The New York herald., 1871-12-07
CONFESSION OF A NEGRO MUIR
DEEE2.
Tho Crime Committed Nearly Two Ycnrs and
6EE# M8 n Half AgO. t Ms&E

Tho Crime Committed Nonrly Two Ycnrs and
tGH& 4Na4 Half Ago. &HA NMt
From the Springfield (Ohio, Advertiser, Dec. 81
crime cannot be ) concealed m S forever. Years slip
away and the deed Is known only to God ana the
n ana va e s1e m 81 ne De
gins Its work and the deed Is revealed By comics.
sion. In the case when we are about to relate 1t
seemed improbable that confession would be
made that when Information was placed before the
Grand Jury OF Clarke county, based upon the con-
fessOn OF the individual who Is mentioned here the
said jury would not return true BILL Further par
ticuiars lead 10 Inc belief that the following are
facts and establish beyond doubt that the murderer
OF Mrs. Ormsbee Is dlsc0vered:-
SherII Colin, at the OHIO State Pententiary, yes
ciared nmself the murderer Of Mrs ormsSee, on the
14th OF July, 1852.
our citizens with remember this fearful tragedy.
bright summer morning the city was startled with
the news that q widow lady had been shot dead In
her house IN broad daylight, and that the cold
deed. had walked snort distance from the house.
stopped under tree, looked back at the house and
then turned again ana coolly walked OF. The par.
tculars OF the murder are about as f0llows:-The
family In the house on the night OF the 18th OF July.
seventy wSs years ola her daSsh,er Mrs. op%s
bee, also widow, aged forty three two OF Mrs.
Ormspee, Ben]amln and Richard !. L n.
On Tuesday night July IL, 1869, Mrs. Barnett and
Mrs. Ormsbee slept In the bedroom on the first floor
and the Two boys slept In room up stairs. In the
past four O'Clock, and stepped In ner night dress
from the bedroom into Inc dining room. Her
some remark about the household arrangements as
she passed out Of the room. A moment elapsed,
snot instantly followed, aud Mrs. Ormbee exclaimed,
"Oh mother !" Mrs. Barnett ana Mrs. OrmsDee' son,
Benjamin. Immediately rushed to The spot the lat
ter from The room up stairs. BENJAMIN reached the
window IN time to see man ab0nt twenty PAGES
distant from the house walking away. AS the boy
looked out the man turned. gazed at the window
where Mrs. Ormsbee lay dead. and then turned and
walked away, going north short distance, then
turning west through potato patch ana going
towards War0er'6 woods.
1t Is well known that great effort was made to
secure the murderer. that rewards were offered and
detectives secured 10 bring the pcrpe;rator JUS
tice. suspicion fell upon Aenry Ormsbee stcpson
Of Mrs 0rm;1eS who resided d m ,n, cyn,nana Ken,
there to ascertain the truth about the matter. Ho
found that ne had not left the place where he had
united, since the 6ln Of July, and hence could not
mistakabie aiib1 ascertancd In this start.
ling c0njectures were, started from time to time,
but the sviaence was iragmensasy and scarcely tam
expense to ferret ont. tho murderers. During last
spring some intelligence came TO the Prose
IN az 1 ensirey derens aer direction. was
believed that colored man had done the
from some colored people in South Charleston frag.
ments OF confession which had been male bv
s 70 @ es 70 % 20 se
he was OF a rowing disposition and remained but
short time In ono place. ti a
the Penitentiary that man was imprisoned there
who had something OF importance TO communicate.
erlng over to the Warden Matthew Carlos and VII.
liam Gibbons iouno guilty of burglary While there
he had received, and askec to see O colored man
named Charles Bell The Warden complied with
na 9Sng a coSTsd man
thick lips and beastly features; his snort,
woolly hair coming down over his forehead nearly
ns es cyes vsrtes ou' a idca q OF
In accordance with the desire OF the Sheriff the
his confession, which was heard BY SherG CONN,
Deputy Sheriff Boggs;and san ErsneoM me Warden.
He began by saying that he and q white man,
whose name he aid not know, but who was ia the
habit OF oa1ng about the western House, had heard
the house that night. They therefore contrived
plan OF ropbing her OF It, They waited until about
siderable, started on their way to her residence.
They. arrived there about ten O'Clock but
sn was A ournng IN tne house. So they Went
over to Greenmount Cemetery. There they laid
down TO wait few hours until they could
proceed with greater safety Overcome, however,
by the liquor they had drank, they fell asleep, and
Bell said that when lie awoke 1t was daylight and
proceeded quietly to the house, which they entered
from the window on the north side Of the mouse,
They passed through the house without awakening
the inmates, but after ransacking the rooms they
reacned inc lower room when he was startled % 10y BY
the appearance Of Mrs. Ormsbee, who had arisen In
aCCOIuauCe Will ucE usual CuStOWs ne euueaVOTeQ
to make his escape and had reached the window
when she caught him by the arm as if to
detain him, when he raised a pistol and fired
IL. she tell dead immediately at the window.
He said he was so frightened when she caught
him by the arm, and feared that the inmates
OF the house might capture him, that he Killed her to
prevent her from OBTAINING him. tie then walked
tree looked back TO see II any one was STIR
ring and then turned and proceeded nOrthward TO
the National road. He saw several persons In the
road, but they did not attempt 10 halt him. The
white man who was with him ran out around the
northern corner oil the house and passed out OF the
yard on the east side. Bell says lie has never seen
or heard anything OF him since that time. Bell
came to town that day and got drunk. and before
many hours found himself IN the station house for
disorderly conduct Ho was confined there for some
time, although the authorities little suspected thar
they had o murderer arrested. Az length the
Mayor told Bell that II he would leave the
town he, would release him.. lie made
here TO South Charleston, where he told some coored
friends OF the murder and his share In It; went to
Columbus, where he stole q horse, and went to
small town In Madison county, where he broke into
STORE was arrested found quit and sent TO the
Penitenary for the term OF sixteen years for grand
larceny. fs#tFl HNN EEw
lie said he was q native OF Kentucky, and had
been here about year. The pistol with which ne
had committed the deed OF blood had been given
TO him by q c0lOred man OF this place by the name
OF George Brown. bell stated that he wanted TO
make TINS confession because he did not feel right
since he had done IT; II hung heavily upon MS con.
science and he thought he would leel better II he
Sheriff Coffin said that he dcscrDed the premises
with precision, aud Is without doubt the cold
blooded, hcariless murderer or AIRS. Ormsbee.
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