The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-02-02
WEST VIRGINIA JUSTICE.
De;a:IsOfthe Hanging of Estep, Daw-
son and Hines by Il Mob.
CHARLESTON, January 2G.

CHARLESTON, January 70.
On Christmas night lat, one Thomas
Lee, coal miner by profession, had been
to Maiden, and was on his way home, one
mi.e below, when 1t seems, by the evil
dence produced in the County Court of
this county, he met John Dawson AID
Rufus Estep, vino were intoxicated, and
eager to fight; that he (LeeJ was some
what under the influence of liquor, and
stopped, or rather took the mule he was
riding and hitched it to the fence and
went back 10 :he bridge where
Dawson and Estep were stand
ing; that words followed words,
and two men then commenced their hor-
rid slaughter, and Lee, being past mid
die age, and they mere young men, he
could make but feeble resistance. The
consequence was they cut and cut till they
became tired of it-thirty-two gashes,
horrible ones all over the body-and
then they threw the body into the creek,
under Cambpelps Creek bridge. They had
proven beyond doubt these men were
the real perpetrators OF the deed
By their own, and the
only witness, Stanley. Lee was con-
sidered very peace bic, quiet man
being an old resident in the neighbor-
hood in which he lived, and an honest
and true man. lie had scores of
friends all around him; and, coupled with
the fact of his being poor man with a
large family, wife and eight childrei,
it was sufficient, we may say in truth, to
incite the movement that was made here
on the 30lh of December, in the way Of
n mob, who came here with the express
purpose Of lynchins them at that time,
but who were defeated in that attempt
by the Sheriff of this county.
ARGUING FOR A CHANGE OF VENUE.
In the Circuit Court now in session,
on Tuesday, the 25th inst. the Counsel
for the defendants, K. IL. Freer and
Abram Burlew, made motion to the
court for change of venue, stating sub
stantially that they did not think they
could get a fair and impartial trial for
their clients at this place, because of the
excitement, irritation, public opinion
and public prejudices now exist
the newspaper OF the place for print
IN exaggerated accounts OF the
murder;' and he said at was not only
here that such reports were manufactured
for the press, but all over the land, and
he believed, whether it was the editor OF
a AXIS or the largest paper in the land,
that the ought to be punished for 1t. All
the arguments were made for and against
a change of venue, and submitted TO the
Court at 8 p. NJ, and HIS Honor Judge
Smith stating that he could not give his
decision because of his having TO exam
inc many authorities, and being very
important question, the case was ad-
iourned until this morning for trial at
nine o'clock.
ArPEARANCE OF THE Mob IN THE CITY
A. half-past nine O'clock on Tuesday
night i25th) the mob came second time,
some IN foot and some by the steamer
Judge Baker, which brought barge
load of masked men, and Ian led at our
public wharf, and began their march for
the isil. Arriving at the Jail they de-
manded the keys of Jailer Morgan,
whose residence is on the upper side oi
the jail, and they were given TO them.
The men were confined in what is known
as the "murderers' cell" lower cells OF
the Jail, in which were confined two
other murderers, one by the name OF
Belcher, who killed man named Farrell
nearly two wears ago up on Campbell 5
Creek, about two miles from the bridge
where the murder Of Lee was enacted,
and who is now waiting In Jail for his
trial "by slow Justice The other one
is An Irishman by the name OF
Thomas Hines, tailor, formerly
employed by Herbert y Bro,
merchant taiiors of this city, and
who IS sand to have wife and four chill
dren in Cincinnati, o. He murdered a
negro shoemaker, Bill Dooiey by name,
ON the eyentful Tuesday about haif,psS'
FIVE in the afternoon, and had only be- n
incsrcerated about five hours after the
murder occurred. 1t seems that Hine:
had been interfering in Dooleys domes
tic affairs, and went to the lstters sho'