The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-07-06
THE CIRCULATION OF TIE DISPATCH
rs LARGER THAN THE COMBINED CIR
CULATION OF ALL THE OTHER DAILY
NEWSPAPERS OF THE CITY.
An Ex.Member Of the West Virginia
Legislature Blows Ont EI's Rrntns-
Hts Supposed Completely In she
Rnuova MmY6ar.

On laSC fIluay aiLeTnOOu LucIC WAS ciuN1-
cd near Central Station, in Doddridge
county, the last scene Of tragedy winch
for cold-blooded and dastardly CRIME has
been seldom surpassed even In fiction:
Noah James, Esq, member OF the west
Vi~e'ria Legislature IN 1868, and man OF
wealth and influence in big neighborhood,
blew out his own bra'"S. The 81 eide was
Undoubtedly the result of the circr'n-
stances we are about to relate.
Orr readers remember that on the 18th
of last March q man named Rogers, FORM
cry li,;us on the edge of Tyler county.
near the Doddridge county lines was found
lying dead in the woods near his own house.
lie had received bullet wound i'll rs abb
domcn and another in the neck, either OF
which would probably have proved fatal.
BY yo,ious circumstances wi'ch it IS not
now neccssal Z to repeat, suspicion was g.
rected asa:1sL Isaac Owens, q sort Of despe-
RADIO in the neighborhood, who was then
under indictment in Tyler county on the
charge of hal.ug bul ned some haystacks
and cabin belone;ug to the murdered msf,
Rogers. Owens was arrested on the charge
; of murder. and the trial took place at West
| Ur'on, IN Dodd, idoe county, whittier tie
Ca G had been transIerr ! from Tyler. The
ev' 1encc was mainly c'"cumstantidl, but
w"s sufficiently conclusive as to | g s1ilt,
III WAS CpilSltGCo oI IuC k-OLI vi hIs y
| and few days later sentenced to ''npl;>ou-
ment in the penitentiai 7 for life.
Soon after OWens's arrest some suspicion
of comDlicitv in the murder of Rogers was
directed aga'rst Noah James. There was 4
long -Gtanulng and bitter feud between the
nm lies; they had had several 'aw-suits, and
,Iames was heard to say that Rogers ought
to be shot. Up to the tine of h's arrival at
the penitenti:"y OW ems had preserved q
Stubborn silence N.th regard to the mur-
der. lie had not divuleed n syllable that
threw any light upon the bloody transac-
ton, and haC ma rtained an appearance Of
stold Indifference as to the result of the
Iial. A few days after bis Incarceration,
conles zion of the crime. His statement was
reduced to Writing, aud was found to COLL
eide exactly with the evidence adduced at
the trial.
Hc ST It d that on several occasions Noah
James had said that Rogers ought to be
shot that on Friday, March 10, he WIS en-
gagged, in company with his son, IN grub
bing field for Mr.. james, when the l,tter
came to him in the field, took BIN short
distance apart from his work, and had q
long talk with him about Rogers. and offer
ed to give him twenty five dollars if he
would Keep Rogers from appearing against
i
Doduridgc County Cou,t; that le objected
to the proposition ut first, but james tLc.i
| offered to give him twenty-five dollars and
| lend him fifty dollars more il he would Kill
| ROGERS. Owens also stated that Jamcs
agreed to get him some powder, lead, and
| caps, and promised that il he was arrested
he (JalneS) would take care Of his family.
% his bali, get him lawyers, Fay his wit
nesseS, and swear him out O.. the scrapc, and
finally agreed that he would hirScH assist
in the contemplated murder. Owens con-
| sentCd.
| On Saturday, March IL, Noah James
went to the store and procured the neces-
sarv ammr" ition; on Sunday Isaac Owens
ana his wife took 6'puer ut James's, the
| arrangements were comp 'eted, and Owens
| got the powder and caps nc needed and
| went home. 1t was orranged that Rogers
should be murdered on the next day Mon
| day., but upon lis arrival at hore owens
| found that one of his boys. who was Oh arged
gone away, so that the completion of the
plan agreed upon with James had to be
postponed. On Wednesday,, March 18th,
owens was returDin" from the mill,
when he discovered Rogers coming
along the road on his way home. Has
tering home as rapidly as possible, Owens
| Went over to Noah James's and tcld h'm
that Rogers was coming along the path
! towards his house, when they iIrmed lately
! fastened to the woods and placed them
selves in ambush to await the arrival of
| Rogers. Noah james fired the first shot
| from his rifle, the ball tak;ng effect in 10
gers's body, who then turned screaming
'"om the path and started to run. Owens
| then fired his pistol, the ball TAX ing effect
under Rogers's ight jaw, when he 'n-
mediately fell and N few moments WAS
dead. ....
After Owens's arrest, and some surmises
of James's completely in the crime began to
be circulated, the latter refused to have
anything to do with Owens-to furnish pm
eny money, or give him any assistance what
yer, and we believe tul .''shcd some eli-
dence against Owens at the trial. But he
failed to put to rest the suspicious that had
been circulated concerning I'm i'll the
neighborhood. Public opinion had been
aroused. One circumstance ai.er another
came to light, al tending to weave web OF
sLilt about the unhappy man. At length 1t
was thought that sUnicient evidence had
been found to authorize his arrest as al ac-
cessory to the murder of Rogers, and on
last Saturday the warrant was 10 be sci yed,
but at that time he had appeared before q
higher judge. -.
On last Friday Noah James, who lived
about two miles from Central station, ate
very little dinner and complained OF feel
ing unwell. Soon otter dinner he took bis
gun and proceeded up little run that
flows through ravine close to his house.
He had only been absent few minutes
when his wife heard the report of the gun,
and sent one of the children to see what
had been shot. The CHILD returned In wild
terror, bearing the dreadful news that its
father was dead. 1t was found That Mr.
James had taken off the boot and sock from
one foot, and placing the muzzle OF the
rifle to his eye, pulled the trigger with his
toe and sped the fatal bullet to his brain.
Noah James was a man of strong preju-
diceS and bitter reSentments. He was liked
by some of his neighbors, and feared by
many. He had very little education, but
had acquired sufficient influence in his
county to secure election on the Radical
ticket as q member of the House of Del
egates in 1868. He made no mark as q
legislator, and is only remembered as the
successor of the more widely known
Ephraim Bee. We make this publication
from no design to wound the feelings of his
distressed family, bat as the sequel to and
completion Of the history Of one of the
darkest crimes that have ever stained the
history of this State Wheeling Register,
4th.
The Chicago Times has word to say to
the thousands of young men just gradua-
ted from colleges which, despite its satiri-
cal flavor, is sensible advice. This IL the
point of it $" But rs farther preparation
for an honorable career, his first duty is to
quit being college graduate. When the
floral tributes that applauding maidens
A,,pu Of hia fact IN. that impnsinp COM