The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-18
RIPPEY MURDER TRIAL
OPENS AT BEDFORD AND YOUNG
LAND TURNS STATES EVIDENCE.
New OIL Well I'm Madison County
Death of a "Fighting Quaker"
srecIa! to The indianapolis Journal.

ST ecia TO the Indianapolis Journal.
BEDFORD, Ind, May 1.-THE murder
case against John Brown and John Sexton.
the Louisville detectives, together with the
stool pigeon" Robert Land, was called
for trial in the Lawrence Circuit Court this
morning before Hon. W. II. Martin, presid-
ing judge, on change of venue from Salem.
The State was represented by Deputy
Prosecutor James A. Earring, of this circuit;
Thomas H. Honan, of the judicial circuit
composed of Washington, Jackson and
Orange counties; Samuel H. Mitchell, of
Salem, and Hon. s. b. Lowe, of this city.
The defendants are represented by John A.
Earring and Milton B. Hottell, of Salem
Hon, Jason b. Brown, of Seymour, and
Hon. c. c. Matson and Joseph Giles, of this
city. The forenoon was taken up in get
ting jury from a special venire, the fol-
lowing being selected: William Stipp
Archie Guthrie, Silas A. Whitfield, Hiram E.
Henderson, Joseph Sheriff., w. Il. Wits
man, James Neal, Hamilton Gray, Lisker
Adamson, Eli Edwards, Henry TREY and
Louis Route.
Prosecutor Earring at once dismissed the
case against the boy, Robert Land, and
asked that he be put under bond as a wit
ness. 1t is understood that young Land
will turn states evidence against the Louis
vile officers. The first witness was John
Richardson, the Salem liyeryman, who
drove the officers to the Land farm, where
the shooting of young Rippey occurred. He
told the story of the killing it has often
been reported. DIR. Hancock of Campbells-
burg, testified as to the nature or the
wounds.
The trial will be attended daily by a large
number of the most prominent people from
Louisville and Salem. The story of the
crime is as follows: Sexton went to Salem
arlaf
and Brown an officer from Louisville in
pursuit of a postoffice robber who had
robbed postoftice in Kentucky. Young
Land had told them the robber was work.
ing on the farm of his uncle, Richard Land
The officers were driven out to the farm
house where the boy Rippey was staying,
and, calling up Mr.. Land at o'clock a. M.
told him they were looking for fugitive
who had broken into a postofice in Ken
lucky. Mr.; Land; fearing they were. rob
bers, turned the lights out in the house
and sent young Rippey to the smokehouse
for his shotgun. The officers, hearing
noise at the back part of the house ran
around and saw Ripley with a shotgun in
his hands. Rippey was in his night clothes
and started on a run back to the house
when the ofhcers fired. He dropped dead in
his tracks.
After the killing it was found that Rip
pey was not the man they wanted. The
people of the neighborhood became so
worked up over the murder that the pris-
oners had to be taken to New Albany to
prevent lynching. Afterwards the men
We're placed in the Washington county jail
at Salem, and the grand jury on Dec. 80
held them for murder in the first degree
An appeal was taken to the Supreme Court
under a claim that the proof of the crime
of murder was not evident. The court on
Feb. sustained the lower court in refusing
to admit the trio to bail. After the change
OF venue the prisoners We're brought here
and placed in the Lawrence county Jail
where they have remained ever since They
have been visited almost weekly by a num-
Der of prominent Louisville citizens and a
number of the police force of that city, who
are doing all in their power to help the
murderers.