South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1876-04-14

stepped up to Capon. He was drunk
also. His coat and shirt were covered
with blood. They exchanged significant
glauces, and aroused him not without
considerable difficulty.
''What do you want?" he asked,
yawning.
The Sheriff wants you, Jack
The Sheriff! What for? haint done
nothing"
You are suspected of having muir.
dered Mr.. Sammis, of Pittsburgh"
go away! murdered Mr.. Sam.
mis-? You must be looney.
'Look ut yourself"
''Capon looked at his clothes. The
sight Of the bloody stains on them cans.
ed him to sober up at once.
''How did / get these stains on my
coat and shirt?" lie stammered out at last.
don't you know anything about
them?" they asked.
"No-no. You say murder was com.
mitted?"
"Come-come, Jack Capon." they re.
piled, you can't fool anybody by plead
Ing ignorance. What did you do with
your cap?'
lie looheu ABOUT the room.
Some one must have taken it away"
lie said, at last.
You left it near the corpse Of the
murdered man.
WAS it found there? Great God
great God!
He buried his face in his hands, and
began to cry.
Then he followed the men, who also
took old Sim Brooks along. WILLINGLY 10
the Ohio tavern, where the coroner had
meanwhile arrived. The Sheriff appear.
eel soon aftcrward with some men who
were carrying the CORY, frozen corpse of
the victim. Jack Capon was conducted
to the corpse. AS he caught sirht of il
he recoiled in horror.
"lt's Mr.. Sammis," he gasped out.
Poor Sammis, who has murdered
him?"
You were the last seen in his com.
pany," said the Sheriff; your cap was
found near the corpse; your clothes are
blood stained; who but you can be the
muriercr?'
81 am Innocent" cried Capon, des-
perately. Il got tight at Brooks. /
don't know how got this blood OH nv
clothes, nor how my cap got near the
corpse. L have even forgotten that |
was with this poor gentleman"
The coroner impanelled jury, and,
in the first place, took them to tile SPOT
in the woods where tue murder had been
committed. Jack Capon, who had been.
meanwhile, heavily ironed, was also con.
veycd thither The footprints near the
point where the corpse of the murdered
man had lain were not very distinct, bu.
they seemed to correspond exactly with
the soles Of Capon's shoes.
Returning to the Ohio tavern, the cor.
oner swore Sim Brooks, who by this
time had become perfectly sober, and
who stated that last night, about half
past ten, Jack Capon had come to his
cabin and asked him if he had any whis.
key. lie had given him half dozen
drinks, whercupon Capon had wanted
still more. Capon had then shown him
n ten dollar gold piece, and asked him
II he knew where any whiskey could be
bought. lie had answered that if he
would go to hike Perry's he might get
some. There Capon had gone. and re.
turned with whiskey, but without his cap.
and with his shirt and the front part of
his coat all bloody.
Brooks added that he had asked Ca
pom how he got the blood OH him. Capon
was so drunk that he could not give n
very ineligible account Of what had
happened to him, but he hal said some.
thing about having had fall and hurt ,
himself
Upon hearing this evidence the pris.
oner exclaimed:
~ es-yes, that's true-I do re mem.
Der 1t now. made n short cut through
The woods TO Mike Perry's house where
got the whiskey and returned by pretty
much the same route, when / stumbled
over something and FELL
The jury rendered verdict against
him, and he was committed for trial
Ills pockets were then examined and
,he ten dollar gold piece, which Sim
Brooks had mentioned. was found.
Capon said that Sammis, who had
taken an interest in him, had given il TO
him. This was considered a nimsy false. |
hood. and every body was convinced
That Jack Capon was guilty.
"A messenger, with the news Of Sammis'
was dispatched 10 PITTSBURGH.
where it created n profound sensation.
IL turned out that the murdered man
lad nearly $4,000 in large bank bills
on his person. Sammis' brother Mark.
wholesale grocer, and very energetic
man, accompanied the messenger back
TO Steubenvillc, and engaged special
counsel to assist him in the prosecution
Of Capon. The latter was tried and
convicted, but the jury having TO fix his
punishment, he was not sentenced To
death. but 10 imprisonment at hard In.
Dor for life.
The prisoner was overwhelmed with
grief because Of his conviction. lie
never tired Of protesting his innocence
and his eyes we're constantly red and
swollen from weeping. lie was taken
to the pententiary at Columbus. where
he was at first very harslly treated bnt
his am'able disposition was not LONG in
rtaNra l..a