The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-03-09

tell him his secret and take his advice.
Samuel Colt, who was in the barroom
with some friends, told his brother to 60
up to his room and that he would join
him in few minutes. The prisoner
waited, and his brother not coming, he
went back to the room in Chambers
street. The body lay there covered with
blood. He took large box, crammed.
the body into it, wrapped in, a piece OF
canvas, tieing up the legs close to the
trunk, then sprnkling salt and sawdust
over all. He washed off the marks OF
blood on the wall and floor, andsmeared
them with ink to hide their traces. lie
stayed in his room late az night, and
then returned to his lodgings on Monroe
street. Ne4t morning he nailed up the
box, sent for car man, and had 1t put
on board the steamer Kalamazoo, lying
at the foot of Maiden Lane.
Colt was convicted Of willful murder,
and was sentenced to be hanged. On
the day fixed for the hanging he stabbed
himself to the heart.
A rem arkable murder trial in Boston,
in many respects like that of Prof. Web.
ster, but resulting in the acquittal OF the
prisoner, was that of Leavitt Alley, who
was accused of killing Abijah Ellis. Some
workmen near the Cambridge gas works
discovered two barrels containing the
mutilated body floating in the Charles
river They were packed with horse
manure and shavings, and in one OF the
barrels piece of brown paper was found,
with the name of NJ. Schouler, billiard
table maker. 1t was shown that Leavitt
Alley, a teamster, was in the habit of re-
moving these shavings to his stable IL
was fonnd that dry heap had been dis
turbed, and blood was found on some
boards near by.
1t proved that on the previous morning
Alley started from the stable with four
barrels, and teamser, in jumping from
wagon, had ascertained two of them
were heavy. Two of the barrels were
not satisfactorily accounted for, and a
man testified that he saw the team and
/ barrels with man strongly resembling
Alley on the mill dam, whence they were
supposed to have been thrown into the
river. Alley owed Ellis about 5000,
needed money, and Ellis was known to
have been looking for the suspected man
on the night of the murder. A new axe
that Alley had bought was missing.
Stains of blood were found on his cloth
ing, which experts declare to be the blood
of the murdered man. A woman had
heard strange noises on the night of the
the murder, like the rolling of barrels.
Alley, it was shown, had plenty of money
after Ellis's death. An examination OF
the murdered man showed that he must
have died between six and nine o'clock
on the fatal evening. Seemingly here
was perfect chain of circumstantial evil
denCe. But the defense met the theory
that Alley had committed the murder in
quarrel by showing his peaceable dis
position and his nigh reputation for hon
esty, and controverted the assertion OF
the prosecution that Alley was in debt to
Ellis, and without money to meet an en-
gagement that fell due at the time of the
murder, by showing that the prisoner
owned real estate in New Hampshire
and had money in bank. Alleys abund-
ance of ready money after the murder
was explained by his son having repaid
him Sl25 the evening before. He gave
satisfactory account of how he had
spent his time on the day of the murder
Experts called by the defense swore that
the blood on the prisoners clothes, being
dry, could not be distinguished from the
blood of the beast. This conflicting sci.
entifc testimony confused the jury to the
advantage of the prisoner, and he was
acquitted. If he was not the murderer
the murderer never was found.