Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-12-06

nOeence.
On tie night of the 18th OF August last the
people OF Washington were shocked to hear
that dreadful mur Ter had been committed in
their midst a gentleman OF character and
respecfabllity from New York-s stranger here,
and our guest for the time, as ii Uere-had been
deliberately shot down By one Barney Woods
without apparent cause, and b ad been borne to
his hotel IN a diving condition by his grief
stricken brother, who witnessed the bloody act
IL is unnecessary 20 say tn at universal sympathy
was expressed fer the dying man and his wife
and children. Had the act occurred few
hundred miles further west the popnlace would,
in all probability, have arisen en- masse and
wIeaked summary vengeance or the SLAYER;
but here in q lav-abidDg community, although
the feeling was intense, no attempt was made
10 Cbstruct The usual course of Justice, and
Woods was arrested and held TO await the trial
which resulted in the dread sentence whose
execution is recorded in The STAR .0-day. The
circumstances OF
Ihe Murder
ere ireSh IN the minds OF many. but are recapi:-
mated below for the benefit OF those who may
rot have given much attention 20 the case. For
come time prior % August last, the Nessrs
Samuel nj. and James l.. Cbeesema an OF Port
JARVIS, New York, who were engages in the ice
business on the kennebec river, in Maine, had
been furnishing ice to the Independent Ice
Company OF this city, whose storehouse and
stables were on the Potomac, near the foot Of
10th street. MIR. James l.. Cheesemsn an elder
brother OF the murdered man. had been in the
city for several DAYS before the occurrence of
TIE tragedy, negotiating with Messrs Fay &
Bailey, proprietors of the company mentioned
ior the purchase of their business, and pending
negotiations the deceased was sent for and
shortly after arrived ON the 18th ct August
the brothers who stopped at the Metropolitan
hotel, together inspected the property OF
the company and examined the books
"KEEP AWAY"
Having concluded the business OF the day and
taken forlnal possession of the premises, they
drove TO the hotel about O'Clock in the even
ing and placed the team in charge OF Richard
Hammond, colored man, to take to the sta bles
at the foot OF 18th street. Opposite the stables
lived Barney Woods, who had formerly. and, in
fact, then had chars &c Of the horses of the ice
company. Ihe coiOred man requested Woods
10 take charge OF the team, saying the Cheese
mans had sent 1t down, but Woods refused, and
said, ..You-tell Cheeseman to 90 TO HI" Ham
mond. knowing the dangerous character of
woods, and not daring TO insist on his taking
charge OF the team, returned to the hotel and
informed the brothers Cheeseman What Woods
said. They thereUpcn got in the buggy with
dammond sitting liz front, and drove down to
tle stables ON nearing the stables they alighted
and walked towards the horse of Woods. who
was seated at the window, and hailed them with
keep away J" or something to that effect
were you carrying on fore" to which W oods re.
plieti by asking
"Is THAT YOU, CEgEsEMAs?'
gun, and Samuel II. Cheesem an, who was
shghtiy IN advance OF the others, received the
load of buckshot in the groin and right thigb.
and eNcia-niDg 81 m shot. I'm shot" Tell to the
ground. He was Immediately placed in the
hnegy as tenderly as possible and driven to the
motel, bat by the time lie reacheS there he was
quite unconscious. DR.. >. W. Buckley was at
once summoned, and with DR.. II. 4. Yong did
all In their power TO relieve the sufferer, remain
ing with him almost constantly until his death
occurred, lew minutes after II O'Clock on the
night after the shot was fired.
ABOUT FORTY BUcKsHor
entered The bowels and groin OF Ckaeseman
some OF them peTfOrating the bladder No at
tempt was laade to extract them as such an
operation would have only FASTENED the fatal
result The dying mag was unconscious until
about four hours before his death, when he
e emed to rally and at intervals was inSsnslble
HE lived about twenty-sN hours after the fatal
shotwas fired.
TIE WIPE OF THE DECEASED
who has several small children, was telegraphed
net reach here until the morning after her hus-
bands death.
The Arrest aud Trial.
The news OF the shooting spread like wild
Claryoe and McDevitt and McElfresh. O. the
detective corps, with Lieut.. Gessford. of the
lst precinct, proceeded 10 Woods residence to
arrest MN. Lieut.: Gessford being the bes
ard raped at the door for admission. Mrs
Woods answered. and asking who il WAS said
that Carney was drunk, and at the sans time
Barney himself called out from the stable
WHO tLere: Lieut.. GesstOrd told him, and
W GODS replied:
Il MUST CHALLENGE ALL WHO COME THIS
Iieut. Gessfcrd then asked him TO come ont
and hearing the cooking OF gIn d,
-eciy afterwards lodged, and n seconI
"a 9 Woods fired his piece, but fortunately
injured TO one. Chief Clsrsoe had his hanl
apon the trigger o. his pistol at the time AMI
y As about 10 fire at Wood, 'pposi az tia
Lieut.. Gessf0rd had been killed. he detectives |
pm nediateis made charge and secured |
u A
that there was force enough TO take him, He
seemed under the influence of liquor a. the TIM
Df his arrest and that night was locked up at |
police Leadquarters: On the following day he |
was taken tothe police court and com mitted 10 |
ail TO await the result OF the inju,ie OF Cheese
mar, and after the verdict OF the Coroner's jucy
Was fully committed tor trial.
THE MURDERED MAN,
samuel Nj. Cheeseman, was about fOrty-fiye
Years OF age; was slender in build, and was
about feet sE inches high. He had been
engaged In the ice business most of his life ana /
sss considered an excellent business man. He |
inst went into business at West Farms, Just |
above Harlem, New York, and about three
years before his deaf; remoyet. e Port Jarvis,
h I ne had purchased a farm for 1910 |
a bout the same time he sold out his nIacs a. !
" est Farms, and opened the 80 Consumers Ice |
,-,rrrsny" a, Jersey CITY, with a branch a. I
,ioboken, the M ain OF ice being located at the |
The foot Of Morgan street, JeI ,ey City.
Woods. WAS horn At a place eaI1ed Homo. county
W
Tyrone, ireland, on toe Ilth day OF June, 1885,
and was consequently 81 years OF age. He left |
Ireland az an early age, and learned bricklay- l
ing in Scotland, and on his arrival in this coun.
try, about 1850, he went TO Pennsylvania where
be worked at his u AIDE IL the neghbor hood OF
Harrisburg, and also worked Tor various per-
sons here. For five years previous 10 the war
be was a member of Father Matthews temper
ance society, and said the Sc we're the best
days OF his lite. He was enc of family OF %
brothers and sisters, the most Of whom are dead
He has some relatives (cousins) living at or
near Harrisburg, Pa. While in Washington he
generally worked in stables. and was quite
coed hostler. During the war he became some-
what notorious. He kept grocery and grog-
gerry in a two-story frame house in the court
Dorth Of Pennsylvania avenue, between LIST aud
I'd streets west, and here
THE POLICE wKEE CALLED SEVERAL TIMRs
in consequence of his disorderly conduct when
lie was drinking heavily. This place he con-
Quoted till about the close OF the war, when he
obtained position rs one OF the attendants a.
the government hospital for the insane. III sre
being quite away from the te mptations of drink,
he conducted himself so a. to secure the GOOD
will OF the officers OF the asylum. After leaving
there he was Ell gagged for three years working
for Mr.. L. L. Fowler, OF the independent Ice
company Is q sort of Waterman, and at times
Or owe one OF the ice carts. While so employed
he was entrusted with the general supern-
tendence Of the packing of ice, and occupied a
house near the stable, in which Mrs. Woods kept