The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1875-05-07

/ wen tne case was this /:
ga man named Hamilton, a boarder
in house on Perry street, was found
dead in his room one morning. There
were several wounds upon his person,
some of which he might have inflicted
upon himself. But there were two, at
least, which it was impossible could have
been made by weapon held in his own
hand, as their situation and direction
made evident.
"At first it had been supposed that he
had committed suicide, as he was a man
of intemperate habits, addicted to gam
ing and low company, and had of late
been much depressed in consequence of
losing his business situation, and by a
long run of i'll luck. He was morose,
sullen man, and had no friend among
his fellow boarders, who were all of a
class superior in morals, if not in posi-
ton to himself. Still, he had never
quarrelled with any one in the house up
to the night of his death, nor did it at
first appear, as far as its inmates were
concerned, that he had given any one
there provocation for the crime.
Nevertheless, in the couse of the in
vestgation by the coroner, it was elicit
ed that Hamilton had, on one or two oc-
casions, when considerably intoxicated,
addressed provoking remarks to fell
low boarder, named Roberts, who oc-
cupied the room adjoining his. And
Roberts had been heard to complain
that Hamilton annoyed him almost be-
lyond endurance by the noise he made
on coming in late of nights, that he had
threatened to leave the house if Hamil.
ton was allowed to continue, and that,
finding his complaints to the landlord,
who was a relative of the deceased, pro-
duced no effect, he had been heard to-
declare that he would himself find way
of quieting his disagreeable neighbor.
"Now all this amounted to nothing
more than the impatient ebolutions of a
nervous, excitable man, who had been
subjected to a long course of annoyance
from a drunken fellow inmate. But it
served to point out one individual,
whose relations with the dead man had
been unfriendly beyond those of others
with whom he was associated in his own
home.
"And when it was further discovered
that Hamilton, on his return home
at late hour on the night of the muir
der, knocked at Roberts door, and de-
matches for the purpose of pro-
curing light, arousing him from his
sleep, and that pretty high words had
followed on Roberts refusing the accom-
suspicion fixed firmly upon
the man. And this was changed to GER
iainty when another boarder testified
hat during the quarrel Roberts had
threatened Hamiltons life, and had ris-
IN from his bed, and by main force
hrust his prosecutor into his own room,
where he had been heard to fall heavily
lpon the floor. Another boarder who
a room beneath Hamilton had
lard trampling overheard at still
later hour, but none of these things,
though now serving to fix suspicion on
Roberts, had been treated at the time
as other matters of ordinary occurrence.
Roberts statement was that Hamil-
.on was very drunk when he came.home.
That when pushed into his own room
ne fell violently upon the floor, and that
eaVng him there, he returned to his
OWN room, retired again to rest, and
presently fell asleep. That, at the ex-
oiration of perhaps an hour, or it might
have been even less, he had been again
by sound of struggling in
room and some smothered
but supposing that the man
had reused from his stupor and was pre-
pairing for bed, he had not needed the
sounds, which soon ceased, when he
full asleep.
"In the face of this was the fact that
the man was dead, with the evidence of
severe struggle. And it was argued
one so near as Roberts, and hearing
5hese sounds, could not have failed to
letect in them something more than the
limless trampling of a drunkard seeking
lis couch. The assassin, whoever he
might be, had left no evidence Of his
presence in the room. Nor was there any
means of exit. Suspicion fell
heaviest upon Roberts. He was arrested
and search made in his room and among
his effects. But nothing was found
there tending to criminste him, except
several large smears of blood upon a
dressing gown, which he acknowledged
he had hastily thrown on when he rose
to put Hamilton away from his door.
But between his own door and Hami-
toms, upon the mating of the passage,
blood was also found, and distinct
spot upon the threshold of his own
room.
" This was accounted for by Roberts,
who said he had slightly lacerated his