Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1877-07-07
The Friday Murder Mystery.
TIE HEARING AT HAGERSTowN-pETAlLS
OF THE CRIME, ETC. 1913
Reported for the Baltimore SUM-

UAGERsrowN, Nd, June n, 1871
James Gardner and J. w. Grove,
who are in the county jail at this place
on suspicion of being the murderers of
Rev j. NJ. Friday, June !, were taken
before Justice r. T. Cook, al Q -
o'clock this morning, for hearing. a
large number of persons attracted from
all parts of the county to the hearing
stood in knots on the streets long be-
fore the hour announced for the hear
ing, discussing the case as they had
read it in Tuesdays Sun.
To accommodate the several hundred
persons DESTROYS Of being present at the
investigation, Justice Cook transferred
his office temporarily to the town hall
The prisoners were brought from the
iail, securely handcuffed, by Sheriff L.
j. Mayberry and deputies, and realized
for the first time probably the serious
ness of the crime with which they stand
charged and the indignation it has met
at the hands OF the people, aud deeply
expressed in the countenancc of many
OF those present. About thirty wit
nesses were present from lIarpcr's Fer
gy, West Va, and Sandy Hook, Md.
When everything was ready TO pro
coed with the investigation, the specta-
tors were suddenly disappointed by the
announcement of an agreement between
counsel TO postpone the hearing.
States Attorney Edward Stake asked
for postponement to Tuesday morning,
July 8, at o'clock, to which Col. Geo.
Freaner, counsel for the prisoners con
scented AS the witnesses, or most of
them, were present. and it not being
questioned that there was sufficient
evidence to commit the prisoners, there
were many surmisps as 10 the real cauSs
OF the postpOnement.
Gardner vigorously denied in his cell
during the morning to your correspon-
dent that he had made confession to
the detective duplicating Grove as the
murderer, and i'll consequence 1t was
Thought better to gain more time, dur
inc which counsel feel assured he will
turn States evidences. Mr.. Chsrles
Davies, of Harpcrs Ferry, assisting
counsel for the prosecution, stated that
the evidence was 50 strong that it
would scarcely be necessary to use the
confession of the prisoner, even if it had
been obtained in the most positive man
ner in the presence of a third party as
witness
twas further assigned as cause for
desiring postponement that Mr. A. II.
=, hpo rtn ~ nf
Col. Freaner, had been retained for the
prosecution at tue instance OF Mr..
Whip, of Jefferson, Frederick county,
Md, tather-in- law of Rev. Mr.. Friday.
Alter the poStponement "as announced
ov the Justice crowd surrounded the
railing enclosing the prisoners, but the
hall was soon quietly cleared.
Groves repnted wife, who is known
as Sally Fair, woman probably 80
years of age, wearing "shaker" which
covered her entire face, went over to
speak TO him before he was taken back
10 Jail. As the irons were being re-
placed on Grove he said to the woman,
Tell the children not TO be uneasy;
they may hang my body, with an air
of defance,) but I'll have my soul left.
The woman replied sharply, FLUSH
up, You blame old fool, you.
Grove as he was taken from the room
continued mutteriug something about
being "as innocent as a child" and that
''the angels were lowering around
him!"
The list of witnesses summoned in
the case include John Minks, Mrs.
John Ii. Reed, Richard Donovan, Jas.
Bowers, Charles Unseld, Dolly Bender,
Jane Waters, Alex. Murphy, JOHN Rod
rick, VIM. Shepherd, Harrison Carter,
brady, Alex. Dent, John H. Reed,
Martha Reed, Mollie Leonard, James
Walter, Sallie Grove, Fanny Smith,
Patrick Higgins, J. J. Moore, Mr..
Wells, Emory Allen, Mrs. Walters,
Outside of any confession of the
prisoners the chain of circumstantial
evidence is regarded as sufficiently
strong and complete of itself, the case
having been skillful managed by the
independent detective firm, Messrs
Smith & West, of Baltimore. | visit
NN Tue scene OF the MurQer anu the
vicinity to>day, and have conrersed
WIN all the important witnesses, and
from their statements | give the sub
stance 20 OF what they propose TO testify
to on tuesday next. The confession of
Gardner that Grove struck Rev. MIR.
Friday with bag of onions, knocking
hun into the canal, was made 10 the |
detective on Sunday last.
Since then circnmstantia] ev;Joroo
has turned up which completely cor
roborates that statement. The bac
which contained the onions was borrow
ed from Thomas A. Kirwin, of Harper's
Ferry, by Grove. Both the prisoners
were seen by half dozen persons 60
ing over the bridge and up the road,
one of them having the bag. The
onions, l-2 pecks, were stolen from a
patch IN front of the residence of Mr..
Barhhard at Sandy Hook, and person
IN the family heard distinct noises in |
the patch about this hour. The men
were seen returning to Harper's Ferry I
DrluOe near the Scaun Of .ba ,,,nrJar