The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1871-06-27


SATURDAY, June II, 1871.
l saw Clement L Va'landgham die
at fifteen minutes to 10 this morning
The event is so sad, SO ineXpressibly
distressing. that pause for utterancc.
Yesterday, full of lusty life, and heart
beating with high hope. He stooG fore
most among the able counsel of Thom-
as Mcclellan; to-day he is lying dead,
with his wife far away, and his darling
son breaking his loving heart with 4
passion of grief too deep to tell, too sa-
cred to look upon.
THE REVOLVER. .5t
Mr. Vallandigham occupied Room
No. Is, on the second floor of the Leb-
anon House, the room Immediately oyer
the hall door, and fronting on Broad
way, the widest and handsomest street
in the place.
He had returned but a short time
from walk with Hon A. G. McBurney,
of Lebanon, and Thomas Millikin, ESQ. ,
of Hamilton, associate counsel in the
defense of Thos. Mcclellan, from Tur-
tie Creek, in the outskirts, whittier the
gentlemen repaired at the instigation of
Mr.. Vallandigham to witness an exper-
iment performed by him of shooting
with a revolver at piece of cloth in or
der to show how close the muzzle of the
weapon could be held to the material
without powder burning it.
Mr. Vallandisham had a new Smith
& Wesson's improved revolver, with
five chambers of the No. 80 calliber, and
tried his experiment with what success
/ can not now determine, but as the
party returned, Mr.. Millikin remarked
to Mr. Vallandigham that there were
three loads remaining and he had better
discharge them. "No," replied Mr..
Vallandgham, "never mind" Mr.. Mil
likin urged; Mr.. Vallandigham resisted,
and soon after reached the hotel and en-
tered his room, where he placed the
loaded revolver on the table with an un-
loaded weapon, which he intended to
use in his argument on Monday before
the jury in illustrating his theory that
Thos. S. Myers shot himself. Mr..
Symmes, of Hamilton, entered the
room, and Mr. Vallandigham remarked
that he felt badly; he had just had tel
egram announcing the dangerous illness
OF his wife's brother, Hon. j. L V. Nc
Mahon, of Cumberland, Maryland, and
Mrs. Vallandigham had gone to attend
that dying bedside. A few sympathet-
ic words and social glass, and the
friends sat down, soon to be joined by
Mr.. McBurney.
THE FATAL ACCIDENT.
No one unacquainted with Mr.. Val
landigham can fully appreciate his Won
derful energy Of character. 1t has car
ried him through almost unparalleled
difficulties, and given him name and
place in history which every civilized
tongue repeated for several eventful
years, and never, probably, did it shine
out with such promise as in this latest
effort of his legal career.
Upon the defense of Tom. Mcclellan
he concentrated every faculty of mind,
throwing his entire being into it with an
enthusiasm and force which those asso-
ciated with him in the case-and they
have best right to know-say eclipsed
every former effort, and gave promise
of success in case already tried, ju6g-
ed and condemned at the mex xorable bar
of public opinion. Day and night he
devoted himself to it with unremitting
pains. Everything calculated to con
tribute in the least to strengthen the de-
fense Mr.. Vallandigham eagerly per-
formed, and it was in direct pursuance
of this that he lost his life.
II will demonstrate to you in mo-
ment," said he to Mr. Symmes, "the alb
surdity of Follett's argument that Tom
Myers did not shoot himself" With
that he seized one of the pistols lying
on the table, and putting it in his right
pantaloons pocket, continued: "Now
here is the way Tom Myers had his pis-
tol in his pocket
Mr.. Synmes here interrupted him,
and cxcusing himself, left the room to
see Judge Pope on business, who at
that moment passed Room l5 on his
way to his own room on the floor above.
and retired.
Mr.. Vallandigham had then only one
auditor and spectator-Mr. McBurney.
"You see, McBurney, how hold this
pistol?''
"Yes.' j.
"Very well, now; Myers drew his out
this way, and as the muzzle came up to
hereabout he pulled the trigger"
Mr. Vallandigham held the muzzle of
his pistol against the right side of his
abdomen, at point almost exactly corr
responding with that where Myers re-.
eeived the bullet, and to the infinite as
tonishment of Mr.. McBurney and him
self, an explosion took place, and the
rash experimenter exclaimed; 3 Il
'.Oh murder; | am shot!' Z
The terrible situation was realized in
a moment by both. Mr.. Vallandfgbam
tore open his garments, and Mr.. Nc
Burney summoned assistance.
'Wnat a foolish thing to do remar-
ked the wounded man, as he pointed to
a little red spot on his spotless skin,
81 took hold Of the wrong pistol, and
that's the result"
THE ALARM
The explosion and the call for assis-
taDce soon filled Room 10, the hall in
front, and the stairway with excited peo-
pie, and in much less time than it takes
to tell it here half the population of
Lebanon knew that Mr. Vallandigham
was accidentally shot
The terrible news was caught from
mouth to mouth it spread like fame in
a stubb!e field, and left the same with
ering effect. Everybody was transfer
med into solicitous, sincere sympathi-
ger as if by magic, and quickly as hands
could execute the commands of will,
the telegraph and mounted couriers
we're heralding the dreadful tidings ana
'ummoning to the bedside of the now
PROSTATE man the members of his fam
ly within reach, and his intimate per-
'onal friends.
THE yOTrNn