The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1873-07-18
The SAWYER Tragedy.

Thomas, the negro charged with the muir
der of Stephen Sawyer, had a hearing on the
Sd, and was bound over TO the November
term Of Court. From the mass of testimony
taken at the trial, we give the following
abridgment as furnished by the Bellevue
Gazette:
Marshal Thomas testified in substance that
previous to the arrest, defendants wife came
running up to him, closely followed by her
husband. He said, "You have been telling
the marshal what told you" She denied
it, and he said. eyes YOU have, and 1 told
you never to tell it." He was very much ex-
cited and cried. The Marshal said: "she wants
me to see the saloon-keeper, and not havo you
given anything to drink" After this he
laughed and said, ais that all2 thought she
had been telling on me-" In consequence of
her information he was then arrested and
lodged IN the calaboose. He seemed to be
very anxious to know what was 20 be done
with him, and asked the Marshal if he thought
they would hang him. He seemed to think he
was arrested for the murder of Sawyer, al
though at this time he had not been told so.
On the evening after his arrest, his wife and
the Marshal went to the Jail. He went up to
her and said, "Ann, what did you tell on me
forP" she said, 81 told Just what you told me-"
de swore, al never told you that" She
pointed her finger at him and said, 'fYou
know you told me that" She went on and
said, "When you came lome that Tuesday
morning with your clothes dirty, and you
were very much excited, you told me So" He
denied it, saying, HThat's not true; 1 never
told you So" She said, "You threatened to
murder me if should tell what you told me"
She also said, "When you came home that
morning, your clothes were dirty andyou were
much excited and you showed me a roll of
money" He denied this, and she said. ''You
did, and you threatened me, and said d-n
you, I'll cut your heart out if you ever tell"
She went on to tell something more and he
got considerable excited. She said, "You told
me, we laid man out colder than wedge
Afterward you showed me the money" He
said, 'That's a d-n lie" She said, "You
shook the money at me, and said, I'VE laid a
man out colder than q wedge, and had a d-n
hard Juggling or tugging to get him into the
water" He commenced swearing, and she
said, "There's no use talking to you; you can
murder me, but you cannot get me TO tell a lie
for you" When she got near the door she
said, sand you said if I'd keep my mouth shut,
you'd buy me the best silk dress in town."
She also said, 'You told me if would keep
my mouth shut, you could make more money
when you didn't work than when you did"
Defendants wife testified that her husband
came home ABOUT three o'clock on the morning
of the murder. After some little cOnversa-
ton, he said "We'ye knocked aman colder than
a wedge" His face was scratched and he
was dirt from head to foot. He showed her
o roll of bills, and told her if she informed on
him he would kill her. Heard on Friday that
Sawyer's body had sbeen found. Went with
her husband to see 1t. Alter they got home
she said, "William Thomas, are you the mur-
derer of that mani" He dropped his head be-
Ii and po1d I he os,, /
here to tell, and it'll never be known. Ann, un-
less you tell what I've told you." In the
evening he asked me to pledge my word and
honor and cross my heart that l wouldn't tell;
he said, "They say over there he had 5000 and
a gold watch; it's id lie, he didn't have
but $400" He said everybody will know that
there was more than one engaged in it, and
before he would tell he would hang and die
like a man. On Saturday he said, "theyll |
hunt this thing up, and 1 guess 1 had better
hunt up some work" On Sunday the two |
where the body had been put in the water. He |
said it was not two feet from where it was |
found. The hat and papers were placed for n |
blind. lie said they had carried the body |
from the tannery TO the pond. He had tried |
to persuade her TO take back what she had |
said; said his lawyers told him it wouldn't |
hurt her any:
DR.. Thayer, of Cleveland, testified that he |
conducted the second post mortem examina-
ton. 4 put 4he scalp in place, and examined |
confusion with lense; found clotted blood in con-
fusion on cheek. which indicated that it had |
been made while living. Found clotted blood /
in bony processes of ear; nothing could have /
produced this but violence when the man was /
living. The upper part of the spinal cord con-
tanned clotted blood-produced by external |
violence on head. The lungs were collapsed,
dra and sound heart empty on both sides, and /
sound. Removed windpipe;-found it sound |
except little congested in upper part about /
the organ of speech. Nothing in stomach ex-
cept about tea-cup full of grayish matter
no water in it. Bowels sound throughout the /
whole length Liver, spleen, kidneys and /
bladder sound, and in fine state of preserva-
ton, except the kidneys and spleen, which /
were a little softened. The conclusion came |
to at the time was, that he was killed by /
mechanical violence applied to the head and |
not drowned. Ny reasons were that the ex-
ternal contusions aud internal congestions were |
such as would probably cause state from
which mover could have recovered. The lungs /
would have containeda frothy substance had he I
been drowned. There was no struggle if he were /
not really dead when thrown into the water.
The right side of the heart would have been
filled with blood, and the left empty, if he had /
been drowned, but found both empty. WhIn |
q person dies from concusslon, all the organs |
stop instantaneously and the blood does not re-
turn to the heart. This man was probably /
killed before he was put into thatpond. 1 am /
certain that he did not drown himself, and 1 |
don't believe he could have pounded himself |
Us he was pounded; and if he did, he could /
not have crawled into the pond. Coat SholoH |
aeit,seSs.] There is blood on this coat-on the |
skirt. 1t has not been there great while.
Cross -Erdnli,led.-I can't tell without a !
microscope, whether it is human blood or not. |
1 found no blood underneath the skull except |
at the base of the skull; 1 found marks of |
blow on the head sufficient 10 cause death.