South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1878-05-03

A singular case or the convictinx or
two men o. csinss which they never
committed, comes from CanbhdRe, Ohio.
The Js6ersosin OF that place giyss the
following particulao:
About thirteen months ago the house
of q woman named Jennie Archsr. was
broken isto. on dark. stormy night, and
she was Pobbedog besEeen two and three
hundrsd aollars. The next moruing the
neighbon were informed OF the-po66sry
by Jennie. who was positive that the
thieves Wece EseeoEs Hoskett and To-
mas Ste0art, to- fAenoes who lived In
tile imue6iate viclnity. ~ Il had r6ls.
ed hard during ~ night, tie roads vors
muddy sAd plaisly sSo1sd horse trurko
leading along The road. 6rst to the sta.
BILE @! Eeskett and then towards Ste~.,
arts. Tho msosurenent Of - tsncks
agreed exsctly With the sire OF The foot
Of Hesketts horse. and 10 render -.
matter apparently beyond doubt, the
tracks showed that there was no shoe
on one q the horses fore feet, and upon
inspecttDn it was found that Heskett .
horse had but three shoes on. Both
Stewart Heskett we're arrested. The
latter forfeited his bail. but was after.
ward arrested in Illinois and sent to tho
Penitentiary for three years. Stewart
was sentenced.to t~o years In The same
prison. The prosecuting attorney, some
time anerwarti, was convinced that q,
man called Pettay, Of Noble county. hadl
been connected With tho robbery, md
he had him arrested and put under bail.
Last week Frank Cook informed the
prosecutor that Joseph OGleA and Pettay
we're the parties who committed the rob.
berry, and they we're placed under arrest.
At tue trtol Cook testified that Pattsy,
Odeli end himself had held numerous
consultations In regard to tho robbery,
but he backed out. He was afterward
given hush money. Corroborating tes.
timony was brought in and at last Odell
made f0il confession from the witness,
stand. He acknowledged that Pcttay
and himself committed the robbery, and
that he shaved hts beard off after retarn.
ing home: Pettay declares that he Is
innocent and that it is put-up job
One theory Of the horse tracks was that
Stewart and aeskett came to Jennie
Archers TO meet the other two men, and
found that the robbery had already been
committed. Another is that Pcttay and
Odell purposely rode down the road to
aesketts in order to tx suspicion upon
them. 1t is said that Pettay's horse had
one shoe off just rs Heskett's hsi. This
Is much mixed' case, and one that
viii APPLY point moral" 1t sifo W.
how foolish is the Judgment Of man. and
how weak in reality the crcamstaneiai
sometimes is. Such case as this Is OF
more practical beneft to hot temper
ed community than all the lectures.
and SERMONS that ever were delived.
In the most lawless districts the ruling
spirit is desire for fair play and no
favors.' No class Of people are SO quick
to appreciate q noble action, as a crowd
of passionate men who would lynch
man if they though: there was sufficient
reason for so doing, and no one would
be quicker in showing their approval
w hen these, people see that it takes
time and PATIENCE toprove a man guilty
OF crime lalthough he may he convic-
tedD upon mere circumstantial evidence,
they will be less hasty in giving way
to lawlessness for fear that they may
murder an innocent man, Let them
remember that many men have been
hung or sent to jail for crimes they ne
yer committed, because the evidence
seemed to warrant it.