The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1873-08-15

xa
immediately preceding the murder Of
t the deceased? -? IN what relation did
the unfortunate prisoner stand, and
Whist Is his connection with this terri;
bic crime?
/ Nicholas Bcusiag, at the time Of bis
lea-l, gss q poor iaa1, and Z renter,
hawai- lived On the iarrl of IL. d.
5haier for some months previous to
ks decelse. There, surrounded by
lis family, he toiled for their sup
DoEt, and without moments warning
was, by the fa;al bullet, cut down in
the prime Of lie
HAs. Welder, his niece by her oTn
testimony, says she came to his house
some fourteen days after the New
Years day preceding his death, and
lived in the family continuously to tho
2-th of February last, the day of the
murder Mr.. Bensing and Jacob
Gartee had been much Of the time,
.or many weeks, engaged in cutting
wood together ON the farm for Mr..
Shafer. And the defendant hsd made
MS home with the family .ince some
time II October last, and, as the evil
Renee shows, was trested with as
much familiarity and confidence by
the family - any member of the
'househould. Besides these persons,
:aere we're also little David, as Mrs.
Seusing says, then aged about ~
years, and the other little one, aged
about 0 months. These, together
with Hrs. Bensin2, and her sister
Ruhamah Smith, aged about 1s years,
who had only come the afternoon of
the Tuesday preceding the Thursday
OF the murder, were, ct that time, the
sole occupants OF the house. Mrs.
"elder, as she says IN her testimony.
was confined Feb. 2Ash, which was the
Monday before Mr.. Bensing's death
snd at the time was still sick in ned
The weather on Tursday, the sav
OF the murder, as the evidence sbou-S
was Stormy, with two or three inches
Of snow By eYeEi2z, which was dritt- ,
ed about by light and shifting vfrrtz.
Mr.. Bensing mad started at about five
o clock in the morning, with his team
and wagon, to go to Biglick To, for
load Of corn, returning as Mrs. Ben.
sing and Mrs. Welder think. at about
Eve o'clock IN the afternoon and
az Hiss Smith thinks, about 4 o'clock.
During the forenoon of that day Ja-
COB Gsrtee sat around the house bv
the ire as the women all say, entirely
idle. In the afternoon ne and Mrs.
Bansing and her sister shellsd corn
from shout ono O'Clock until about the
time Mr. Bensing returned. Some
time during the afternoon, a ueioh-
Dor lady, Mrs, Houpt, came in and
staid about hall an hour. While sSe
was there, and az the three other
women say, during the afternoon, thew
were having an unusual amount of
sport IN tact we're IN e regular train
bat as to what was said or what wa5
the subject of their conversation mono
OF them seem to remember. Thew
hsd shelied about six bushels of corn
by the time Mr.. Bensing came in af-
ter his return, and you will remember
that Miss. Smith and Mrs. Welder
both say that during the time Mr..
Bensing sat by the stove warming, he
an d Jacob Gartee talked about where
he had been and be asked Jacob to 90
TO the wagon and smpty sack Of corn
and bring it in for the remainder OF
the shelled corn. Mr.. Bensing then
went out and had fed his stock and
done MS chores before he came in.
Just before supper Gartee had remain.
ed at the house, engaged part of the
time in disposing of the shelled corn
and perhaps helped milk and atten-
ded to other chores about the farm.
Mr. Benslng came in, pulled off his
nat and coat, and sat by the fire, rIay.
ing with his little children until sun.
per time, which Mrs. Bensing saws
was between and 8 O'Clock, and
Miss Smith says they sst down to the
table about six-Mrs. Welder does
not know the time, but they all agree
that they ste supper by ycandle or lamp
ilght-1ou will reoollect, gentlemen
of the jury, that Mr.. Snyder, their
nearest neigbboF, says in his tssti1no>
ny before you that Bensing' clock on
that eyeniag was three quartars Of On
iOgr iAstet tGan his,anf sh9s ais time
was about eorrect-then from the
eyldeace before you, as % the time
they ats supper that nigbt, and the
circumstances that afternoon trans
plred VS. are safe to infer that they
finished their evening meal on that
evening at about 2 o'clock. That the
defendant here, sat at the table coolIy
facing hls victim, whose heart he so
soon pierced with this fatal bullet.
Gartse arose from the table a little
before seven, put on his hat and coat.
which where hanging in the same
room. BIrs. Bensing vent for the letter
which she tesufies Gsrtes had written
4 day or two before At her dictstion
to hev father Geo. p. Smith, who lives
near NOpoleo1, Henry county. Sac
says she asksdsEfr Beasing, VINO still
sat at the taa.a o&5iHg, tof four cents
for sn envelope assi stssap; be said
he had not ioGr c1nts. aud harded her
a i've cent com, which she banded to
defendant. 5artee then started, say.
ing 10 was gong to tOwa (mssHinD
Fiadisy }, which as The eyidenc saws &
about I miles from tneir hoase.
E.ss. oinlgh testiti3, that Er. and
5irs. Bensing remained at Ehs tabIs
talking about where he had been tEas
day for some fifteen or twenty n.iuatss
after GGrtes mad gone. Ms. Bsneinz
says Gartee had been gone from one
hall % thres-iOUrths u an hour before
the n1rder. Mrs. Smith thinks the
time was a little more than half an
hour. The time OF the murder then
NUT have been about u O'Clock.
This time Tor the murder is also e.tab-
iished blythe testimony Of Hr. S1yder
who says that 5irs. Bens.ng came to
his house, 80 rods distant By tho road.
alter the i"aTder. a. 10 n,iuutes be-
tore z O c.ccE, AID that be had beard
her h2iloOinz Tor five % cigh, minutes
before she came. And you remember
gentlemen, ihat the women say Mrs.
Bensing started soon after she and
Ms Sll.th had carried Mr. Bensines
4 The house, which va done isnlae,
d.-toiy alter 30 ie!! ct the gate, some
thirty ies. IRON the 'front.' door, and
ncs fac from the porch. You will
rsco.lcct, also, thai hrs. Bensing SAWS
Iha ha'l1d iOr help before they car
red Ar. Beasiag into the house, and
immediately after he fell. Mr.. Say-
der put On his hat and boots, and
wen. icr Mr- Walter, fifty ro1s dis-
tsnt- They returned together % Sny-
der's and ali thTss from their to Ben
sings, arriving as Mr. Snyder says,
within twenty minutes after the time
Mrs. Bsnsing came % his house 70
give ;he alarm Of ar. Bensing death.
Soon sscvrwaEd Slr Walters LEFT Ben
sings 60 60 Tor Joseph HaHpt ard as
soon as he could, Mr. H2apl took
E2-se and ssartsd for FindLy 70 give
tHe alarm. Ar. Hagps in his tsstim0-
/ ny tS.-S4 he LII B-ssi3g's u shout
$50. iii Snyder TANKS It was about
LEs s2us li.4G. ir. Haupt says be
.rglc g. - - tle morse could 0,2nd
ti=. tfll I've - seven minutes alter
2 . r.s-- q. .-.--r..-.. 4. f.f-f la.-5D tyartee