Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-02-02

Bee:
rYLER's STATEMENT OF THE CASE.
He said that this was the third or
fourth time that he had participated
in a case where the defense was simi-
lar to the one he was to make in this.
In all Of those, and in this, j. was sd
mitted by the defense that the victim
had met his death at the hands of the
accused. He then proceeded to de-
fine the various grades of homicide,
dwelling at considerable length upon
iustifable and excusable homicide.
"If a man breaks into your house at
the hour OF midnight for the purpose
of iobbing you, committing a rape,
arson, murder, or even an assault and
battery, the offender takes his life
into his own hands in thus entering
your domicile. II be comes to your
door at night and there so conducts
himself as to lead you to the reasona-
BILE belief that he is there for feloni-
GUS purpose, or with the intention to
commit any of the crimes | have
named, you have the right unques.
tionably to take his life. And shall
it be said that if man lnvades the
household Of another for the purpose
Of robbing him of that of which every
husband of a family feels more sacred
than goods, houses, or even life itself,
that the Individual whose rights are
so invaded, must stand by, day by
day, and see the
INFAMOUS WEB OF THE sEDUCER
woven around the being and the rep
utation of the woman Of all others he
holds most dear.-his wlfe-and that
If in an unguarded hour, in state of
mental frenzy, excited and controlled
by an impulse brought upon him by
the evidences of that wife's shame
and dishonor, he takes the life of her
seducer, he must be held responsible
with his own life for that act? Such
in this country is not and has never
been the law. In the history of Grim
inal trials, in England as well as
America, the gentlemen will be una
bic to cite us to one case IN which a
jury convicted any man, any person
placed on trial before them under
such circumstances.
'In some of the States this case
would be held one of justiGable hon.
icide. In this State, while it would
not be held justifable, it will, as we
think, clearly be classed in the cate
CORY of
EXCUSABLE HoMICIDES.
"a man is not always the keeper of
his own mind or his own intentions.
Sudden misfortune, sudden grief,
sudden shame, may and frequently
does so completely overwhelm him as
for the time being, to render him the
subject of an uncomfortable impulse,
or insane emotion, and during the
very few moments which may elapse
while he is so controlled, he may do
that which he otherwise would not,
even to the taking of the life of hu-
man being; and we claim, gentlemen
of the jury, that the case now at the
bar is one of this character.
"Peter D. Cole who stands before
you charged with the murder of John
Harmon, is man forty years of age.
He was born in Hardin county, O., of
poor but honorable parents, who only
three short years ago, went home to
God. He has living three brothers
and six sisters; nearly all of whom
will be present at this trial. He was a
good boy, kind, amiable and gentle,
loving his home and his parents. But
when the war broke out in 1861 he
was one of the first to
RESPOND TO HIS CoUNTRY's CALL.
"Although very young, under Cap
tain Mcconnell, of Hardin county, and
Colonel Robinson. as private sol.
dier, he carried a musket and made
those long marches with the best of
them. He was at the battle of Chan
cellorsville, Gettysburg, and in all the
important struggles in the march to
Savannah.
"Through all this he carried the
image of young and beautiful Buck
eye girl, Kate Roose, who lived at
that time with her parents at Forest
Ohio. h At the close of the war, with
what little money he had been able to
save, with light heart and an honor
able discharge carrying in his body
the marks of rebel bullets which he
must take to his grave, he came home
to make good his promise to the girl
he had left behind him.
"He married her, brought her to
Kenton, Hardin county, and from
thence to Deshler. At the latter
place, by industry, honesty and sobri-
ETY., maintaining a reputation and q
character which no one will gainsay,
he acquired little property and made
o comfortable home for the wife he
worshipped and the little girl that had
been born to them. Unfortunately
for all, his home was situated upon a
lot adjoining the residence of John
Harmon. An intimacy soon grew up
between the families of the defendant
and the deceased. John Harmon and
his family associated and nelghbored
with the defendant and his family.
They ate salt at his board, and in
every way the defendant placed in the