Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-01-22
Confession of Albert W. Chamber,

was dlIeSleu OH suSplClOu VI ndNAul
murdered the old man George McCon
noughey, in Scion, on the Sth of thi
month, made an open confession o
his guilt. We copy from the Cleve
land Leader of Saturday last:
OPEN CONFESSION.
Later in the afternoon, in presencl
| of Superperintendant Schmitt, Rev
L. Cooley, c. B. Lockwood, Presecu
ting Attorney DeWolf, and the fathe
of the accused, Albert w. Chamber
lain, the murderer of George McCOn-
noughey, made his confession. AbOu
four o'clock, he was taken from tn
cell at the Central Station, into tn,
Superintendent Office His face boru
marks of internal anguish, and it wa.
evident that his conscience could m
longer bear his dreadful burden. HI
took a seat near the Superintendent
and his father and the reverend gen
tleman, plead with him to tell thu
truth and keep nothing back. Before
proceeding TO make his confession ht
was told that he could hope for NJ
benefit from it, and that it would no
lessen the penaly; and furthermore
that he must expect all he said to b.
given as evidence against him at thG
trial. With this understanding ht
commenced forthwith to make the
following statement:
Iarrived at Scion from Chattanooga
where / had been employed by my
Uncle Hiram Chamberlain, on Christ,
mas day, having left the latter place
Oh the 23d of December. When ]
came home I intended to stay, and
not go back South. / was expecting
to work on the farm with my father.
l found a boy, Louis Lehman, in the
employ of my father, and giving good
satisfaction. I did not wish TO have
him discharged, ard therefore made
up my mind TO return South. In con-
versation with the boy one day, he
told me that the old man George Nc
COnnoughey was living alone in bis
hut, and as it was a retired place, and
he was known to have some money
about him, he (Lehman) was afraid
he would be robbed and murdered
some day.
QuestiOn-Was the boy Lehman in
any way implicated in the murder?
AnsweI-He was not. He knew
nothing of it until after the act was
done.
About 1890 in the evening of the
Sth inst, after all the other inmates
had retired, 1 got up from bed, went
to the cheese house and got the old
Enfield rifle and some ammunition, I'M
locked the door and went out. Our
house is about half a mile from the
hut. When half way down the road,
1 stopped and loaded the rifle. 1 put
in three balls. 1 then went on towards
the hut. When / arrived there, l saw
Mr.. McConnoughey through the win
dow, sitting neal The fire place, in a
side ways position with his back to-
wards ne. Without any delibera-
ton, I took my stand in the snow,
aimed and fired. 1 didn't stop to see
the result, but returned home as fast
as possible. L put the rifle back in
the cheese room, and again went to
bed.
The next morning after breakfast,
I went with my father to the house
of my grand father, opposite the hut
of McConDoughey to do the chores.
My grandfather was away on that
day. When my father was engaged
about the stable, 1 slipped cross the
road, broke open tina door of the hut
and found McConnoughey lying on
the floor partly burnt. The fire was
out. / tore out the pocket of his pants
and took therefrom two pocket books.
Putting them in my own pocket l
went back to my grandfather's, and
opened them. They contained the
of So, in one twenty dollar bill,
three tens, and the rest in fves and
ones. There was some loose change
besides. / put the money in my own
pocket book, and went home. Going
into the sitting-roOm, l threw the two
pocket books from which l had taken
the money, into the stove.
In answer to a question as to wheth-
er there was any other person in the
room when he burnt the books, he
said the old lady was, then he shut
the stove door so that the smell of
burnt leather would not reach the
nostrils of the old lady. He then
says that on Friday he gave the three
ten dollar bills to the boy Lehman to
go to Chagrin Falls and buy several
articles. He was to bring back the
change in small bills. Chamberlain
says he destroyed the remainder OF
the money. Out of the change bro't
back by the boy, he paid some debts
that he owed.
The question wss asked what i'm.
PEELED him to do the deed. He replied
that he did it Gin q single msment,'
and that if he had stopped to reflect
he wouldn't have done il. He says he
now feels much relieved in mind and
conscience, and feels as we'll as any
body in his condition could feel.
The prisoner informed one OF his
visitors that when he was arrested he
had thirty two dollars in his pocket,
the possession of which caused him
much trouble. The lining of his coat
was torn about the sleeve, and he
managed to slip the money into the
hole and let it slide down in the sleeve
lining until it reached the wrist. I'm
mediately after his Incarceration be
took this money, which consisted OIL
one twenty, two hYes and two ones,
and, chewing in very fine, swallowed
it. His fear of its discovery was SC
greaL IuaL ne dIe TIE Olllss
On Friday morning the prisoner was
arraigned before the Police Court
where he waived all examination anC
was committed to bail. In the after.
noon he was conveyed to the county
jail.
Mr.. Chamberlain has made this con.
fession with q full consciousness o
the effect It must have. Before ma
king il he declined and sunk so rapid
ly that death seemed in q fair way Il
relieve the community of the trouble
of giving him a trial. Since he frs
utteCed a word of confession he ha!
enjoyed a peace of mind which Is
heaven compared to his former TOT
lures. He now eats heartily, sleep
well and feels cOntented to NEE
whatever fate awaits him. He wa
told by his spiritual advisor that b,
must prepare for the worst, that b
had taken Q human life, and that b
must give his own life in return there
for. To this he gave his full consen
and made his confession in about tn
same spirit that a man makes hi
will, His confession will astonish n
one in Scion or in that neighbOrhOod
where it was generally believed ths
he was guilty. This impression wa
not created by the past character @
the prisoner, but from many facts an
rumOrs circulated concerning his cor
duct after the murder. The man
life has always been upright an
moral and he has ever been surrouu
ded with the best of influences, eI
eept during q few months that he wa
in Chattanooga. There he says b
was thrown into very bad society an
his early teachings were for the tim
effaeed from his mind.