The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-01-02

After waiting some time Scott came
forth from the closet and found the ped
dler lying on the ground, dead. Scott
was in terrible dilemma, and saw at a
glance that he would be suspected of
having murdered the peddler. Panic
stricken, he hastily dressed himself,
picked up his valise from the floor, took
his horse from the stable, and departed
from the inn, resolving to seek safety
in flight. 1t was daylight when he
reached Coninbro, and then for the first
time he discovered that the valise he had
taken from the floor was not his, but the
peddIer's, which he had no doubt drop
ped when the murderers fell upon him,
and in place of which they doubtless
seized and carried off Scott's, which lay
on the carpet close by.
This extraordinary story was not be-
lieved by the Coroner's Jury in the face
of the damning evidence against Scott.
1t was shown that he had seen the ped
dler produce his wallet from the valise
in the blacksmith-shop; that he offered
to accompany the peddler to Doncaster,
and that he had taken up his quarters
at the same inn, and slept in the same
room with the murdered man. Besides
this, he was captured with the valise
in his possession, and what better evi.
dence of his guilt could there be.
Scott was sent to Jail, and in due
course tried foE willful murder. Out
of charity a young lawyer undertook
his defense. The evidence for the prose-
cution was clear and convincing, and
Mr.. O'Brien, the prisoners counsel, saw
no chance for his clients escape. The
principal witnesses against him were the
blacksmith, John Steele, his son Rich
ard, the men that were in the smithy
when the peddler and Scott first met,
the landlord of the inn, who swore that
Scott urged the peddler to go to another
inn, and the officers who found Scott
with the peddler valise in mis- possession.
The hammer with which the murder
was committed was produced on the
trial, and shown to the jury. One of
them remarked to the Court that it was
blacksmith's shoeing hammer. Mr..
0'Brien quietly asked to be allowed to
look at it, and he examined it closely.
Then he stood up and handed it to the
prisoner. Scott glanced his eye over it
for moment, and then handed it back
to his counsel. The next instant he
clutched it, drew it from O'Brien's
grasp and scrutinized it with the most
intense interest Then he leaned on the
dock and spoke in hurried tone to his
counsel. The latter, with flushed face
and hasty movement, made his way to
the side of the prosecuting officer, then
spoke with the Judge, and, after a few
seconds, beckoned an officer and whis-
pered to him few words. Mr.. Steele,
the blacksmith, was recalled to the wit
ness-stand by Mr.. O'Brien, who said:
" Mr.. Steele, you are an old and ex-
perienced blacksmith, are you notp
Yes, sir" Steele answered, with
perceptible tremor in his voice.
Did you work at your trade in Hol-
derness?'
" Yes, sir, when l was a young maj" I"
Anything peculiar. in the maaufac-
ture of horse shoe nails in that district,
Mr.. Steele?'
&C think there is, SIR"
Pray tell me what that peculiarity
is, Mr.. Steele.
The head is divided like in the
middle"
"Any thing like the head of that
nail used as a wedge in the handle Of
that hammer, Mr.. Steele?" the counsel
asked, handing the witness the weapon
found near the body of the murdered
peddler.
The witness 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.
"Any thing like that nailf' Mr..
O'Brien repeated, calmly looking at the
witness.
eyes, SIR" Steele replied at length,
with difficulty.
Should you say that nail had been
made in Hoiderness, Mr.. Steele?'
"It looks like it, sir" was Steele's
Mr.. Steele" the counsel said, almost
moving up to him, and standing so that
Judge and jury could see both witness
and interrogator dist city, "did you
ever see that hammer before you saw ii
in this Court?p
Yes, sir; saw it in the hands oi
the Coroner"
At this iuncture there was disturb.
ance in the Court, and the officers were
striving to prevent young man iron
quitting the room.
The young man was Richard Steele
the blacksmith S son.
"Let me co." he said. "That's the old
scoundrel that did it. He knows tha
hammers his we'll enough. He know
that he planned the whole thing, ant
led me into it. I'll turn Kings evi
dence; Pll blab the whole story. LIE
me 90, and I'll hang the old villai n
though he is my father"
The scene that followed can not b
described. Suffice it to say that a nou
prOsequi was entered, and Scott was trans
ferred into an important witness, Steele
and his son being duly indicted ant
tried for the murder of the peddler
Scott swore to the blacksmith's havin
taken the nail from the old horseshoe
remarked that it had been made in Hol
derLess, and driven it into the hamme
head as wedge. The hammer was fur
ther more identified as having belonge
to Steele, and testimony was given whic
showed that the blacksmith and his so
were absent from home on the night G
the murder, marketman swearing h
passed them near Doncaster, going i
the direction of Vickhill, at three O cIoc
on the morning of the 2lst of June. Blu
the evidence that settled their fate ws
furnished by Scott's valise, which the
had taken at the time of the murder c
the peddler. 1t was discovered in th
ash-heap at the back of the smith.
Steele and his son were convicted an
sentenced to be hanged, and both mac
, full confession to the following eIfect
Sseele, sen., resolved on the robber
. and murder, if need be, of the peddl
Immediately after he discovered that tt
: man was possessed of a large sum
!. money. After the peddler and his col
t panion had quilted the smithy Stee
{ closed it, and communicated to his 81
his design respecting the peddler. II
son, who was a profigate man, co
r sented to the scheme. Both were abo
: to start after the two men and G