Sharp County record., 1878-09-26

From the Cincinnati COMMERCIAL
OF the many crimes committed on the
sacred soil of Kentucky there never has
been one forromance of incident, chlyal-
ry of motive, tragedy of ending, equal 10
that of the Beauchamp affair. Though
transpiring many years ago, its details
have lost none of their freshness, and
the high standing of the families and
their persistent efforts to suppress every
thing relating to it, have tended TO per-
petuate it's remembrance, and render 1t
a romance that even at this late day all
Kentuckians love to talk of and wonder
over. The murderer, or infatuated
avenger of another's wrong, was j. y.
Beauchamp, the son Of a respectable
farmer near Bowling Green. He was
Young law student Of unusual promise,
whose talents and address had attracted
the favorable notice of the atterward
murdered Solomon P. Sharpe, at that
time Attorney-General Of the State.
Young Beauchamp was Of ardent tenn
permanent, entertained exalted ideas OF
woman's purity, and once upon his va
cations CHANGED to meet Miss Ann
Cooke, a beautiful young lady, who,
during his absence in the pursuit OF his
studies had, with a widowed mother,
taken up her residence near his fathers
farm.
It was a case of love at first sight.
Miss Cooke was melancholy as lovers
lutte, lived in great privacy, and her
mysterious movements and Intentional
withdrawal from sociery threw around
her halo of mystifeatiOn that fired the
ardor of the law-student and made him
willing slave at her feet. He called
upon her, actually forced himselfinto her
presence, and borrowed books OF her.
simply to afford him an excuse to call
again. She repelled his advances in a
manner that only lured him on. He
prosecuted her with kindness and haunt
ed her with attentions. He proposed,
was rejected; she would never marry.
He persisted with an excess OF passion
and ardor that induced her to tell him
her story and wrung from him 4 prom
ise of revenge.
She had been betrayed, she said, by
Col. Sharpe. Her case was q peculiarly
sad one. Col. Sharpe had been raised
in her fathers family. The sacred
rites of hospitality he had repaid by
filching the daughters virtue. And she,
like many another, became mother
ere she was a wife. She had been fam
ed for her beauty, yet her disgrace had
withered it's charms and crippled its
powers. Her family had been wealthy,
but adyersitu had .oIseHta!tsi', fs.'-71lr.'--
'aather and male relatives were all dead.
There was no one to avenge her wrongs.
Beauchamp, tied to her fate by the silk
en- cords of desperate love, as well as
by the romantic notion of a chivalric
temperament that urged him to wash
out by assassination or challenge the
wrong done, readily took an oath to
hurl Sharpe to the doom he deserved.
"Sharpe will not fight" said Miss
Cooke, when Beauchamp announced MS
intention of calling him out; 4" he is too
great a coward" That was in 1921.
The Legislature was in session at
Frankfort. Beauchamp readily found
Col. Sharpe at the Mansion House. The
Colonel recognized him cordially. "lY'e
come to Frankfort to see you on import
ant business" and Beauchamp took him
by the arm saying, "Let'S take walk" "
They went to retired spot by the
river side. The bell at the Mansion
House rang for supper.
Beauchamp turned upon Sharpe with
a nervous manner and eye sparkling
with anger. "Do you remember the
last words Miss Cooke, whom you
ruined, spoke to yOu?"
Sharpe stood as If transfxed.
81 am the avenger whom in the
spirit of prophecy, she, the last time
you ever saw her, warned you would
right her wrongs
Sharpe stood still, deigning no reply.
"Will you fight duel with me?"
"My dear friend" cringingly spoke
the Attorney General, 81 can not fight
you on Miss Cooks account
"Defend yourself, then, coward and
villain that you are," shrieked Beau
champ, drawing an enormous dirk.
81 have no weapon but a penknife."
Beauchamp threw him Spanish
knife.
"My dear friend, can not fight you,"
still urged Sharpe.
"You - villain, what do you mean
by that? That she is not worthy you
should fight her friend and ayenger?"
"My friend, meant that never can
fight the friend of that worthy, injured
young lady Had her brothers muir
dered me, | would not have raised my
hand to defend myself. And if you are
her husband, | can never fight you"
{" am not her husband, buther friend
and avenger. She sent me to take your
life. Now, - villain, you shall die'