The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-01-28

A Legal Strangling.
BE1GHLErs LAST CONFESSION.


--o----
Mr.. Hazlett, one of the attorneys who
defended Beighley at his trial, placed in
the hands of the reportersa copy OF what
be termed the last confession Of his eli
ent. Mr.. H. claims that the confessions
in this pauer we're made at various times
since his conviction, the main parts as late
as the day before his execution. We
make such extracts as we think will be
interesting to our readers. lBeiShley
says;
was horn in Westmoreland county in
1888 or 1854; my fathers name is Conrad
Beiphley. In August 1873 | was living
et Plum Creek Coal Works, and l work
ed there until about three weeks before
went to Kerrs; went to John Kerr's
and staid ,or about two weeks; l had
gone: to Ohio in 1872; while in OHIO
\ IN Ae spripg Of llS7e n TOOK lnlqney Ih tsy
nom Alc3qpleloI menIWh9 lYfp eppgt m u
Twelve hileBIfpm SteubddYllel Eot ~
gmtAel house id q draHetSil gov ABOUT
1910; Ihad been working Tor one OF them ;
one was by the name OF Kerr ana the
other by the name of Jennings; in the
fall of 1871, l, with three others, robbed
a store ten to fourteen miles from Steu-
kbenyille, Ohio; the persons with US were
Charles Morseley, Reuben and Charles
steele, Beatty; only got $l5 as near as
I can recollect; | fell in with Beatty and
steele below Rochester, while at work
- G % i;G Gessoneouarry;T from there Invent
j. 10 Steubenville, where yorkedtilI they
ran me off; When, coming back from
Steubenyille to Rochester, / was arrested
in the stationat Rochester while waiting
to take the cars to Chicago; this was for
things done at Vanport, before going to
This winter three years ago was in
Ohio; l and the three persons before
mentioned burnt barn, this was whiie
we we're going from SteuoenViile 70
Cleveland by the turnpike; 1t was purnt
about midnight; the same night we got
over a thousand dollars out OF mousse;
we oot into the house by climbing up
4. the'nertico and getting in alta window
mat was hoisted. the money was diylded
y" snnalIv among eight,of u.s. We got to
Cleveland and | did no work there, but
We run over the country; l then came
hack to Steubenville and worked at black;
smithing for Roe Swords; | then worked
in a livery stable for Morgan Sharp about
two months: from there | came to Pitts
huToh and got work with William Fink,
at diving an ice wagon; this was IN ) June;
worked awhile on Penn street, and also
droye street cars in Allegheny City, on
the Trov Hill ana Chestnut street line,
W M about three weeks, and went by the
name of Wilson. %
From this went to Braddock's Field
to work on the bridge which was being
nut up over the river at Port Perry; l
only worked there three or four days,and
was arrested and taken to jail IN Pltts-
burah for stealing a 'atch rom q man
| wIS yas boarding wAereU did, went
II M INV RIGHT name then: tAey,copld prove
! nothihp against me, and / was let ont OF
iail after being there for about two weeks;
went TO Steubenville to see Fair and
Townsend; worked some while there
rs and cot nv money forit;. l then came
=. hack and went to Plum Greek, and work
. ed at the coal works and Staymate's till
"' I r went to Kerr's; / had taken money
from John Dougherty, who lived below
rel Ssltsburg a couple of years before the
og time / went to Kerrs; got Sill and nc
found it out; | also took horse, from
VIM. Irwin, who lives in the northern
mart of this county; | took the horse to
Pittsburgh and sold itIfor $9p dollars; the
horse Was not a very soG9 PHI TnIle Sant
at Staymate's l.was told they were loGkI gSI
ing for me for stealing the horse, and l
left Staymate's for ,s9me time ana tnen a
came back; I went to Kerr's IN the tall OF
1873; ! was there about two weeks; wnlle
, Twas working there, one day Wp{lle WI max
4 Gng did%, Mrs. kert (IifeOfy joseph Herry
J kaidlto hie she wished the'old> man was
ont of the way, and she wished she was
a little Younger, she would get another
,d Tanias he9Kerr) wasitoo old and was OF
,ns no IIse: she said,he wasOldand not WORTH
y, minding: and that 1he-was always quaf-
relina with her and was always running
iHi a4rToynrrnSd. and She did not likei;"she told
tgm she would give me ohe'hundfed dol
.ts'I 'Is[sif I'would kill him; she asked me
.,;, ahont, Al week before he was killed to 90,
no dav was fixed; she left the time to me;
uI AGREED to do it for her; she said he
sle1t in the shop and | could go there
and wait till he came and then kill him;
Nsbe newer Maid me Aany, moneythat she
HEomisedtoH; 7 had no talk with her after
+ was done: no one else knew it; on the
evening the killing was done was I
Stouts and left there about dusk; had
been at Stouts for seveval days; that
week I.had been drinking and was under
the influence of liquor that evening;
had got some whisky at Murraysville
and had hiditinthef fence corner between
a Stout'g and Kerrs shop, aboutohe hun
dred and fifty yards from the shop; got
.Ytbe whisky and then went to KerPs shop;
10, there, was nc, light in the shop when l
cot there, and I did not have to, pass
Rerr,s house to get to the. shop; when
ootto the shop the o!d man was in the
.y, house: i gotinto the shop and was in it
.abont an hour before the old man camei
went in at the door: do not remember
;fthe kew was in the door or not; Kerr
hroupht a light with him; and went up
The ladder to the loft of the shop: he saw
me when he came into the shop, and
asked me to 90 up and 60 to bed with
him. the hammer and knife were up
ataira Wing on the floor when got there
1, ibTd M hot know how they got there; he
: bw tbe iipht out and lit lit again; hit
w Kin Rim vi WIKI The stick frsti q piece Of oak
lathe about two and half feet long; then
cut his, throat with the knife; | did moi
''l bit him with the hammer, and do moi
know how lit Vgot bloody; he did not
speak after hit him; l had had nearly
.siouart, of whisky and had drank some
,ShatfniRhtu60 lot know howi0fen I hi
him with the stick; Kerr had some mon
sy in his pocket-about twenty-seveT
dollsrs-but did not know he had any
money about him before 1 went to the
.hop; when l heard Kerr's son coming
went to stouts and did not think they