The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-10-04
tbs FORT JOHNSON TRAGEDY.
The Closing Of the Inquest.

The jury of Inquest again met pursuant 10
adjournment yesterday morning, at the coro-
ner's Office, to continue tteir investigation oi
the causes which led to the death OF Slmon
| Grant. The mystery attending the "nole
affair has made it the leading excitement OF
the day, and favorite topic Of conversation
along the street. To hear the end oil the anair,
and attracted by the innate love OF Inc norri-
ble a large crowd assembled around the coro-
ner's office yesterday morning, and doors'
windows and every available place whence
the developments could be heard, were
speedily taken up by the spectators. The
pants worn by the prisoner, Washington, on his
excursion in the fiat, were exhibited to a witness,
and a thrill of horror ran through the epecta-
tors as they marked the ominous stains which
were thlckly spread over the front Of them.
A large number of witnesses were examined,
and the following interesting points establish
ed (: Several prominent physicians who had at
tended and performed the post-mortem exam
ination upon the deceased, testified that the
crushing in of the skull which caused his
death must have been produced by repeated
blows from some heavy blunt instrument.
Officer Truall testified that the prisoner had
said, when he arrested him, that Grant had
cursed him q id son of b-h, and that he
would not take that from his own father. The
musket, bag and bucket Of the deceased have
been found In the shop of g Mr.. Peterman, Sit
uated on the corner Of Concord and Inspection
streets, where they were left by him on Friday,
September 22d, just previous to his leaving the
city, Mr.. Peterman and all the other wit
nesses who saw Grant on Friday agree that he
was perfectly sober, nor does it appear that ne
was ever seen under the influence OF liquor al
apy previous time. Susannah Jackson, who
lives near Fort Johnson, testified that she
could not say positively that the prisoner is
the same man who went to her house on SAT-
urday morning, September 23d, but said tnat
he resembles the latter very strongly. on
being shown the pants above alluded to, she
said they are exactly like those worn BY the
man she had seen. The man appeared very
anxious to get over to the city, and told her
he had left the city In fiat with another man,
but the fiat being about to drift to sea,
he had jumped out when it passed near
James Island, and swan ashore. The mans
pants were not wet above the knees,
and the rest OF his clothing was quite
dry. The case having been submitted to
the jury they retired, and, after long ao-
sence. returned with their verdict, by which
thew found that Simon Grant had come to his
death by blows upon his head from blunt
weapon in the hands of Moses Washington.
The prisoner has been committed to jail to
await his trial on the charge of murder at the
next term of the Court Of General Sessions.
All the available evidence against him has been
procured, but this at the best Is only circum-
stantial. The only witness who could have re.
moved all doubt and settled the question is
dead; and the prisoner himself is the only liv-
ing person who knows whether he is guilty or
not. The pair of pants With the suspicious
stains upon them have been delivered to the
medical men, and science will be called upon
to show by chemical analysis whether the
stains are human blood or clay. The result is
one Of importance, and the fate ofthe prisoner
may in great degree depend upon II.