The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1870-05-03

| oEOhUE SAbDV hLhs,
Sheriff Monroe County, Ohio.
Woodsfeld, O., May 3, 1870,
Testimony In the Case Of Ohio W
! ElsOn HyssOm, Charged with an
Assault with Intent to Commit
Rape ON his Daughter. Isabella
HyssOm.
In this case the State was represented
by the Prosecuting Attorney assisted by
N. HoElIsrER, Esq. The' defense wa;
; conducted by JAS. r. MORRIS and WIN
f. HUNTER, .Tr,
/ THE JURY.
WM. JOHNSTON, +. koEHLER, F. SToEHR
VIZ. RosE, JoHS JOKES, DANIEL NEu
HART, Sr., ARTHUR GRAY, JOHN JEFFERs
JoHN BURGBAcHER, A. G. JACKSON, SAN
uEL G. SMITH.
Foreman-JoHN A. DAVENPORT.
ei aan TUESDAY,, April 26.
The FIRST witness called to the stand
was ISABELLA HYssox, who testified as
follows: rE. .5.,ss SOS, s
| My name is Isabella Hyssom; the
prisoner is my father; viii be l4syears
old tho lst day of next August; l. got
his supper before / went to bed; he got
in bed with me Sunday night the 18th
day of April, 1870; said he was going to
violate my person, bit me on the nose
(the little girls nose showed the marks
of the injury J he bit my arm there the
witness showed her arms to the jury
the right arm had two large scars not
yet healed, which were plainly visible
across tile court ro0m-her left arm,
about the elbow, presented bcuized
and discolored appearance; that arm
was injured by my father holding me
down in bed; he did not accomplish his
object |, it was in our house.
sCross cxamiaed Sunday night week,
TIE I7th inst he came home little after
dark he called Tom and David; he bit
me on the nose because / would not lay
in bed with him he did not whip me for
bad conduct he bit me on the nose be-
fore David came down; my father made
me 60 to Esq, Wagner's that night; he
made inc go to swear false against Linn
Smith; went out on the porch with Mrs.
Wagner; was afraid to tell Mrs Wagner
that he forced me to come there; went
With my brother James to ESQ Nor
mans; he came home on Monday eve
ming; had been on the river; Monday
evenings the 18th inst; did not swear
before ESQ, Wagner that ! did not know
whether Lwas with child or not; father
always abused me and whipped me hard |;
he bought the clothes l have on always
bought me clothing, but abused nae !;
there was nothing wrong in the school
kept by Darnbush; the boys did nothing
wrong that l know of; went to Esq
Norman's to swear the truth my brother
James said he would take me there and
have me swear the truth; James stabbed
father in fight; he bit me before. David
came down stairs; screamed loud enough
for them to hear me up stairs; he abused
me before Ruth Murphy came there ;she
died at our house; he asked herto come
there did not ask my father te go last
fall to have Dan. Tuels boy arrested !;
never told hin that Tuels boy had
thrown me down in the road; did not
tell David anything about ,his atfair,now
being tried; was up when father came
home on Sunday night; heard him call
when he came home; James asked me if
Linn Smith was guilty, told him no that
pap was; told him that he came to my
bed and got in, and said what he was
going to do ;he called David down stairs
he tore my une er clothing; had not gone
| to bed when he came home they did
not come down stairs before he called.
Re eramiaed.- Can not read or write
do not. know what was in the affid wit
sworn to by me before Esq Wagner my
father made me swear to it; when he
came home he got in bed IL got out; he
sai6, / heard you and Linn Smith were
loo thick Nit me with stick Of wood
and beat me /; SAID must swear to it OF
he would kill me; got me enough
clothes he beat me and took me out to
the barn and said what he was going to
do to me was so drunk that got away
| from him and hid in the straw stack
don't remember the time was about two
mbnths ago, think he never attempted
anything but those two times.
JAMES HYssoM-Am Elson Hyssom'
son; am Isabclla's brother; she told me
that on the 18th of April father came
home and wanted to come to bed with
her; she got away, but ne bit her; said
she had been too intimate with Linn
Smith, beat her with stick and made
her say she would swear it was true ;pu'
her on a horse and took her to Esq
Wagner's, Thomas Hyssom, my uncle
came to the boat after me; she had been
bitten on the nose looked like the prints
of teeth her arm showed the prints o'
teeth the other arm appeared to have
been bruised by holding.
Cross erdmined-Cou.d not tell wheth
er it was bruised by holding or club
~ uOiudo Cdiuc W tiiC uOdt dilu tDFu IuC VI
come home and see to Isabella, that sht
was being abused, got off the boat Al
Gardner's Smith lives ON Barnes Run
has been two or three years since l stab
led my fathc. ;he laid under the doctor:
hands five or six days; did it in self-de
Tense; did not throw stone ut him had
no rock; did not throw at him; went NJ
to the bars to ask him to come back
said he was going away; was insultec
about something; don't know what; die
not tell Coivin that ! intended to kill my
father; did not borrow gun for tina
purpose; told him in presence of Wast
Martins wife that he must not disturb
me, had a gun, but no revolver; Thomas
told me to come home and do something
for Isabella; went home; my father tolt
me what had happened, and said hi'
brother Thomas had been trying to ge
Isabella to swear lie; father asked he
lif Thomas didn't ask her to swear lie
:. she said yes; think it was against he
win Il did not say at Esq Norman's tina
l intended to make nay sister swear as
| u,onfaJ hor ~