The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-02-18
INFERNAL CRUELTY.
Trial of a Man for the Murder af His son-A
story OF Horrible brutality.

story or Horrible Brutality.
+. The Detroit Tribune of Feb. Is says
The second trial of George Dixon took place
Yesterday. Dixon, on his former trial was con-
victed and sent TO the State Prison. The main
testimony in the former case was that of Dixon's
wife, OF a woman claiming to be his wife, but
who had husband living when last heard from.
Her evidence was admitted on tho ground that
the marriage with Dixon was illegal This was
held as error by the Supreme Court 08 Mich,
S4), and Dixon was brought back to the county
for a new trial. Dixon is man of middle height
grey eyes, and brown hair. His countenance is
coarse, and his general appearance indicates
sullen disposition and low order of intel
lect. He is a man of about forty or fifty years
of age, and is the father of four children. James
is the one that died on January "a, 1868, and
whose death was caused by cruel treatment re-
ceiyed at the hands of his father. This child
seemed to be the chief object of his fathers
hatred, and fell victim to very cruel treatment
and privation. After burial the body OIL t boy
was taken up and examined by Drs. Cutter and
Beech, and on the trial DR.. j. II. Beech testified
that he examined the chld's body February 4,
after 1t was taken up. Over the right eye was
found dlscolored spot, and In cutting through
no injured bone was found. The flesh part
appeared as If 1t had been bruised, but the injury
was not serious one. The heels and toes
were found to have been frozen during life.
Both of the heels were mortified,
and the flesh partially separated from
the bone. From the appearance of the feet, the
freezing had taken place some time before.
There was blood settled In one part of the heart,
and portions near the back were of q dark,
greenish hue, as IL blood had settled there
during life. In cutting through the breast he
came to rough bone, and on examination It
was found that the breast-bone had beon broken
through as by severe violence. By its appear
ance, II must have been injured three or four
weeks before The muscles over the heart and
Of the left side had dark red appearance, but
on the other side they were Of light flesh
color. There was an appearance of disease of
the heart The bruises In and about the heart
could not have occurred over twenty-four
hours before death, and were sufficient to cause
death.
Thomas Dixon testified that he was II years
old, and that George Dixon was his father that
Jimmy, the brother older than himself died one
night that Jimmy slept In the same bed with
him and his sister that night; on the day before,
in the afternoon, Jimmy was citing on the steps,
and his father came out and threw him down in
the woodshed, and got on him with his knees;
Jimmy was sitting on the steps crying because
his feet were frozen, when his father came out;
his father was mad because he did not saw wood.
Other witnesses were called, who testified that
on different times, from three weeks TO six
months previous to the boys death, they had
seen Dixon pull his son James down and kick
him several times; that at one time he struck
him with handspike, at another with a shovel,
and inflicted many other cruelties which are
sickening to relate.
Dixons statement was to the effect that he
did not mean to hurt the boy, and If he was hurt
at all within twenty-four hours before he died,
1t was by falling from chair in which he was
sitting to have his feet dressed the night before
his death.
The testimony was closed at 10 o'clock and
in the afternoon the jury returned verdict of
guilty.