The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-12-22

committed that crime. Who then COM |
mitted it? There has been only one ,
other person accused or suspicioned-I
the prisoner at the bar. IT Denny Do
Ian is innocent you cannot escape the
conclusion that Ernest Austin, who]
simulated the story of Dolan's guilt is
the person guilty of committing the
atrocious crime.
The prisoner, Ernest Austin, had the
opportunity to commit that act; he
was there that night about o'clock,
and about 3, according to his own sworn
story: he had a motive, the motive of
gain, that the law says is one of the |
chief indictments to crime; by the |
death of his brother he would inherit |
the farm of 167 acres; there was i'll |
feeling that was manifested once in |
violent quarrel between the brothers, |
Ernest and William; he has shown not
| the least concern about his brother and
mother being murdered and burned up,
| from the day of their murder to this
hour, except to ask that an undertaken
be sent to look after ''those old people,
up there. Suoh lack of grief, lack of
sorrow, lack of all interest in the hOrri-
BILE fate of his brother and aged mother
could not exist except the prisoners
heart had been hardened by the COM
/ mission OF tno crime.
| He was cool and collected enough to
send for man a few hours after he
went to Wesley Haines', to take care
of the stock up there; and to ask Chas.
Haines to take care of him; and few
hours later to send explicit instructions
to John Enoch to give certain hogs so
many ears of corn, to milk certain cows,
to give certain pigs designated guam
tity of milk, &C., but no directions to
send for officers to ferret out the crime,
no word to any one to tenderly care for
the remains of his murdered mother
and brother.
Ernest Austin had murdered his
brother and mother; he had stolen
denny Dolan's ak; he had committed
the crime with it, and he carried it out
of the house in his left hand, as he
went to the gate and dropped it on the
left of the walk, with its handle to the
gate as he went out He dropped 1t
there to cast suspicion on Denny Dolan.
When asked by Charley Haines, Wes-
ley Haines, DIR. Ziegler, and others who
, shot HIM, and who struck him, he said
he did not know, and he did not
know what missile was hurled at him.
| But after the ak that he had
laid in the yard was found, he said that
the man who shot at him was Denny
DOlan and that he recognized the ak
as Dolan's when he struck at him. He
then told where all his axes were-five
!, in number-and that they were all dull.
/, His axes were found as he said and
!, were dull; but Dolan's ak was sharp
his intimate acquaintance with the
number of his axes, their location, and
their dullness, proving that these things
all entered into his plan to fix the crime
upon DOlan.
When confronted by DIR. Ziegler with
; the statement that he was there and
|. must know something about who com
= mitted the crime, he simply winked
> his eye-this before the AK was brought
to the coroner. After that, to all, he
told the story that DOlan shot him, ano
to same said he saw him murder his
; mother and brother.
To Emery Hearn when this witness
told him that the house was burned
:. and the remains of his mother an(
~ brother had been taken from the ruins
. he replied with fendish Indifference
q q | ''the barn, at least, is saved" To thi
u same witness he had said go by thu
= ruins and see what you can discover.
- No doubt expecting he would find Do
:. lan's ak.
~ When Dolan's ak was brought t.
y Coroner, no one suspected that it wa
: Dolan's ak; no one said SO, but the pris
:. oner in few minutes said the man tina
= struck at him was Den. Dolan, and tn,
i implement he used was Ratchet or AK
s or something. He said nothing abou
u u being shot. Before that he did know
e what weapon was used. He was no
q ready yet to be too positive about al
). the particulars, and it was after anOth
~ er question was asked that he said tina
/! Dolan struck at him and shot at him a
~ same time.
,eel After the inquest, before he had beel
" arrested; before any one had suggested
that he was the criminal; when no on
u had been accused but Dolan, Ernes
;;e Austin requested DR.. Ziegler to com,
70 into his room and asked him to shut tn
~ door. Why ask him to shut the door
/" when he had not been accused? HI
\. then said doctor, | understand tina
~ ~ an AK was found up there by the ruins
~ and that it was a sharp AK" The Doc
;5 = tor ask him how many axes they ha
~ and what kind. And he told him thei
!, axes were all dull, and one was in tn
~ the woodhouse and four in the shop
e ie and they were found there just as h
v. stated.
Sc When Doctor called in afternoon t
IL the AK that had been found was prot
u ably used to break in the door. II
ie said no, the doors were not broke
!, down. How did he know that? II
a., as said the house was already afire whe
. he awoke. ''That ak must have playe
- - an important part in the tragedy" sal
III the doctor. 81 expect it did," said tn
y prisoner. He said, in reply to query
o DR.. Ziegler that when he left the hous
"a he went out the west door. He said {
~ ~ the Coroner he went out the east doc
10 and did not know anything after tina
~ AZ After that interview with DR.. Zie,
e' Ter, the prisoner told Young CrevistO
"a the medical student, that he saw D
~ Ian kill his mother and brother.
he 1t was immaterial to prove that tt
an hairs on the ak were human hairs,
re that the stains on it, were blood stail
,e- the jury could decide for itself.
in was immaterial to prove that the Ion
Id gray hairs on the pants that were take
ak off Ernest Austin were the hairs of til
ut mother of the man who perpetrated tt
or atrocious crime; the jury could for
er their own opinion; but it would on
m. strengthen the already sufficient proc
If of the prisoners guilt that had bee
he adduced.
an The wound in the prisoners brea
an could not have been made by Denny d
on Ian; it was impossible, as already show
he but it is not matter necessary as pro
ras of prisoners guilt to show how it W
nm made, whether by his brother, by hir
ok self to end the horrible tragedy, or on
an to make flesh wound to throw ST.
Ter picion on another; for what purpo
ses that was done it is not ours to inquir
od A revolver was found in ruins of Il