Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-04-01
THE GANsFIELD TRAGEDY.
From the Mansneld Herald.I
THE MAYORS EXAMINATION.

THE MAYORS EXAMINATION.
On last Thursday, an examination @
I Robinson took place, in NiIler's Hall
before Mayor Cummins. Two new wit
nesses were examined by the Prosecu
ton, Drs. DeCamp and Taft, dentists o
. this city.
DIR. TAFT's TESTIMONY.
DR.. c. R. Taft, dentist, was examined
Am dentist for nineteen years; took Z
cast of Robinson's mouth Yesterday be
tween 9 and 10 O'Clock; least shown o
upper jaw As the mouth originally
was, there would be no marked pecu
liarities. The loss of certain teeth has
made peculiarities in the mouth. The
cast, however, of another mouth would
not flt his, but there are general similar
tiles IN the teeth of all persons, but no
two are alike, any more than two faces.
There were no striking peculiarities in
the lower jaw particularly applicable to
the wound on the arm.
| Was present at the examination on
the 10th of March, about o'clock in
the afternoon. examined the wound,
/ and, without reference to casts, hit upon
the lowest wound as being the only one
clearly well defined. Before attempted
to apply the cast, marked out the dis
tance occupied by the bite from one end
to the other, so far as it was clearly de-
fined then observed that there was
congested blood in FIVE separate i'm
pressiOns, as if made by teeth or other
objects; that the center impressions were
widest, as if made by the broader center
teeth; that the right impression was less
| clearly defined, there being less conges-
ton.
l proceeded to apply the cast to the
wound or impression, and found that it
corresponded surprisingly well with the
| impression on the skin. The canine
teeth being shorter, had not penetrated
so deeply as the rest, though the SPOT
was yet well defined. The left side of
this impression ran to what was another
bite. There were only FIVE impressions,
| as far as l could determine, as there was
also the slight space, just as in this cast,
between the cuspid and lateral incisor.-
There were not distinctive tooth impress
sions made by the lower Jaw, but the
circle of the cast fitted very well to the
circle of the wound
In the second wound the teeth had
slipped and made a bruised blue spot,
with clearly defined impressions of
teeth
The third bite, on the feshy part of
the arm, was very large, the mouth hav-
ing taken IN a large part of the arm,
and the cast of lower and upper jaw
were applied There was a general
bluntness, but not so much definitenesS
as the other impressions.
1t will be seen that this testimony is
strongly corroborative of that already
given by Drs. Loughndge, King and
Bristor, and strongly strengthens the
principal point against Robinson in the
matter of the casts of his mouth and
the bites on the dead womans arm.
Mrs. Charity Harris, the colored wo-
man who lives in the house in which the
murder was committed was called to
the stand, but nothing new was elected
From the conduct of this witness before
the Coroner's Jury, we are disposed to
think that she has not told all she knows,
and we trust that when she gets under
the hands of a lawyer in a cross-exami-
nation, all her knowledge of this dread
full affair may be fully brought out.
VISIT TO THE JAIL.
Since Robinson's confinement in the
jail, we have visited him. We found
him engaged IN eating his dinner, with
apparently hearty appetite, and with
Dul IlllC Anxiety III ICSdtu u tAlC result
of the trial to which he now looks for
ward to regain his liberty. There is not
the least evidence of guilt in his man
ner, and he looked us as calmly and de-
lberately in the eye as any innocent
man could. We came away from his
cell, strongly impressed with the idea
that he never could have committed the
murder. If he is really guilty, we must
confess he is the best specimen of a cast
iron, cold-bloOded man it has ever been
our province to come in contact with
He expressed himself to us that he had
no fears of the result of his trial, feeling
that no Jury would convict him of muir
der on the evidence that has been found
so far against him. He says that no one
who knows him would ever think him
guilty of so dreadful deed, as he never
was accused of hard-hearted or coward
ly conduct, however wild he may have
been in his life.
CAST OF ANOTHER MANS TEETH.
A negro named Charles Rogers, who
had been employed at Thornton's Hotel,
and who left town on Monday, after the
murder, and who it was thought might
have had something to do with the muir
der, was arrested on Friday at Wooster,
and brought back to Mansfield. There
was no evidence that he had any knowl-
edge of the affair more than that he had
been seen in the neighborhood of the
house at times. 1t was thought well
enough to test him, however, and ac-
cordingly a cast of his mouth was made
and compared with the marks on the
arm of the deceased woman. The teeth
were perfect, however, and as the marks
were made by very irregular ones, they
did not fit worth a cent, and this point
of evidence could not be made against
Charley. So he was discharged.
We understand that policeman has
been sent after Abram Newsam, the col
ored individual who slept in the room
adjoining the one in which the murder
was committed, and that he will be
brought back, also, so that cast can be
made of his mouth. We expect it will
be found hard work to find a darkey's
teeth to compare with those irregular
marks on the arm. Afric's sons are
proverbial for sound grinders.
THE BLOODY WITNESS.
A letter to the Commercial says:
Your assumption, in an editorial of
Monday, that the fact of no blood being
| found on Mr.. Robinson clothing was as
strong circumstantial evidence in his ia
vor as the teeth marks were against him,
would be correct in ordinary cases. But
in this case every thing is extraordinary.
The body lay, when discovered, diagon-
aIlv across the bed, the feet toward the
| front and the head toward the back Of
the bed. The head and shoulders had
been thrust down, the Stats given way, to
within few inches of the floor. and the
head was pressed beneath the bed rail.
The face and throat were partially turned
toward the wall, and all the blood spirit
ed and flowed in that direction. There
was not a particle of blood on the bed
and clothing below the pillow. No blood
on her body-not even on her bosom.
So the position ofthe murderer was entire
Iy free from blood, and there is no evil
| dence from the marks that blood was on
any part of his person excepting his
right hand. See the following evidence