Smyrna times., 1870-06-29
MiSce e//u21 e OuS.
Jonathan Bradford.

JOudIndn Bradford,
More than century and quarter has now
elapSed since the story OF Jonathan Bradford
was converted into drama. the intrr..t ot
which shares in that excited bv "Gnorgn
BarnweI!. The drama is very seldom nlave5
nOW-a-days, but the main circumstances will he
su1hclently remembered by every theatre-goer
lor the su6Jolned synopsis of the ac.ual facts
upon which the drama was founded tc be read
with interest
jonathan Bradford was executed at Oxford
In the year 1885, tor the murder of Christo-
pher Hayes, Esq. This Bradford kepr am inn
on the road from London to Oxford. lie bore
an uneXceptIonable character Mr. Hayes a
gentleman OF fortune. being on his way to visit
relation, put up at Bradford's house of enter
taihment' tie there joined company with two
0ther gentlemen, also incidental travellers like
himself, with whom he supped. and in the
course OF conversation, mentioned ungardpdIv
that he had about him large sum Of money
ln que time they repaired to their respective
Chambers, the two gentlemen to a doublebed-
ued room, leaving, as Is customary with MANY
candle burning in the chimney corner
Some hours after they were in bed. one be-
ing awake, thought he heard deep g1oan in
tne adjoining chamber This being repeated
ne softly awakened his friend. They listened
togethtr' and the erOans Increasing as of one
uylng, they both arose and proceeded silently
to the door of the next chamber. whence the
sounds proceeded and the door being aiar. saw
Hght IN the room. They entered but it
would have been difficult to paint their con.
sternatlon on perceivng person welterinp in
ms blood IN the bed, and a man standing over
nm, with dark lantern in one hand and a
HhlIe Ill the other. The man seemed as petri-
ned as themselves, but his expression carried
with 1t all the terror Of guilt The gentleman
soon discovered that the victim was the stran
ger with whom they had that night summed
and the man standing over them was their host
Ihey SeZed Bradford directly, diSarmed him
o1 the knife, and charged him with being the
murderer By this time he had recovered his
compoSure, assumed an air OF innocence, posi-.
tFey dehled the crime, ard asserted that
he came there with the same humane in
tentlons as themselves. Hearing noise he
SAID, which was succeeded in deep croaninr.
he got out OF bed, struck light, and had only
entered the room minute or two before them.
These assertions were Of little avail he was
Kept IN close custody till the morning, and
then taken before neighboring Justice Of the
peace. lie still resolutcy denied the crime
but nevertheless with such an apparent indi-
cation OF guilt that the justice made use Of an
extraordinary expression on writing out his
mttImuS-" Mr.. Bradford, either you or nv
stlt committed this murder"
This extraordinary affair naturally became
the conversation Of the whole country. Rrod
ford was tried and condemned over and over
again IN every company In the midst of all
this predeterminatiun came the assizes at Ox.
1ord Bradford was brought to trial. He
pleaded ." not guilty" Nothing could be more
conclusive than the dispositions of the two
gentlemen. They testified to the finding of
Mr. Hayes murdered in his bed Bradford at
the side OF the body with light and knife ::
the knlie and the hand which held it bloody
on entering the room he betrayed all the signs
OF guilty man. and few moments before
they had heard the groans Of the deceased
bradford defense on his trial was the same
as before the gentleman. He had heard
noise; he suspected that some villainy was
transactng he struck light; he snatched a
knte, the only weapon near him. to defend
himself; and the terrors he discovered were
merely those OF humanity, the natural effects
OF Innocence as well as guilt, on beholding such
a horrid scene.
But tins defence was considered weak. con-
traSted with the powerful circumstances against
MN. Never was clrcumStancia evidence more
conclusive. There was little need of comment
from the Judge in summing up the case, No
room or plea appeared for extenuation. The
jury brought i'll the prisoner guilty without
ever gong out OF the box. jonathan Bradford
was executed In due course of law, still declar-
ing that ne was not the murderer OF Mr.. Hayes;
out he died unpitied and disbelieved by ALL
leu were these assertions not untrue. The
murder was actually committed by Mr. Haves'
lOOtman, who Immediately on stabbing his
master rfied his bTeeches pockets of his money
gold watch, and snuff box, and escaped unob
served 10 his own room. This could scarcely
nave been five minutes before the entrance of
bradford INTO the unfortunate mans cbambe,
The world owes this knowledge to n remorsa
OF conscience in the real delinquent eighteen
years after the execution of Bradford, on bed
OF sickness. 1t was death bed repentance,
ana by the death the law lost its due victim
IL seems strange that as the two gentlemen had
distinctly heard MIR. Hayes say he had large
sum of money with him, they did not search
his clothes to sec if it had been abstracted. and
at the same time examine the person of Brad
tord to detect the plunder in his possession, if
1t was on him. Its absence would have been
point in his favor, which ought not to have
been overlooked.
1t would be more satisfactory if this account
could close here; but it cannot. Bradford
though innocent, and not party to the mrr-
der Tor which he suffered the extreme penalty
OF the law, was, nevertheless the murderer in
ueSlpn. lie hau heard as well as his fOOtman
what Alr. Hayes had said as to his having a
large sum of money about him, and he went to
the chamber with the same dahOcal inten
tiOnS as the servent lie was struck with
amazement He could not believe hissenses :;
but, in turning back the bed clothes to assure
himself Of the fact, he, in his agitation, drop
ped the knife on the bleeding body, by which
both his hand and the weapon became bloody.
These circumstances he acknowledged to the
clergymen who attended him after his sentence.
Too MCCH LEGISLATION.-The Vermont
Constitutional Convention, by close vote. has
adopted the policy of biennial sessions of the
Legislature. This rule is general in the Wes
tern States and on the Pacific coast, and has
also been incorporated into the constitutions of
number Of the reconstructed Southern com
monwealths. There is but little necessity for
annual sessions Of the Legislatures in any of