Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-08-11


8, 1845. thirty nine years and nine days aftel
the duel.
CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
In the year 1893 young man who wa
serving his apprenticeship in London to {
master sail.maker, got leave to visit his moth
er to spend the Christmas holidays. Sh'
lived few miles beyond Deal, in Kent
He walked the journey. On his arrival a
Deal, in the evening, being much fatigued
and also troubled with bowel complaint, h,
applied to the landlady of public house who
was acquainted with his mother, for night:
lodging. Her house was full and every bee
occupied, but she told him that if he woulo
sleep with her uncle, who had lately come
ashore, and was boatswain of an Indiaman
he should be welcome He was glad to &C
cept the offer and after spending the even
ing with bis new comrade they retired to rest
In the middle of the night he was attack
ed with his complaint, and wakening his bed
fellow, he asked him the way to the privy.
The boatswain told him to 60 through the
kitchen, but as he would find it difficult to
open the door in the yard, the latch being
out of order, he desired him to take knife
out of his pocket with which he could raise
the latch.
The young man did as he was directed and
after staying half an hour in the yard, re.
turned to bed, but was much surprised to
find his companion had risen and gone Be!
ing impatient to visit bis mother and friends,
he also arose before day, and pursued his
journey, and arrived at home at noon. The
lady, who had been told of his intention to
depart early, was not much surprised but
not seeing her uncle she went to call him.
She was dreadfully shocked to find the bed
stained with blood, and every inquiry after
her uncle was in vain.
The alarm now become general, and on
further examination, marks of blood were
traced from the bedroom into the street, and
at intervals down to the pier head. Rumor
was Immediately busy, and suspicion fell of
course upon the young man who slept with
him, that he had committed the murder, and
thrown the body into the sea.
"A warrant was issued and he was taken
that evening at his mothers house.
On being examined and searched, marks
VI DlOOu WSI0 uloCOfCICu Ou lilo oHht Oho
trowsers, and in his pockets was knife and
a remarkable silver coin, both of which the
landlady swore positively we're her uncles
property, and that she saw them in his pos.
session on the evening be retired to rest with
the young man. On these strong circum-
stances the unfortunate youth was found
guilty.
He related all the above circumstances in
his defence, but as he could not account for
the marks of blood on bis person, unless he
got them when he returned to bed, nor could
account for the silver coin being in his pos
session, his story was not credited.
The certainty Of the boatswain's disap.
pearance the blood at the pier, traced from
his bedroom, we're two evident signs of his
being murdered; and even the judge was so
convinced of his guilt, that he ordered the
execution to take place in three days.
At the fatal tree the youth declared his
innocence, and persisted in it with such af
fecting reservations that many pitied him,
though none doubted the business Of his SEN
tence.
The executioners of those days were not so
expert at their trade as modern ones, nor were
props and platforms invented. The young
man was very tall, his feet sometimes touched
the ground, and some of his friends who sur.
rounded the gallows contrived to give the
body some support as it was suspended.
After being cut down, those friends bore 1t
speedily away in coffin, and in the course
of few hours animation was restored, and
the innocent saved. When he was able to
move, his friends insisted on his leaving the
country and never returning. He according
ly travelled by night to Portsmouth and en-.
tered on board man of.war, on the point OF
sailing to distant part Of the world and
as he changed his name and disguised his
person his very melancholy history was never
discovered.
After few years of service, during which
his exemplary conduct was the cause of his
promotion through the lower grades, he was
at last made masters mate, and his ship being
paid off in the West Indies, he with few
more of the crew were transferred to another
man-ofwar, which had just arrived, short
of hands from different station. What
were his feelings of astonishment, and then
of delight and ecstacy, when almost the first
person he saw on board his new shi p was the
Identical boatswain for whose murder he had
been tried, condemned and executed five years
before.
Nor was the surprise of the old boatswain
much less when be heard the story. An ex-
PLANTATION of all the mysterious circumstances
then took place.
1t appeared that the boatswain had been
bled for pain in his side by the barber, un-
known to his niece, on the day of the young
mans arrival at Deal, that when the young
man had awakened him and retired to the
yard, he found the bandage had come off bis
arm, during the night, and that the blood
was flowing afresh.
Being alarmed, he arose to 60 to the bar
ber, who lived across the street; but press
gang laid hold of him just as he left the
public house. They hurried him to the pier
where the boat was waiting, and few min
utes brought them on board frigate, then
under way for the East Indies, and he omit
ted ever writing home to account for bis sud-
den disappearance. These were the chief cir
cumstances explained by the friend thus
strangely met.
The silver coin being found in the posses
sion of the young man, could only be ex-
planned by conjecture that when the boat
swain gave him the knife in the dark it is
probable as the coin was in the same pocket,
it stuck between the blades Of the knife, and
in this manner became unconscously the
strongest proof against him.
On their return to England, this wonder
full explanation was told to the judge and
Jury who tried the case, and it is probable
they never afterward convicted man on cir
cumstantial evidence. 1t also made great
noise in Kent at that time.