The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1881-07-07
bloody tragedy In which he played so promi
neft part.

bloody tragedy In which he played 80 promi-
mont \ part.
MS TRIAL. -
Adam Thompson was hfst tried In 1870,
shortly sfler tho murder. and was convicted,
and tho death penalty assessed by the jury
! He appealed mis- case, and the court OF APP
pesls reversed and remanded tho case tor o
now trial, because OF soma error comm'tted
by tho court below, prominet among
which was the failure OF the clerk 70 sign
the charge, aud have the same marked MED
by the clerk. The case after II came back
stood on the docket for long time without
ever being tried again. When our present
county attorney, Robert y. Seay was elected,
| TO Office in the fall of 1878. he found the case
in an almost hopeless condition; an tbe
| important witnesses were scattered about all
through northern Texas, and their whereas
bouts utterly unknown to the officers Mr.
Seay Get to work, and for months patiently
traced the witnesses from point TO point, and
developed other testimony which was I'M
known by the officers up TO this time. AT
length he considered the case in condition
| to risk "A trial, although the result was very
doubtful. The exact whereabouts or two
very important witnesses were unknown,
although rumor located them in adjoining
counties. MIR. Moon, who was then the etli>
Gent sheriff of Dallas county, told the
county attorney that ss soon as 1t was known
positively that the Gaze would be- tried, he
would start two deputies in search CT those
witnesses, and if they could be found he
would have them here before the state closed
with her testimony. Shortly sfterward the
state and defendant both announced ready
Tor trial. Instantly two deputy sheritfs 10
buggies were seen speeding out OF the city.
By Tuesday evening, at adjournlng hour,
| the state had useu all the wi .nesses mat W re
present, and had developed ca that
sstounded the defendant ana his attorney,
who had never known of the discovery OF the
new testimony. Mr. Seay announced to the
court that unless the witnesses he had sent
for appeared the next morning ne wouio
close on the part of the state. That evening
both witnesses were brought in, and
next morning the chain of circum-
stances against Adam Thompson was made
so complete, that no ore who heard the testl-
mopy would for one moment have doubt as
to his guilt
THE EVIDENCE
deyeloped on the trial showed that Joseph
Schumacher, the murdered mar, was an old
and feeble German who kept country store
on the Cleburne road about seven miles
southwest from the city of Dallas, and that
he silent alone in the store at night About
| half an hour after dark on Saturday night,
july the LIST, 1876, two witnesses passing the
store saw o light and heard the old man
moving around. This was the ,st ever seen
or heard of him on earth. About mile this
side of the store these gentlemen met two
negroes 10 the -oad it was not light enough
for them to recognize the negroes, but cir-
cumstances point unerripgly to the fact that
they we're Adam Thompson and Yves. Fol-
lard passing on under the cover of night, on
their double errand of r, bbery and murder.
The darkness WAS not intense. IL had rained
in the evening and the moon seemed strug~
Cling to shed her soft rays through the dark
clouds that interviewed, ard to throw some
light if possible on the black deed about to
be committed by these two black villains.
They arrived at the store, and hnding all
quiet bursted open the door with two large
stones they carried in their hahds. I6e
finger marks upon the throat of the poor old
man. the wounds on his head, and The blood
and hair on the poll of his own axe, as
found the next morning, show too plainly
that he started from his sleep, only to bs
seized by the throat by one OF the fends
and held in his strangling grip while the
other dealt him the sickeniug,
BLOODY BLOW
on the back and top of the head, crushing in
the skull and destroying bis life. One al
most sickens at the thought of what this
poor, helpless old man must haze endured
during the few moments that consciousness
lasted. Having taken the life of their helpN
less, unoffepdlng victim, they threw his
bleeding, mangled corpse upon its face in the
mud out in the road, and then piled his bed
ding on top of him. Having accomplished
this part of their terrible deed, they took
the money drawer from its place, carried IL a
hundred yards or more back in the field. and
robbing it of its con ents, left it. A part OF
the contents of this drawer was counter
felt half dollar, marked, afterwards found on
the person of Adam Thompson, and key
found 10 trunk jointly owned by rhomp-
son and Pollard. Both of these dumb vi
nesses we're used effectively on the t'iai to
secure the conviction Of the mt ;erer.
County Attorney Sesy and his sssisa :, Mr..
ID. a. Morrow. represented the ST. Is on this
important trial, and it is to their I'll ITS, ably
backed by Sheriff Moon and his deputies,
that the county owes the conviction of this
murderer who, 1t was believed for long
time, would escape all punishment for his
terrible crime.
SKETCH OF THOMPSON,
Adam Thompson Was born in the state oil
Tennessee, about the year 1854 He was
taken to Springfield, Mo-, when quite young,
and from there to Washington county, Ar
kansas
The first thing he says that he could re,
member was that at the close of the late war
be was catching sheep for his master, man
by the name of Biddicks, in Arkansas.
When about ten years old he was seld TO
Frssk r ,binson, of this state, who brought
him to Dsnison and turned him over TO Red
r ,binson, who is citizsn of this place.
Robinson put him 10 herd
ing sheep In Cooke county.
He appeared 10 enjoy telling of q mule and
human saddle. When asked what he meant
BY human saddle, he said 1t was an Amer
icsn saddle, with no horn on 1t. RJbinson
sold him, the mule. saddle and sheep In q
Jumping trade 10 a man BY the name of Dave
Emen. Elmen gave him to his father-in-
law, named McGrsw. McGrsw put him TO
work, and be proved 30 worthless that he
run him of bis premises, and from that time
on be went about from one county to az
other, and fully hired out as berdsman on
the frontier. firing of is life he came back
into the settlements. A negro named Wee
Pollard lived between Dallas and CeburDe.