The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-08-22
THE LAWS REVENGE.
FIVE MEN HUNG AT ONE TIME.
The NJ urslereFs Of Elisha East
wood Expiate Their Crime
Upon the Scafi0ld.
THE MURDER.

THE MURDER.
The circumstances attending the
brutal murder of Elisha E. Eastwood,
an aged and much respected citizen
of the parish of Assumption, are yet
fresh in the minds of cur readers. At
feH o'clock on the morning of April
25th, party of men, then unknown,
boarded Mr.. Eastwood's trading boat,
on Bayou Lafourche, four miles below
the town of Napoleonville, and arous-
ing the proprietor from his slumber,
demanded to know where he kept his
money. Mr.. Eastwood seized an iron
ring lying on the deck of the boat and
essayed to drive off the intruders, but
they rushed forward and oyerpowered
him, beating him with bludgeons UNI
til his head was a mere mass of pulp.
There were two colored women upon
the boat at the time of the murder,
one of whom rushed out to ascertain
the cause of the disturbance and was
also attacked and beaten by the rob-
bers, who left her for dead. The 9TH
er woman escaped unpeIceived by
jumping from the window of the fat
boat, into the water. Wading ashore,
she ran to a neighboring house and
gave the alarm, but Notwithstanding
the inmates promptly responded to
her cries and rushed to the boat, the
murderers, seeming the approaching
danger, had fed silently away into
the night and left no trace of the di-
rection they had taken. Great was
the excitement and Indignation of the
people, when the brutal murder was
noised abroad, for the venerable vic
tim of the terrible tragedy was much
beloved and esteemed by all who
knew him-and their name was le-
gion. The officers of the law, aided
by many public spirited citizens, at
once set about endeavoring to discoy-
er some clue to the assassins, and the
Governor of the State stimulated the
search by offering a reward of FIVE
hundred dollars for information that
should lead to the capture and con-
viction of the criminals.
IN THE CLUTCHES OF THE LAW.
Two days after the murder four
colored men, named John Ross, An
derson Perry, Tom Roberts and Jas.
Williams, were arrested upon sus-
picion, but subsequently released for
lack of evidence to establish their
pan ticipation in the murder. When
the perpetrators of the foul deed fled
from the fatboat they left behind
them the bludgeon with which the
old mans life had been beaten out,
and when this piece of wood was rec
ognized as having been in the posses
sion of james Robertson, one legged
itinerant clock-mender who frequent
ly infested the neighborhood, then it
was the first tangible clue presented
itself to those in search of the muir
derers. On Friday, May 23rd, this
Jas. Robertson, man of great physi
cal strength and undoubted courage,
was neatly captured, at the point of
q revolver, near the railroad bridge,
in this town, by Mr.. Sam H. St. Mar
tin, young man well known here.
Upon preliminary examination be-
fore the Parish Court in Assumption,
Robertson confessed to knowledge
of the crime, stating that he was at
the house of John Ross when that in
diyidual, his brother VIM. Ross, An
derson Perry, Antoine Maurice and
James Williams planned the attack
upon the boat for the purpose of rob-
berry. These men were all arrested,
and after examination were remanded
to prison to await trial before the
District Court.
THE TRIAL.
This court opened in special session
On Tuesday, July l4th, Judge Taylor
Beattie on the bench, Attorney Gen.
aral a. p. Field and District Attorney
Thos. Winder representing the State,
Messrs. II. III. Carver and A. p. Lauve |
appearing for the prisoners by ap-
pointment of the court. VIM. Ross, |
who appeared most disposed to tell |
he truth in regard to the matter, was
accepted as States evidence, and his
in connection with that of