River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-03-06

I
landlord of the inn, who swo { that Scott
urged the peddler to go 10 another inn,
and the officers who found Scott with the
peddler's valise in his possession.
The hammer with which the murder
trial, and shown to the jury. One OF
them remarked to the court that it was
a blacksmith's shooting hammer. Mr..
O'Brien quietly asked TO be allowed to see
it, and he examined it closely. Then he
stood up and handed it to the prisoner.
Scott glanced his eye over 1t for mo
ment, and then banded it back to the
counsel. The next instant he clutched 1t,
| drew it from O'Brien's grasp. and seruti-
nized it with the most intense interest.
Then he leaned on the dock and spoke in
| a hurried tone to his counsel. The latter,
with flushed face and hasty movements,
made his way TO the side of the prosecut-
ing officer, then spoke with the Judge,
and after few seconds beckoned an Of
ficer and whispered to him a few words.
Mr.. Steele, the blacksmith, was recalled
to the witness stand by Mr.. O'Brien, who
said:
''Mr. Steele, you are an old and expe-
rienced blacksmith, are you not"
"Yes, SIR" Steele answered, with per
! ceptible tremor in his voice.
"Did you work at your trade in Holder
ness?n
ayes, sir, when was young man"
Anything peculiar in the manufac
ture of horse shoe nails in that district,
Mr.. Steelel"
II think there is, SIR"
"Pray tell we what that popularity is,
Mr.. Steele"
1.-THE head is divided like in the mid
die"
"Anything like the head of that nail
used as wedge in the handle OF that
! hammer, Mr.. Steelel' the counsel asked,
handing the witness the weapon found
near the body of the murdered peddler.
| The witnesses hand shook like leaf as
he reached it out for the hammer; his
cheeks grew deadly pale, his lips be-
came parched, and though he held the
hammer in his hand his staring eyes were
fixed on his questioner.
| "Anything like that one2" Mr.. o Brien
repeated, calmly looking at the witness.
"Yes, sir" Steele replied at length,
with difficulty.
"Should YOU say that nail had been
INA nc III I1OluSIucSSt MI. oiSCiCE
sit looks like it, sir" was Steele's
reply.
'sMr. Steele" the counsel said, moving
almo close up to him, and standing so
that the Judge and jury could see both
witness and the interrogation distinctly, |
did you ever see that hammer before |
you saw it in this courts"
The witness gave gasp, and then re-
covering himself, said;
Eyes, sir; saw it IN the baads of the
coroner"
At this juncture there was disturbance |
in the court, and the officers were seen
striving to prevent a young man from
quitting the room.
The young man was Richard Steele, the |
blacksmith son.
LET me 90" he said. "That's the old
scoundrel that did it. He knows that |
hammers his we'll enough. He knows
that he planned the whole thing and led
me into it. III turn Kings evidence, I'll |
blab the whole story. Let me go, and I'll /
hang the old william, though he is my
father"
The scene that followed cannot be de-
scribed Suffice it to say tina: noEIe
prOsegui was entered, and Scott was trans
terred into an important witness, Steele
and his son being duly indicted and tried
for the murder of the peddler. Scott
swore to the blacksmith's having taken
the nail from the old horse shoe, remarked
tn It it had been made in Holderness, and
driven into the hammer as wedge. The
hammer was Furthermore identified as
belonging to Steele, and testimony was
given which showed that the blacksmith
and his son were absent from home on the
night of the murder, marketman swear
ING he passed them near DoHcaster going
in the direction of Vickhill, at three
o'clock on the morning of the 2lst of June.
But the evidence that settled their fate
was furnished by SCOTS valise, which was
taken at the time of the murder of the
peddler. 1t was discovered in the ash
heap at the back of the smith. Steel and
his son were convicted and sentenced to
be hanged, and both made full confes
sion to the following effect:
Steele, ST., resolved on the robbery and
murder, if need be, of the peddler imme-
diately alter he discovered the man was
possessed of a large sum of money. After
the peddler and his companion had quit
ted the smithy, Steele, closed it, and COM
municated to his son his design concern
ing the peddler The son, who was profit
gate man, assented to the scheme. Both
were to start after the two men and get
ahead of them by bride path, but the
smith changed his plan. If they diS they
would have to attack them both in the open
road and on horseback. The smith knew
the inn to which they were going, and
was well acquainted with the outbuild-
81 AH0xv 10 oil q
proposed, therefore, that they should rob
the peddler in his sleep, and only use
violence in case it were necessary to Sc
cure their safety. When they entered
the outbuiIdings the smith went toward
SCOTS bed while Richard remained near
the door Finding the man wanted was
not there, Steel and his SON approached
the other bed and found the peddler,
knowing il was he from his bald head.
They tried to remove the valise on which
he slept from under his head, but he evil
IDENTIFY had his hand in the strap, and the
tug awoke him.
The reader knows the rest of the story |
told by Scott. After the smith and his
son had quilted the room with what they |
supposed was the peddler's valise, Steeles |
mind misgave him, aud a dread that
Scott had been an observer of the bloody !
deed, and would recognize the perpetrat'
ors, seized him.
He hurried back to the room, resolved |
to BRAN Scott if he found him awake |
On discovering that the bed was empty, |
the smith dropped his hammer in at |
fright, the only explanation to his mind |
of SCOTS absence being that he had wit |
messed the crime anu quilted the place
secretly TO give the alarm. The smith
and his son departed panic-stricken, and
on reaching home discovered to their in
tense modification and disappointment
that the valise for which they had muTd-
ei ed a man and exposed themselves to the
gallows, contained only few old clothes
and Bible. Steele and his son were
hung at New York, December 8, 1887.
Hygiene OF Cooking.