Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-12-14
From Winchester leader.


CUTTING AFFRAY.-On Saturday
last Bette Taylor (col'd) had a young
colored man named Benjamin Trice
arrested for assaulting and cutting
her son Charles with a razor. The
boy, who is nearly grown, received a
cut on the side of the neck, and u few
fingers cut by grabbing the hand con-
tanning the razor. 1t was narrow
escape from death.
It appears from what we learn, that
Mrs. Harriet Robinson, who suicided
last week, contemplated taking the
life of some of her children before
putting an end to her own existence.
She had children, and it is said that
the night preceding the suicide she
went up stairs where the children
slept, number of times (which she
had not been known to do before, and
when one Of the older girls asked her
what she wanted, she gave her an
evasiye answer and told the daughter
to go off to sleep. Two or three diff
ferent times she turned her youngest
upon its back, but as the babe would
smile, she would leave it. The razor
was kept in this upper room, and it
is supposed she had it when visiting
the bed. We learn that the woman
had her burial clothes all made be-
fore hand by friend in this city,
showing that she anticipated death in
some shape.
FOUND GUILTY.-The trial of Mr..
Crom. Ford, indicted for attempted
bribery of voters-Messrs. Ritter,
Lake and Waters-came off in the
County Court on Wednesday, He
was defended by VIM. r.. Alexander.
The jury, after being cut about an
hour, brought in a verdict of guilty
and fixed his fine at $25. A motion
was made to have the verdict set
aside on the ground of irregularity.
The law provides that in such cases
when person is found guilty he
shall be fined not exceeding $1,000
and imprisoned in the county Jail.
Mr.. Ford's counsel contended that
the jury were bound as well TO fix Il
time of Imprisonment as the amount
of fine. The Judge has reserved his
decision in the matter, and will not
pass sentence before Saturday. The
evidence WINS to the effect that young
Ford. meeting these men on the high.
way, entered into political CONVEX
sation, during which some of the par
ty intimated they could not afford
time to go to the polls, when he prom
ised to see that they should be com
pensated for time lost in voting. As
the proposition was made publicly
in a group of men, we presume Mr..
Ford never dreamed of committing q
criminal act. We believe in severely
furnishing all real violations of the
election law, but there is sometimes
danger of substituting persecution for
prosecution.
SUDDEN DEATH. About O'Clock
Tuesday evening our City was shock
ed by the sad intelligence that Mr..
Jacob S. Fries, well-known citizen
residing on N. Braddock street, had
dropped dead. Upon investigation
we learned that he quietly breathed
his last while upon the top of the old
seminary building on Sharp ST., where
he had been hard at work all day put
ting on a new roof. He was first dis
covered by Mr.. Chas Brown. who
found the warm but lifeless body re-
Ginning on rafter. After DIR. Miller
had pronounced death as a result of
heart trouble, the body was taken
down by friends of the deceased and
carried to the home of the griefstrick-
en- widow.