The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-02-09
MOUNpsVILLE.
Miller by Miss Ly dia Tay lor-Deaih
OF James =. NoII.
Correspondence OF the Register.

Robert Howard, of this place, brother
ln-lsw of the William Miller who was
killed near Newport, Ohio, by Miss Lydia
Taylor short time ago. furnishes me
with the following particulars Of the
| affair:
Miss Taylor is an orphan, living with
her half brother, who is near neighbor
of Miller's, and man well TO do in the
world. Upon the evening preceding g the
murder she had gone over to Millers
fathers house to spend the,night with
sister of the unfortunate young man.
There was also q young man, relative
of the family visiting there At the time.
After pleasant evening passed together
the family and visitors retired to bed, the
two young men occupying room ad.
joining the one in which the girls slept,
but having no connecting door between
them, it being necessary to pass through
the sitting room in order to get from the
room occupied by the girls to that of the
young men. Miss Taylor says she got
out of bed about three o'clock in tie
morning, dressed and went out to the
wood shed and procured an Ak. The
ak was sharp one, it having been
ground the day previous. Re-enter-
ing the house she proceeded TO the
room occupied by the young men, went
up to the bed and passing her hand over
the faces of the sleerers (there beng no
| light in the room) ascertained that Mil |
Ter occupied the front part OF the bed. |
| This she was enabled to do from the fact |
that he wore BURNSIDE" whiskers At |
this stage Of proceeding she says her |
courage failed her, and she sat down up |
on chair and remained there for a con- |
siderable length of time. When, as she |
expresses it, the devil came to her, and |
she got up and raising the sx, struck her
unsuspecting and unconCious victim ter.
rible blow with the edge of the AK across
the left temple, the blade OF the ak pene-
trsting completely through the skull, but |
not through the membrsnous covering |
of the braiA. Miller, she says, renamed |
perfectly still al! this time. She then |
placed her hand upon the wound and |
held it there for some time, in order to
make sure that her fendish work was
successfully accomplished. Being at
length satisfied, from the large amount |
of blood issuing from the cash, and the |
fact that her victim remained perfectly |
still, that the blow was q fatal one, she |
started 10 leave the room when her shawl |
(which she had thrown oyer her shoul |
ders before going TO get the ak becoming |
attached TO some article of furniture in |
the room, was about to fall of, she |
clasped it with her bloody right hand |
hnr 10 tain Al in ! - n
leaving the imprint OF her gOre-covered |
hand upon the shawl and the bosom ol
her dress.
Miss Taylor is about % years of age,
and is described as being of rather pre-
possessing appearance. .of remarkably fine
physical proportions and weighs about |
one hundred and slxty-dve pounds.
When charged with the crime she did |
not hesitate to acknowledge it, and en-
tered freely into a description OF the
manner in which she had accomplished !
it. The only reason she assigns for the
killing is that she "loYed him."
The young man who was sleeping
with Miller was not swsked until the |
murderess had left the room, when Mil.
Ter fell out of the bed 10 the floor, which |
awaked his bed-fellow.
Mr.. Miller, the murdered mans faith
er, says he heard the blow struck, but
paid no attention to it at the time, as he
had no idea what it WAS.
Miller lived about five days after re
celvlLg the wound. His last rational
expression was q request that his mur.
deress should not be molested for the
crime.
Esquire Nye, of Marietta, has just
concluded the preliminary examination
OF the unfortunate young woman, at
which her friends put in the plea of in
sanity. She was ably defended by Mr..
Brideham, the prosecution being repre-
sented by Colonel Nye. There were
twenty. eight witnesses examined by the
defense to establish the fact OF her IN
sanity. The Justice decited that the
plea was not proven, and held her on
bail for her appearance for trial. Court
being now in session IN that county, the
trial will commence on Tuesday next.
1t is said that the accused attempted
short time ago TO poison her hslf-bro:h'
er's family, by putting "Rst Extermina-
tor" in their coffee The attempt, from
some cause, failed. She also scknowl-
edges this charge, and gives as q reason
for it that he (her half. brother) had not
treated her right"
FUNERAL OF JAMES r. SoLL.
Pilot Davis Alexander, of the steamer
Express, is in town visiting his father
and friends. He returned from Bears.
vile, Ohio, Monday, where he had gone
70 attend the funeral Of his late friend,
James z. Noll, who was buried q. tnat
place on Sunday lsst. Davis speaks IN |
terms Of the highest eulogy OF Mr. Noil,
who FOR some time prior 70 his fatal Ill
ness, was employed as second clerk on
the steamer Express. He had been
in the employ OF the Wheeling |
and Parkersburg transportation Com.
pany for about seven years in different |
capacities, and hsd by MS many noble
qualities endeared himself 10 sll with |
whom he was connected, both employers |
and employees, a. well Sc host OF &C |
ouaintsnces St every stopping point be-
tween Wheeling and Psrkersburg.
Mr.. Soll WAS gentleman Of more |
than ordinary ability and talent, ard !
gave promise Of brillisn. future in his |
chosen occupation, for which be is ssid 20 |
have been peculiarly fitted both BY nature
and education, and his un!imely death,
being bat twenty-five years o. age, ia
deeply lsmented By every one who Knew
him, and by none more deeply than b.
friend and associate Mr.. Alexander, who
furnis the above factS.
WOOL.