The New York herald., 1871-11-24
TIE BLACKBURN MURDER TRIAL.
The Prisoner il Charged with Numbering His
Aistress-History Of the Case.
Correspondence Of tho Cincinnati Times.l

CHrLlIcoTHE ohio. Nov "a, 1871
Tdn IN ID sas sess'0a f q .ae fsas gsu
indicted Tor murder In tao FIRST degree hid ahoS:Ul
victim being his iormer mistress woalan named
Lowell. Tnls case has eXclIed much attention in
thIs region. ana although tile facts IN relation TO
It. 10 far " kAown, have all been made pusalc
through the papors. = recaptnat0n OF Tho iRcl.
dents attendant upon the tragedy may enable your
readers more fuly to understand the state OF affairs
john s. BLACKBURN, tue accused is man Of apps
rently my years OF age, " slender bud Though Rot
OF care, betokenIng more tae workings OF an over.
burdoned utnd than the raragss VI time. Hls HAIR.
sprinklcd with streaks OF gray. Ia manners ne is.
At times. Pleasant and c0mpau.ouabe; AZ others.
n,m nc atsr m 10 u or
ners, to DetOkon him the gay Lo,hari0 tnat MS lau.
macy with the unfortunate woman would seem TO
Tne viotlm. Mary Jane Lowell Is said to have beea
young woman OF twenty-five or twenty SIX years
lived at LoesDurg, ntxnand county, but for senio
time prev1ous to her death mad been living with
aunt, Mrs. Fannie Blackburn (sister-ii-.aw OF rRa
accuseol Mt her home In Cihcinnan. On Monday,
the 2stn day q March last sue ieft CinoHna, xad
went 70 drcsnHsid. at winch place she mel isaog-
burn, II is clamcd, by appointment, aitaougn this
Is aenlod by lhS prssncr and hls iisads A, al
went dewp TO iEo Iarm ol Hitts Ml2an. u Dro&her-
tn.law " Blackburn, VINO vcs siort distance soata
OF Green0cfl Al this place Blackburn setrea .
horse rrOnl the pasture ana mounting Iho rwliA
rode away On tnsr errand o. death. As 10 what
TOOK place between them after this NO hpsnan beiag
prisonsrj Is charged WITH having cur,passed hsr
death hy foul means. The story 50 ras u l. kaowa
returned l, ne % 7usS Munxaas aud there passed Inc
night, 9ettng an1 conducting himself strnngc1v
meanwhile. On Wednesday MorAing ne told Mill
gan tnat III that weman was DEAD NO would 1Iid
her Of the mouth OF Ch1 Run" tine mouth of tnla
eSula,ssns a nom Sresasd and EalaSisae Sus % sas
on re QrqQt mo q ROAD between uhe two paoesJ
4 : a NJ sr rnsss osg
had boen considered demenred by his frlenas
? ract OF which shall hereafter speak. At leagra.
the assertion hav1ng been repeated SO often, Mlisan
moued his h.rse ana rode 10 the spot described bY
a Wnsre sass Hnoas ne s roana s SSay
right drm extended from her BODY, Ter fees slightly
apart, lpd dress somewhat dlsordered
Mr.. M(Ingan at This time did no more than to NJ
certain mat The woman was dead. ami that sAe was
rcoIIy where blackburn had reported her TO be. Tie
then went to Greenfield aud reported tue matter to
y. W. Mark, Marshal OF Thai village, VINO rcturnea
Y company win MIN; M and 1.-The Thea weat % to %Sann,ase
Justice Of tho Peace. This gentleman sumlnoncl
@ Sae o1 W te asd ress s ~ s
n, had preliminary cAanIn-t tian, Which resulted
IN his being bound over u answer the charge Ia the
II ia proper 10 romark Eere that his freads would
have alven this bail had such q cousss not been
advised against, botn Dy his COUNSEL and by the at
tending physicians. AT the Mag term o. Court the
Grand Jury indicted hiackourn for murder III tne
FIRST degree. but the u di did not come OH AZ that
term, rs the defence was not ready, The stomaca
OF the murdered woman was at the time Of
quently sent to Professor Wormey, at Columbus,
Tor anaIyznuOn; but whether tnat gentleman FUR
this trial AM not prepared 10 say, neither an, VI
present aole to state whether or ne the examlna-
ton revealed traces OF poison In the stomach
BLACKBURN'S STORY
about tho matter, gwen TO bugh Milligan AT tho
time OF the tragedy, Is tnat the woman came to
come away with her, sne did not care wnare, and
c. them stay together for three or four days." lie
that he did want to 40. But he sid sue Id
sisted on his gong, aud told him she didn't
aas se scoeGed 60 ner we aSd ny
left together and went to Aiilgan's wacre
an and they rode away iogcihes. Going down me
Rapid Forge they travelled about eisnt miles, whea
they came 70 the luncton o. the upper ana lower
roads (both leading from Greenfield Rapid
Forge. Here the woman said was as good place
as any 70 stay and at tins point tney both DIS
Blackburn goes on to say that she produced
bottle containing something, aud ASKED him to
tired 2 rev steps, took draught from the pottlo
ana then threw 1t away. Previously, however, to
oIering MIN the bottle, BLACKBURN wen o. 10 say,
she refired some distance rom nIm and ne over
heard her mnttering as II talking TO- her
Hevc !. viii XIII me lie inen urgeI ner to come and
goaway. She refused. lie told her the horse would
pave 10 go home anyhow. eho said he could
take the horse home and then como back. He then
mounted the horse and rode back TO IIugh MILL
gan's, which place he reached some time between
sundown aud dark on Tuesday afternoon NOW.
whether this scene took place immediately on their
arrival as Blackburns story would seem to indi
! am not advised. Backourn's story was that i3e
woman was alive when he lett ner. ~
THE SCENE OF TnE TRAGEDY.
The spot where this poor unfortunate breathcd
gcr last is dark and secluded one. ON either side
WScn the BODY was . with ns cxeSpon SS of
three or four spots almost entirely surrounded by
dense jungle Of almost impenctrabe undergrowth;
that section OF country a spot moro peculiarly
adapted 10 the concentration OF 80 helIish deed.
BLACkBURN's MENTAL CONDITION
AS SAID IN tue uist portion OF this letter, Black
burns friends claim tnat ne Is ana has been Tor q
long time demented; that he has been incapable OF
transacting any business Whatever; anu tuat, not
withstandipg the fact that he had money, he could
not pay i out G either N me payment OF debts In
either for himself or his family. His manner both
at ine time OF his trial and since his incarceraionn In
dering. although there arc different opinions ex.
pressed as 10 his sanity. few days since, Dy the
permission or the Sheriff.
BLACKBURN WAS INTERVIEWED,
the interview taxing place In the parIor OF the
light was thrown on this unfortunate affair ny nny
facts ecited from him. IL Is unnecessary 10 re.
oapitulate y his personal appearances; During the
rambling and disconnected. His face WAS pale and
hagsard.ioosin%g, % his eyes wa,erJ and his couute-
1ne following Is the gist OF his statement 10 ine re-
porter:-"l was born In Cupepper county, Virginia,
she IN .gs ss prs 10 ne Ss
ness Of farming. but for ten years previous to my
mental innrmity rad been. think engaged in stock
two aud q half yearA since. ] attribute all
nv brain trouble to dyspepsia, although
was at times very violent MY mind was Qone wnen
sold my larm, two years ago. frat got IN this
farm. was so anxious TO get rid Of II ihati would
have taken one dollar per acre for II as readily As
the price got seemed TO have no power 10 make
bargains or contracts. ! cannot tell much about
Mary Jane Lowell, the deceased, on account OF my
mind, and I have forgotten almost all ,nat ever
ten years old but the nrst time ever saw her after