The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1878-09-24

Crhe Beauehamp tragedy. or. as it
vas better known once. the "Great
Kentucky Tragedy" has been re-
written % many times BY sensational
reporters. Who have added TO it. that
many Of the original facts have been
lost sight OF. A short time since the
Cincinnati Commereid revived the
story. but its account is full Of errors.
The following Is. We believe. . true
account Of the affair. BAzoO.]
We were led, . short time since. to
recall in connection with the novel Of
w. Gilmore Simms, and review the
circumstances Connected with the we'll
nigh forgotten Beauchamp tragedy in
which everybody in the country was
interested thirty years ego.
On the night Of Sunday. the 9Th of
November. 1925, Col. Solomon P.
-harpe. one of the foremost lawyers in
Kentucky. formerly Attorney General
Of the State. some years earlier =
member II Congress. and at that time
. leader in the newly elected State
Assembly. was murdered at Frankfort,
under circumstances Of peculisr
strocity. He was roused from his bed
by some one knocking ut his door, and
he was there seized By the assassin.
who. after some words. stabbed him to
the heart. almost 10 sight Of his wife.
who rushed to his side. but too late to
hear syllable from him. or to learn in
any way who Vas his murderer.
Suspicion som fell. however. on
young lawyer. named BeauchamP.
Who Mas arrested, tried. and condemn
Ell apparently ON false evidence. but
who vas yet the real murderer. Party
animosity. then furiously excited
throughout the State BY some question
relating to the courts. ascribed the
| murder to political hatred. for Sharpe
Vas the leader Of his party. and the
idol Of the people: NOR was it till after
the trial, that the astounding story Of
Beauchxmps actual crime and his
reasons for it were made public by his
own ingenious confession.
Some years befnre. apparently a.
early o. 1918 Col. Sharpe had seducsd
, Miss Ann Cook. . young lady Of
respectable family. educated and re-
fined. and - appears from her suhse.
quent course. of unusual force and
severity Of character Proud and
intense Of feeling. che withdrew en-
| tirely from society where she had been
admired q, d courted. and With her
widowed mother. her books and her
slaves. she hid her disgrace in the
complete seclusion Of . Kentucky
plantation.
II was here that young Beauchamp.
in . fatal hour for both, sought her
out urged himself On her acquaintance.
fell passionate in love With her. and led
on BY his passion. devoted himself.
with barbarous magnarimity, to her
dreadful lhirst for revenge on her BE-
trayer. He cannot have been more
than nineteen years old at this time,
and be had been On the point Of com-
mencing the study Of law With Col.
Sharpe. when he v.s repealed from
such connection BY the story Of his
villany towards Miss Cook. Generous
J though ungovernable Of temper. be
looked with aversion on the name %
stained-reRarding him Nc better than
q horse tibet. % he himself naively
says.
His natural pity f,r Miss Cooke
vas strengthened By the praises BE-
slowed On her beauty aud Wit, By .
friend Of his who had been her former
admirer. He visited her in her self
impris0nmene hut she refused to zee
him, be insisted, and she at last came
firth, but she received him coldly.
He pretended . desire to use her
library. and borrowed . buck. which
gave him . pretend to call again in .
few days, when be again cav her.
Little BY little her reserve wore ID,
while his enthusiasm for her grew int,
fervens love. He urged his suit and
besought her hand in marriage. which
she st 6rst steadily refused. and only
yielded finally on condition that he
should 6rse kill Col. Sharpe.
This was in 1921, and in the
autumn Of that year be went to Frank
fort for the express purpose Of ehal-
longing Sharpe. and Of shooting him
il be declined. The two walked out
together along the river at Frankfort.
and when they bad cOms to . retired
place outside the town. Beauchamp
disclosed tn Sharpe in what rslatios
he stood to Miss Cooke, and asked il
be would fight him. Sharpe ssid be
could not fight in such . cause-he
would let himself be killed rather than
do It; and falling on bis knees. be
implored BeauchamP not to kill him.
The bate Of the enrsged man turned
to scorn 1t what be thought the most
glaring cowardice.-he struck Sharpe
in the tace, called him the most in
sulting names. and swors be would
cane him in the streets every day till
he forced him to . duel. They part
ed, and early next morning Sharpe
left Frankfort and Beauchamp lost his
opportunity.
Miss Cooke now resolved to kill her |
betrayer With her own hand. and u
gether With Beauchamp che contrived
. plot q artfal - that BY which |
Lsonore betrays Loshair, u Sr,ne him |
to her house where che would shoot !
him. This failed, and after Q long |
time she gave up her cherished plan,
and left the murder again to Beau
champ, who, meanwhile, By . sopbis
nv such . . familiarity With . dread