The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-04-01
An Interesting Letter from steu,
benTfIle.
srEuDESv11E, O., March 3lBt, 1875.

STEuDESvrLLE, W. March 3lst, 1876.
Edition. Intalllgencer:
As the ISTELLlGENcER occupies the
front rank among the numerous foreign
morning and evening dailles circulating
in Steu6enyille, We presume its columns
are open to few Items OF local news
from this point.
The Court Of Common Pleas has been
in session for the past four or five weeks,
being principally engaged In the discharge
Of criminal business. The sensation Of the
past week 10 this line has been the trial
Of two OF the leading saloon keepers in
dicted by the last grand Jury along with
some sevenly.fye or eighty others, Tor the
unlawful sale Of intoxicating liquors.
The saloonisS armed with the most
learned and able counsel at the bar
marched into court and in accordance
with their inalienable rights demanded TO
be investigated before jury. The line
Of defence was that the liquors sold were
not intoxicating, but simply the "unler-
mented juice Of the grape" similar to that
used at the marriage festivities in
Cana Of Gallilee. A very large amount
Of the testimony was directed toward the
Substantiation OF this proposition, but
not sufficient to clear the mind Of the IN.
biased tallisman juror who has too Of
ten struggled with Steubenyille rum TO be
led into any such erroneous doctrine even
were II declared by Rev. Stewart himself,
from whom it Is thought the saloon.men
borrowed the unfermented grape juice
idea. After two victories for the State the
remaining contestants came into court and
all plead guilty 10 the indictments, but,
like Hamlet, they are still surrounded by
Tea Of troubles" US the court has not
yet pronounced sentence upon them.
Should the court conclude 10 carry out
the full sentence and send them all TO
Jail, abou. one hundred bar tenders will
Be needed in Steubenville on short notice.
Madame Mitchell, the celebrated Eng
lish astrologist and necromancer, came
to tho city few weeks since, and has
been rendering valuable assistance to
some Of our citizens by locating oil wells,
curing chronic diseases and giving
information as to the whereabouts Of lost
and hidden treasures, She also agrees TO
hunt up lost pocketbooks for one dollar
apiece, but she will have TO reduce her
prices in this line before the average
Stubenyille man will be likely to consult
her oracle. The idea OF such ruinous
rates for restoring Stenbenyille pocket
books, is perhaps the most absurd thing
the Madame has laid down In her pro-
gramme, and we are gratiiied 10 know
that her action is meeting with just re.
buke from all fair minded people. By
the aid of "chrystal pebble" given to
her by u friend whom she met while
travelling about over the planet Jupiter,
some years since, she Is enabled to show
TO young men their future mother.in-
laws. In this connection we might re-
mark that thirteen marriage licenses
have been Withdrawn since the Madame's
arrival, and two companies for the Black
Hills are being formed.
Local politics do not seem 10 agitate
the Steubenyille mind to any decided de-
gree this spring. Next Monday an cleo.
ton for one member Of the Board Of
Water Works Trustees and member Of
Council from each ward OF the city will
take place. The Democracy are taking
advantage Of the quietness in the Repub-
lican ranks, and will, in all probability,
succeed in e!evating one or two Of their
number to Councilmanic honors. Mr..
Calvin D. DOty is the popular Republican
candidate for Water Works Trustee, and
will 60 in with a rousing majority should
anything like full vote be polled.
at ! O'clock, Thursday afternoon, the
Court Of Common Please entered upon
the second trial OF the celebrated VIM.
Leeper, or as Counsellor Daton calls him
"Leepare." Tie case has been made IA
nous in Judicial circles by the disagree
ment Of the jury in the former trial. The
main evidence against the prisoner is that
Of I'M accomplice, cOlored man who as
sisted in the preparation OF the bur-
glary, for which Leeper is now being
tried, and points most cOnclusively 10 his
guilt. Various theories have been adj
vanccd MS a reason fpr-the former jury
disagreeing. They didn't look like men
that would be apt TO form an opinion
about anything they might read or hear
read from newspaper, yet it is believed
by some disinterested persons, that at
least four Of the jury, owing to early
Democratic teachings, could not have
been persuaded to accept the testimony
OF a cOlored'm man under any condition or
circumstances. We will give two
more theories, viz: The jury was all
drawn from the fire clay hills OF
Newburg. Second, 0neof the jurors had
a wooden leg. We don't see Just what
this last fact has 10 do with the case, but
it is probably on the ground that he was
only fractional part OF n man, Owing
to the prevalence OF rather a popular
feeling against the character Of Leeper,
in the city, struck jury from the town.
ships is again in the box to carefully
weigh his guilt or innocence. The State
is represented by W. T. Hayes and B. N.
Lindulf and the defense by Messrs. Daton
and 0nesney. The proceedings Of the
trial from the commencement have been
accompanied by vast display OF legal
acumen by both the prosecution and de-
Tense. Crowds Of spectators thronged |
tho court room last evening TO hear the |
solidiied wisdom Of the world driven
into the minds Of the jury by the wonder
full pile-driving weight OF Counselor Da-
toms oratory.
Such was bis force Of CloQuenee TO make
The hearers mure concerned than he that spake,
Ere law and justice smiled at the "Iures"
aud mercy ched they surely disagree;
So did he move our passions, some were known,
To wish, for the defence, the crime their own.
However, it matters not what way the.
jury may find, the opinion Of large
mass OF our citizens in regard TO the
guilt OF the prisoner will not be changed
In the least. Dston's eloquence may save
a man from the penitentiary, and may
convince country jury that his client is
as "pure as an angel" but he will have
to produce better testimony before he
can palm Off such stuff on the residents
Of this city.
A party Of young theological students
went into r. N. Goudy's saloon, on Sixth
street, the other day, and called for wine.
Cloudy demurred, and has been wearing
his jaw in a sling ever since. His new
sign reads: mo trouble TO show goods."
There has been considerable talk dur
ing the winter about establishing free
reading room in the city, but nothing
pointing toward the early contamination
Of the enterprise has been done, The |