The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1878-02-01

''Si,lon that 1t will be cl=srIy eompre-
'eHueu oy you, and that you Can
,siSI ana carefully consider il Here
VIZ biachiord gave a comprehensive
la'eihent OF Benton and the surround
- circumstances that affected i'm snv
vas the commission of the decd
de then reviewed the position of the
} parties and the actions of each.
according 70 the standpoint of the de.
ease. How the affair was caused by
he deceased and evaded by the de-
tendant. Who brought about that
meeting, gentlemen: 1t was brought
toout hy Nott. Whose business yyes
;t 4 lie travelled on the highway and
openly and above board carried tbe
gun. It was no eOwardEy assault. DR.
Knapp said TO Mott when he was cross
x tue street, 70 let him alone, and 70
II peace. Mr.. Blsekford then read the
es,iihony OF Saunders. Sperow de-
>erioeo the meeting in the same Ian
-uaSe nearly. Saunders stood on his
h porch aud near his pump. he vas ouly
1bcut I5O feet away FROM the parties.
The defendant alone can tell what was
said. SperoE himself testified that
hey spoke; some words of warning
"ere spoken but they are only known
% siie defendant. Sanders had the
csst opportunity 70 see this affair, and
re said no blow vas struck; the others
say they did see blow was struck but
= hey can not explain how il Was done.
saunders Is the only one that eau *.
plain IL all The powder burn only
-hows In what position the hand was
'ud the testimony of DIR. GALLOWAY
tione shows that the hand was
yElfhln four inches of tie gun.
L don't care for the statements of wit
ne>ses hat The parties were zen or twelve
feet Oft, The testimony of experts can
give he mathematical exaciness of the
distance, and they prove IL WAS or 4
inches. This man referring 10 Knapp),
WAS peaceably walking along the high
way when the Ofher came across to in
iercep, him. When they come to ex-
anime this body ON the head to The
feet. they can not find the least scra ch
or mark up his body. | care not for
he sla,emen,s of these parties IL can
not be that he was struck. Saunders
WIS right and these confused witness 8
wrnI 9. don't know why little seven
shnOer WAS brought in court when a
| large six shOoier was used. If the de
| fendan' had sought the life of this man,
would he have brought gun with only
one barr | loaded, and that with little
bird shOg? Unless the shot had hit him
in Iheheart iteouId hardly have killed
him. except only by accident. it might
havesiruek in the pit of the stomach, that
peculiarly vital spot, where the least con-
cuSs on will sometimes produce death.
Us he was bending fOrwar if he had
been struck he would have fallen direct
ly over When he cid fall his hand was
found on his revolver, and it was partly
hanging out Of his packet. Here Mr.
Blarkford revived The testimony Of
Mrs C,ntner and other witnesses, in re-
laiiOn to The character of the deceasedas
being a chris ian and truly good man;
showed it to Ue absurd that such vas his
~haracter. and he making threats against
people all the time. Then he detailed
JhrPa's made by deceased against other
persons. Not man can say that DIR
Knapp owes him one ftrthing. Why
dId Mott not buy his own cartridges or
buy his own whiskev as a reputable man
would du2 The defendant was not eavs-
dropping when hr heard The conversa-
tiol he ween Mrs NOJI and her husband,
Gn The evening previous. l have no hing
70 say against Mrs Mott 1t is none Of
nv business. The testimony has shown
hat the man s wife, or reputed wife. has
urged him 10 OcOmmiI a murder Is this
not terrible PIC ure? Think of these
ihreIs and he nightly plot between the
man and his wife. / can think of moth
ing so revul ing as the idea ofa man liv-
ing N this civilized community. in the
county of Hancock, going to a store and
buving revolver. What good ever
arose from person carrying revolver2
In my experience of forty-five years,
/ never knew any benefit to arise
from person CARRYING these abominable
things; but IL always has placed people
in trouble and cIused them harm
when a man does such things he ought
To be shot down. Every minute per-
son NAV be called upon to defend him.
self What man of YOU would have done
O'herwi>e than this man did? If you
had just been shot at two or three times,
would YOU not expected to de end your
self | would and know friend BrowD
woald If he did not lie would have
deserved TO have been driven away ON
mis- home by his children. and his wife
would have refused 10 recognize him. IL
matters not whether he WAS shot at at
the time, if he had reasons 10 believe he
was shot at he Was IstiIed in doing as
ne did From the time hat Knapp
had been shot at he acted no longer like
him elf, bu, ac'ed as a man wild with
fear or fright; he was not accountable
fO. his actions. | know very little about
revOlvers, bat know il would take him
scarcely mOmen1 to gotO The cubb'ard
lake OUT the two old cartridges and put
intwo new Cnes. Isit liSel, he would goIO
meetthls man without going fully armed?
We are net trying this IDau az ~ :, -
made tie threats. What difference DOES
il make whether he said re you'd kill
riin or nOtl He was walking down the
SIDE walk paying no attention To auybo-
dy, when Mott shot at him. Koapp's
IN eats were the threats of a man who
had no means To carry them out; they
~er- words spoken under provoeatiou,
they We're spoken under excitement,
and without meaning They were not
-pOk-n With any deep meaning, The
very iIea of a man who had done so
-Iuch for his country as Knapp bsing
told that he must ct out of the town,
C JndItion that Knapp had either to
cef-nd himself or get away. Tue time
has come when mau has a right to
defend himself against the arm of the
assassin. is it strange that that he
wandered across the street aimlessly
and thou2htles,ly, and went to Saund
er-' aud when he saw the gun should
pick IL up not knowing whether it was
loaded or 10; but in this frame OF mind
shOald carry it along thinking it would
prove protectiobl The state says he
should have staid at home, when he
kaew Mott intended TO shoot at him;
but Why should be have staid at home
VI lie knewNott wocld shoot at him!
He did not stay at home when the reb'
els shot at him Mott had had his shot
before, and by all the Law of chivalry
IL was kuapp's turn now, provided
MOTT still intended to take his life
Here the speaker paid his attentions to
Mr. Mumma in d bitter and sarcastic
manner.
DR. Mott WAS not always asleep when he
had his eyes shut or hat turned down.
The evidence shows this. Here Mr..
B ackford gave an account Of the actions
Of the ptrues Just previous to the deed.
Are the circumstances suspicious on The
part Of the defendant2-are they not on
the part of Mott! Could all these things
have occurred by chance and not
broGght about by NOtt2 Mott was not
crossing the street by chance; il makes
no difference whether he WAS drunk OF
sober If these things can all occur by
claim there Can be no deity