most
complete mystery as to rho were engaged
in it.
The senior examinations at Washington
College are all over, and The reports are
being placed on the bulletin board to the
JOY OF the successful and chaerin of the I'M
successful aSprantS. l send the following
official list OF the degree" and Honor"
men:
Masters Of ArtS. - NJ. w. HUMPHREYS, |
West Va; c. A. Graves, w. :. Graves. |
Liberty, Va. b. II. Waddell, Lexington,
Va. +; b. c. Lyle, Rockbridge, Va; 5. Il.
Ammen, Fincastc, Va.; j. T. Strider, JET |
fcrson,. West Va; w. b. Smith, Powhatan,
Va.
bachelors Of Arts.--William r. Thorn,
Richmond, Va; III. A. Moran. Kentucky |
Frank Il. Coleman, Alabama; Joseph |
McLcstcr, Alabama ; Frank Taliaferro, AM !
har Va ~ 7
Z. HobSon, Powhatan county, Va; s. II. |
Cockrill, Nashville, Tenn; William w. Da-
Wis, Galveston, Texas.
bachelor Of PMlosophy-C. c. Garrett. |
Texas.
C'rl and Mining Engincn4ng-Donald
Allen, Botctourt county. Va; james =.
Nelson (China), Hanover, Va.
Mining Eng'neer1ng.-W. w. Carson,
Louisiana; Edmund Berkeley, Loudon
county, Va.
Bachelors of Lau.-Hil Carter, Hanover
county, Va; John S. Barlow, Jr., Cave City,
KY; j. w. Dunlap, Lexington, Va; w. II. |
county, Va; II. c. Lowry, Liberty, Va; j. |
II. McCleary, Texas c.. 7. O'Farrall, Lex
ington, Va; John II. Pcndlcton, XIV: J. s.
Payne, Westmoreland, Va; Henry Pickles. |.
New Orleans; D. G. Tyler, Charles City
county, Va.
Robinson Prize Neddls.-1. Latin, Greek, |
and Mathematics j. Peyton lIobson, Pow
hatan county, Va. .. Natural Philosophy, |
Chemistry, and Applied Mathematics
7. Nelson China, Hanover county. Va
3. Modern Languages, History, and Moral
Phtlosophy-C. a. Graves, Liberty, Va.
Cincinnati Grafton awarded TO the gradu-
ate who is judged by the Faculty to have
the highest degree of general scholarship
N. w. Hulnphries, West Virginia.
College Prize Grafton (awarded by the
Faculty to the student who presents the