The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1877-11-14
FRAGMENTS OF the EARLY HISTORY
OF OHIO COUNTY.
Mt n. D. TAYLOR.
CHAPTER xxx

CHAPTER Xxx
The next criminal trial that excited
mnch interest in the community was that
Of young jackson for stsbbing Young
Christian the Christian family and a
close nsighbor, 10y the name of Bell, had
fallen out, and commenced q system Of
mutual deviltry and retaliation by killing
and poisoning each others stock, saving
aud chopping mp each others wagons
and farming implements. In this game
the Christians were too Numerous and too
powerful for Bell. and he sold his farm
to the Jscksons and lett the country. In
. short time tho Christians commenced
a like course of conduct with the jack
sons, which led TO hand 10 hand cons
bat, 10 which one of the Christians Was
lady cut and stabbed. Jackson wns in
dictsd and tried for sisbbinG With intent
to kill. The late Judge Ephraim Ewing,
then q yousg man, had just been appoint
ed commonwealth attorney for the die
trict. and although all the better part OF
the community sympathized with Jack
son Euiugs closing argument was so
logical and 60 powerful, that Jsclson's
friends trembled TOR his safety, but the
jury soon returned 4 verdict OF rot guilty.
Old Christian and his sous had long been
considered nuisarce 10 the n,ighhor>
hood, Tut tLis bio Il letting proved veIy
.slutary 10 the nsightorhood st least, il
not TO them, aud IN short time they lsit
the Country.
A more ,siious cate than the foregoing
was the trial OF Brooks for the murder
Of Thruston. TLruston wSs & young
man Of good family who had recently
come from Shelby county and settled in
Hartford. snd been appointed constable
Brooks WAS brick layer, aud one Of the
meu Who helped build the old brick
court house. us had established no
particular character except that OF law
less rUwdyism when drinking. lie had
com mi,ted some penal offenss for which
a warrant hal been Issued and placed
in Young Tbruston's hands. aud in the
attempt TO arrest Brooks poor Thruston
lost his life, Brooks shooting him with =
pistol, for towards always carried pistols
on their persons in those days as well az
now. The whole community looked
upon this as a wanton cold>blooded muir
der, but strange to say jury MAS fou-d
to scquit Brooks of oil crime. The wri-
ter does not vouch for its being a fact,
bat it was afterwards asserted by those
who professed to know that there WAS
not a mas of that jury who died a natu-
raj or peaceful death; it was at least a
case in which one might expect an over
ruling Providence to inhict punishment
on those who had shislded him who had
taken the innocent blood of his fellow
man.
Frank or Francis Irwin was raised in
the Adams fork settlement in this county.
His father and brothers had the reputa-
ton of being quiet, good citizens. but
Frank had the character of a sly. mean
sneak from his boyhood, a strong dispo-
sition to appropriate things lying round
loose, robbing orchards and watermelon
patches, and his character did not inn
prove with age. He became involved in
a lawsuit with quite an old gentleman
named Maxwell, in which Irvin's chsr>
scler and purse were both involved q
day had been set for taking dispositions
before q country justice. Maxwell at
tended, and in the evening left for home.
but his horse ran home with the empty
saddle, quite bloody. Several days were
spent in hunting for the body, in which
Irwin Joined with apparent zeal, but be-
ing suspected was constantly watched,
and it was observed that he always pro
posed searching in different localities
from that in which the body was found
| IL naQ Dccu luIOWu III u biikhb HOOi VI
basin worn by the water OF a small
branch, where it poured over the roots
that partially INSTRUCTED the channel,
and there, covered with loose stones,
logs, dirt, and leaves; heavy fall OF
rain, however, had washed away all the
lighter covering, and after the high water
subsidized left the body exposed 10 sight
Cowardly sneaks. although the most
disposed, should never commit crime
had Irvin bsen a man OF iron nerve and
will, and boldly protested his innocence,
he never could have been lawfully con-
victed, but his craven heart gave evi
dence OF guilt as soon as the body WAS
discovered, he trsmbled like an aspen
leaf aud turned pele, and although his
confession might have been made under
sufficient threats or persuasions to have
excluded il as evidence on the trial yet
gave facts which fastened the guilt upon