The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1870-05-13
TRIALS FOR MURDER.

The cases oil the Stale VS.. Ben. thompson,
alias Ben. Bolt, and the same vs. George Har-
ris, indicted for the murder ofAlexander Rus
sum, have occupied the time of the Court
since our last report of its proceedings. The
records in these cases were removed from
Cecil county to Hartford, and large number
of witnesses from the former place have been
i'll attendance during the trials. The cases
were tried separately. the one against
Thompson being first disposed Of The facts,
however, arc so intimately connected, that
one statement will suffice for both.
The following are the main points in the
evidence, in both cases, as elected from the
witnesses
II appears that on the afternoon of the
2Sth of December last Thompson came to
the house of his uncle, George Harris, on
Back Creek in Cecil county, and was induced
by the latter to remain until evening, for the
intimated purpose of assisting him. QIarris)
in an expected ARRAY with Russum, the de-
ceased, which was expected to take place there
at that time. Russum came in the evening,
and being considerably intoxicated, made
some disturbance in Harris house, who keeps
q store where liquor is sold, INDUCING in
profane language, and was ordered by him,
(1arris,) to leave. He went from Harris to
the house of Mr. Lucas, not far from the
first-named locality, and again became in
volycd in fuss with others whom he met at
the last named place, and one or two fights
were attempted between him and other par
ties. On hearing the noise, Harris went over
and threatened the deceased what he would
do to him if he did not remain quiet. The
quarreling here continued for a short time,
when the parties, Harris, Thompson and
Russum, proceeded from Lucas premises to
the public road Immediately in front of the
house Here the main difficulty occurred,
and on Harris raising his arm to strike Rus
sum, the latter fired a pistol at the former, in
close proximity TO his face, and at the same
time turned to run. Harris Immediately re.
turned his fire with pistol also, and called
out to stop him, when both the men, Harris
and Thompson, started in hot pursuit. They
did not overtake him, however, until he had
reached fence some two or three hundred
yards from the starting point; and in the in
terval another pistol shot was heard. Upon
coming up with the deceased, Thompson
caught him in the act of getting over the fence,
as he afterwards stated, and stabbed him with
alarge knife to the heart, inhicting necessa-
rily mortal wound Upon two others reach
ing the scene, whittier they had followed,
upon hearing the last pistol shot, they beheld
Russum lying upon the ground and Harris
beating him as he was down. They pulled
Harris away, and discovered that Russum
was already dead.
An alarm was given, and the parties sepa-
rated, no attempt being made to arrest either
Harris or Thompson, who, however, subse-
quently during the same night proceeded to
Chesapeake City, about three miles distant,
and voluntarily surrendered themselves to q
Justice of the Peace there, acknowledging
the killing, but claiming that it was done in
self-defence. The body of Russum was left
where it was lying in the road. until after
the coroner's inquest, which was held on the
following morning. 1t was also in evidence
that the pistol first fired by the deceased, on
coming into the public road, was loaded by
friend of Harris with only powder and paper,
the ball being left out. Also that previous
threats had been made by Harris against the
life of the deceased
These are but the leading facts, many
other minor circumstances connected with
the transaction being given in evidence
After o patient and thorough investigation
of the case, the jury returned verdict of
murder in the second degree against Thomp-
son.
The case of Harris is being argued by
counsel before the jury, at the date our report
closes, Thursday. by Albert Constable and
Robert Vandiver, Esqs., of the Cecil bar, for
the defence. The State is represented by
Messrs. Biddle and Jones, of Cecil, and p.
r. Rutledge, Esq, of this county.