Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1896-03-10
HIS CRIME AND LIFE SENTENCE.

:, Luthe. 9. RadEosd, the murderer
:, OF Jake Torian, is at large and hat
fled the country.
This announcement will be received
with surprise by the general public,
! though it has been known for some
weeks that such was the case, but
only to comparative few who had
received the information in con-
fidence.
The KENTUCKIAN got an inkling of
the important news last week and at
once wrote to the authorities at the
Lakeland Asylum for the facts. To
this letter the following reply was
received:
Dear Sir:
The records of this office show
that Luther G. Radford was admit
ted by order of the Franklin Cir
cult Court April u, 1895, and es-
capped from here Jan. %, 1896. The
Warden of the penitentiary at
Frankfort was notified of Radford's
escape. We have not heard any
thing from him since he escaped.
Very Truly,
HUGH F. MCNARY, Supt.
This brief letter tells the facts in
few words, but the story of Radford's
crime, confinement and escape is one
of unusual interest and is we'll worth
On Tuesday evening Dec. %, 1884,
as Jake Torian and Peter Adcock,
two young farmers, were sitting by
the fire at Mrs. Stegar's, near Long
view, KY, they were fired upon from
4 window and both shot down.
rorian lived with Mrs. Stegar, as the +
of her farm, and Adcock d
vas on visit to him. A pistol ball I
'ame crashing through the window Ii
'ane and Torian jumped to his feet y
nortally hurt and fell dead in his +,
racks. Adcock, shot in the arm, O
prang up and attempted to leave the s.
DOM by rear door but three shots Il
we're fired at him in rapid succession. al
Is he put his right hand on the door W
mob he found it disabled. He u
hanged hands and opened the door
nd escaped, three balls striking the %
DOR facing by his side. Adcock re- u
overed, but still carries the bullet in ~
is shoulder. II
Radford when he had learned Ut
lat Adcock would recover, began RI
, build an alibi, and told con ID
letting stories that at once at ~ %
acted suspicion to him. He u u
nd Torian were suitors for the hand Gu
the young lady and her recent pref an al
'ence Tor Torian had greatly exas- IN
Grated Radford. He was known to be ssP
tier in his feelings towards Torian, Tn
no was not known to have any other MI
lemY. Torian's relatives began to do Pr
me clever detective work and soon ue
I'd complete chain of circumstan. nl'
al evidence wound around Radford. a
caring that Radford would escape, Ioi
ey arrested him without warrant. as
be arrest was made by Byron me
brian, brother of the murdered man, tia
cob Torian, Sr, and Jno. II. Patti
They found him at neighbours, gu
yered him with their revolvers and ac'
surrendered at once, exclaiming. wa
know what it is for but | am inno- les
Mt" They might have lynched IN In
m then and there, but the Torians oil
d their friends were law abiding pai
liens and they brought their priso- ITO I
r to Hopkinsville, swore out war, I'd
ut and lodged him in Jail on Satur- !ul
y, Dec. ~, 4 days after the killing. III
ldford had actually served on the
~ at the inquest and attended the t f
neral and burial of his victim, hop IIr
!, to avert the suspicion that he WIN
red would lead to his arrest. But !;
ough he was ignorant of that fact, eli,
was even then under close watch, -
d his nervous actions and over
M fx,..of x.-ara 81 mac -, khA