The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-01-01
: No TED TRIAL OF FOEsH HER
DAYS.
The Eudictment Against Three
Ssi~-ISsi ppi;asss Accused of Kill
EnZa Aenduck6;:az
BY : S. PRENTIss.

One of the most celebrated murder
trials ever known in Kentucky took place
IA Mercer county in 1885. The parties
ou trial were three gentlemen from Mis-
sissippi They came to Louisville before
proceeding elsewhere into the State
where the nuprials OF one of the party
were to be soIemnized,
The trio registered at the old Gait
House. A Louisville tailor named Red
ding was engaged 10 prepare their we'd
ding costumes. A dispute arose over The
fit OF coat, and during an atfray which
followed, John Rothwell, friend Of the
unfortunate snip, received wounds
which subsequently caused his death
The Mississippi trio had a narrow escape
from death at the hands Of the excited
populace, which gathered around the
Jail ana bayed like hounds for blood.
a change of venue By which their tri-l
took place in Mercer county, and the APP
p-arance Of the great Sergeant PrentIss,
vino made the speech OF his life in their
defense, mad much TO do with securing
the Liberation OF the Mississippians.
Several days ago a citizen handed
q Courier journal reporter copy of the
Indictment found against the trio, which
II ads as follows:
T. f INDICTMENT.
The COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY,
JEFFERSON CoUN term of
the j -Hersou Circuit Court, in the year
of our Lord 183S-The jurors of the
grand jury imp ineled and sworn to in
quire ii and for the body of the said
County Of Jefferson, in the name and by
the authority Of the said Commonwealth
of Kentucky. upon their oaths present
thai Edward e. Wilkinson, gentleman;
John Mur1augh, gentleman, and Benz.
* Wilkinson. Doctor of NJ edicine, late of
the sai5 county and circuit, on the 10Th
day Of Decem Der, 1888, in the said coun-
ty Of jefferson and State Of Kentucky,
with force Of arms, feloniously, willfuliy
and Of malice atorethought, an assault did
make in and upon one John Rothwell,
there being; and the said Edward G. Viii
kinson, with a certain knife which the
said Edward G Wilkinson had and held
III his right hand, the said John Roth
well in and upon the left side of the back
Of the said John Rothwell, and also in
aud upon the chest near the collar bone
and right lung of the said John Rothwell,
then and there feloniOusly, willfully and
OF his malice aforethought did thrust,
strike and penetrate, giving to the said
John ROthwell then and there with the
lulfe aforesaid in and upon the left side
of the back, near the backbone of him
the said John Rothwell, two mortal
wounds, one of the said mortal wounds
between the eleventh and twelfth ribs of
the said John Rothwell, and of the length
of four inches and of the depth of five
inches, and also giving to the
said John R0thwell chen and
here, with the knife aforesaid,
in the chest of him, the said John
Rothwell, near the collarbone and near
the right lung of him, the said John
Rothweil, OF the width of one, and of the
depth of FIVE inches, and another mortal
wound on and cutting through the
seventh rib of the left side of him, the
said John RothwelI, OF the length Of five
inches and depth of four in
ches, and that the said John
Mur,augh and the said Benz. r.
Wilkinson were then and there felonious
ly, willfuIly and of their malice afore-
thought, present, aiding, assisting, com
forting, helping and maintaining the said
Edward G. Wilkinson, in giving 10 the
said John Rothweil the said several NOR
tai wounds, in manner and form afore-
said, of which said mortal wounds, the
said j Ohm Rockwell from the said 18th
OF December, 1888, till the 10Th day of
the same month and year aforesaid, at
the county and circuit aforesaid, did
anguish and languishing did live, and
IL e / l. A n
1888, at the county and circuit aforesaid,
the said John ROCKWELL, of the said sew
eral mortal wounds aforesaid, did die J;
50 the said jurors upon their oath afore
said do say that the said Edward G..
Wilkinson, the said John Murdaugh and
the said Benz r. Wilkinson then and
there feloniously, willfully and of their
malice aforethoUght, in and from and by
means aforesaid, did kill and murder the
said John ROCKWELL contrary co the
form of the statute in that case made
and provided, and against the peace and
dignity of the Commonwealth.
Phil. T. ALLIN
A copy, attest:
Clerk Mercer Circuit Court.
The same gentleman also had a copy
Of the opening paragraphs of Prentiss'
great speech. They read as follows:
s s. PRENTIss' SPEECH.
May it please your Honor and you
gentlemen Of the jury, | rise to address
you with mingled feelings OF regret and
pleasure. l regret the occasion which
has caused me thus, accidentally and
unexpectedly, to appear before you, and
has compelled you to abandon, for a time,
the peaceful and quiet avocations Of pri-
vate life for the purpose of performing
the most important and solemn duty
which, in the relations of civilized society,
devolves upon the citizen. But l am
also gratifed that the prosecution is
about to cease; that the characters of my
friends, as we'll as the cause of public
Justice will soon be vindicated; the muir
ky cloud which has enveloped them will
be dssipated, and the voice of SANDER
and prejudice sink into silence before the
the clear, stern, truthful response of this
solemn tribunal | come before you an
utter stranger, and yet | feel that / am
not as a stranger towards you; | have
watched during the course of the exam
nation the various emotions which the
evidence was so we'll calculated to arouse
In your bosoms, both as men and as Ken
tuekians; and when beheld the flush of
honorable shame upon your cheeks, the
sparkle of Indignation in your eyes, or
the curl of scorn upon your lips as the
foul conspiracy was developed, L felt
that years could not make US better ac-
quainted. l saw upon your faces the
mystic sign which constitutes the band
of union among honorable and honest
men; and ] knew was about to address
those whose feelings would respond to
my own. Irejoiced that my clients were
in the fullest sense of the term to be tried
by a jury of their peers
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