Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1882-11-10
WAS rmn lunx nmlnEp


Eprron JouRvAL;-1i,c above question
has been asked very often since the close
of the famous Lcathercr Polling trial
which came on for the second time nj the
present term Of court, aud wbicl, contrary
to all evidence (nnd jusiice), was decided
in favor Of plaintiff. ms IL also wns In the
fret trial, and no evidently unjust wus the
verdict, that Judge Dodge Immediately
set the verdict aside "ns not being in nccor-
dance with the evidence" To fully under
stnnd the csse will give the main fnctss
aud zee II they will bear out the verdict o
the jury.
Old Mr.. Leaihercr lives in what i-known
as the Hopper Settlement, and had jus,
been married to his fourth wife, and the
young people OF the settlement concluded
to give him n belling. Accordingly they
met on the evening Of June 10Th with their
musical Instruments, one OF them being an
old musket, the firing OF said ,nusket Is be
the signal Tor the commencement Of the
entertainment. Accordingly, thrte OF the
fellows got over in the yard, approached
the house and nscertained that the old man
was at home, aud then fired off the muskei,
when the music commenced in dead earn.
,st. 1t was not long before the old man
put in an appearance, armed with an AK,
and drove them out in the road and chased
them up and down the road in his attempt
TO drive them nwny. He then went back
to the house, as Mr.. Stibes, This tennnt)
heard him say, TO "get his pistol and he
would show them"
| Tie belling was kept up for about 10 or
10 minutes when The bellers dispersed aud
went home. Sone two months after the
old man Uhrough the advice OF others and
particularly that Of concsil,d NJ. Il. local
preacher) entered .uit for damages,
claiming that the boys ind .hot him.
The trial came of before his honor, Judge
Dodge, who in hir charge to the jury, said
there has been no evidence TO show that
the boys shot the old man and they should
bring in their verdict accordingly. 1t would
have hecn natural to suppose that the jury
|
Of common sense) would have returned the
verdict M charged; but on the contrary,
they bring ina verdict Of 500 and costs.
5 Not that we believe you shot the old man,
said the foreman 10 Mr.. Ponrga, but we
n want to PUT n stop 10 this belling business.
e Two others of the jury told the boys that
A they dOn't want you to think that we be
3 lieve You shot the old man, but we want to
n give yon lesson ON this belling business
) and besides, II will only be about SIS or Sc
/, q piece.
/, Was there ever an other such a stupid
- verdict returned by njnry-that 10, return
n a verdict for what man ia not charged
e with in n case. DUes /, not look lust ,
e little suspicious? / have stated befur,
= that his Honor set the verdict nride ant
y Mr.. Leaiherer entered new suit whicl
le was closed on tho 24:h ul,., with verdic
,e in favor Of plaintiff for S144, and costs o
i, court, and TINT, too, In the face of all evi
4, dence to the contrary. In ether word
,e the evidence on the defendan,s' side IAN,
,e there were goodly number) all testIfyin
n. in a straightforward way, and withou
lv contradiction, besides number testifyin
10 that they would not believe Mr. Len,here
:" under oath,
Now then, can we for moment believ
o. that the jurors believed the old man II
n, preference 10 all of the other Witnesses
mr. And who is old man I.entherer? In th
first place it il charged that while in Ger
~ many he brutally beat his first wife whs,
,e she was in a delicate condition TO such a,
u, extent that she died from the injuries. TIN
!" neiglIbors made il too hot for him no IN
N. concluded to emigrate. He came TO thi
,e n country aud hns been q desperate claracte
W ever since. His own daughter says onl,
for her interference lie would have beateI
!, O. his second wife OH her dying bed But ,
" short time intervened from the death q
~ his second wife until he mnrries his third
e whom lie abused worse than most peopl,
10 would dumb brute, and saying he woillt
~ kill the d-n b-h. On the 2Slh o
III March, 1878. he locked her up stairs Will,
- he attended public sale. He then wen
y home and the hired girl said they got in ,
y, quarrel and the result is the "d-n b-h'
~ - is killed. He says sl,e fell and struck he
e head ON n lounge. Those on the inoues
=, =, say that this could not have possibly inv,
~ happened Ms she could not have struck i
'e i and fell Us he claimed she did.
!, About one year later we lind him mar
;" :, ried agan-afler having had several WON
NJ en- "on trial" and this time we find hin
married 10 a prostitute. Had it been i,
+ nine out OF ten sett lements he would hav,
- had 10 prove that fall" more satisfactorily
!, =, or had the people in the neighborhoo,
y - have been better posted in law they woul,
!" have Ind him arrested and tried. No
y content ns yet he now brings in their mids
nprostitute. This the Young people re
sent and they bell him accordingly, uhe,
'' should have tnrred and fenthered him u
least.)
IL Again nsk who is this man I1eatherer
d wife beater;a thief, for he stole hogs;
ID man suspected Of murder. and is sl,sIende,
" from his church until he clears hinself I,
70 the charge, aud he has never done il al
pt ndulterer a blnckinailcr, and n man tia
0. would marry II prostitute; n villain;
\, scoundrel, and II Ierjurer.
Can 1t he possible that the evidence q
y" such n man can out balance all others
y lHit nny wonder people who are conver
II snnt with the facts Of the case will ask
:. "Was the jury bought" Yours Truly,
~ TpIrrtI