The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-04-22
he MADE THEGRAVE BLOOM
pr.sE or Az OHIO LAWYER TO SAVE
the LIPE or A CLIENT.
r1.c,I,. climax to the Conduct Of q Murder
I,,al IN which the Accused. . Handsome
>cur.,.. Was imperilled Because q
WARD superstition Tainted the Jury

weird superstition Tainted the Jury
sIn the spring of 1874" said the man OF exc
.,,t,cr. there came into Clermont county.
nbn from tho eastern mountains OF Kentucky.
.ol,rsd family by the name OF Turner. This
h,Iy was Of generous proportions, numeri-
ally Consisting OF william, the father. STU
,a,,an hs wife. and seven children. The
,,-,ar. were not destitute by any means.
rho ors, thing they did after striking Ohio
,ol va. 10 invest their savings in n small farm
.,,,,ted near Tindale, n rambling village.
q, Tho central part Of the county, and then
,hey bucklpd down TO hard earnest work.
Whom the Turner'S first settled in that ex-
,r,-,ye rrivhhorhood the colored people al
,.,dy gathered there treated them with the
c,nrouptuous disdain darkeys north OF tho
ohr, River invariably assumed in those days
toward their brethren migrating from tho
rr,uoruccd slave sections beyond the divid-
IN, line. bat they had been domiciled in their
nov homr only 4 short time when they sue
,.edrd in dcmoustr ating even to the most
,retudiced critics that instead OF being inferior
IN their dark kindred they could lay claims
10 decided superiority from mental, physical
mad financial standpoints. william Turner
himself was the embodiment Of honesty and
indn,trv, the children were models OF obedi-
once and re>pcctiulness, and II Is a matterol
comment down there 10 this day that the de-
cancv and ~frugality Of the Turner's did more
=, obliterate the race line In those parts than
years of legislation or volumes OF demagogic
%paIayer.
.Of the children, Belle, the second daughter.
vi. a general ~favorite. As | remember her.
she was really a pretty girl. BY some freak
Of nature the pronounced facial characteristics
n l. -. .,- loo
harmonious lines. the natural kink of her hair
VA, snhdued into becoming waves, and her
comrlexion was a rich. clear brown. Mamie.
her elder sister. was a gentle. kindly girl. bur
sna lacked the physical attractiveness and
mental activity that gave Belle her popularity.
In direct contrast TO the two girls was Aaron,
fine third child and oldest son. Aaron was
the blot on the Turner family's escutcheon.
II, was a most ~rcpul>iye looking fellow The
coarse features peculiar to his kind were ac-
contuated in him until they became positive
facial deformlues. and when to this grossness
yol add a heavy. dropping " Jaw. thick,
,nakv. black skin and ever rolling. sense
Joss eyes. you have n picture OF ugly.
he,tial ldiocy which. fortunately, few people
represent 80 thoroughly a did Aaron Tur-
ner The Younger children were bright.
lnfIIN Hlllf bllF-, W " 'iiF Nv tlAi'' 'ihN
children are concerned directly with this story.
II J., useless to go into detail In regard to the
Youthful members Of the brood.
Belle Turner was II years OF age when the
tragedy in which she figured took place. on
bee. u. 1874. William Turner took four bushels
NJ corn TO the grist mill on East Fork Creek
10 be ground into meal. The day was warm.
with that bela,ed or premature heat which
,h,r,,tariyna MANY If fha midwintpr dayS
in that section of the country. and the earth
was fairly steaming with the moisture that
exuded from its own pores. This mildnes'
although somewhat depressing. was welcomed
after the biting cold Of the past week. and
Turner took his wife and the small children TO mill
with him for an outing. 1t was O o'clock In
the evening when they reached home. The
Turner house was situated on Q high blnf over
hanging the highway. The stable was reached
by means Of a narrow zlzgag drive that wound
across the steep hill below the house to the
outbuild,ngs near its crest.
Turner stopped in front OF the house AT the
foot Of the ledge that nlght and, tumbling his
family on, into the middle of the road ne bade
them scramble up the steep incline while he
drove back TO the stable, Hardly had he turned
the horse into the narrow driveway leading from
the main road when his attention was arrested
by the sound OF n pistol shot which rang out
from the rear of his house. He sprang from
the wagon and leaving the horse standing
in the mire he ran toward the kitchen from
whose one thinly -curtained window afaintlight
was cleaning. The ominous sound had also
reached Mrs. Turner and her flock. They came
pushing up the ledge in a body. and when Tur-
Der opened the back door all crowded fearfllly
fto the kitchen. The first person they saw
there was Aaron. He stood near the woodbox.
lollins out his tongue in n vain EFFORT to speak
And pointing in terror to the bedroom beyond.
When the parents turned their eyes in that
direction they found Mamie lying at length in
tho doorway, while Belle bent over her, frantic
tempt 70 restore her to consciousness. A
I~evolver lying on the floor beside the girls told
the story. or at least as much OF it a. an mani
mate witness could ever tell.
4 can recall no other event in that county that
created such widespread excitement a. did the
shooting OF Mamie Turner. The Turner's had
or by report and the news OF the tragedy spread
rapidly from farmhouse to farmhouse. and from
village TO village. Coniectures we're rife AZ to the
manner aud cause Of the shooting Al the
inquest Belle Turner testified that the an lair was
q case of accidental suicide, Mamie, she said,
had forcibly taken the revolver from Aaron
who was carelessly flashing 1t round the room,
and in the struggle for It's possession the tatal
shot had been fred. Aaron, on the other hand. in
sisted that Belle had taken the revolver IRON
its place in the bureau, drawer and had, with
out warning or the slightest proyocatlon. 50
far as he could see, deliberately shot down her
sister In cold blood. Ignorant and foolish
though the boy was, such direct testimony
could not be- entirely disregarded and Belle
was, placed under arrest and brought before
the local Justice OF the peace for a preliminary
hearing was associated AT that time with
Homer Kahn. one OF the ~shrewdest criminal
lawyers the county seat could boast. He him
self was unable to attend these initial pro-
ceedings in the judicial contest. so he deputed
me- 10 be present and take notes OF what 90
cured.
.It- .st -- -, 49, IL. u....yu 1.
N" Iindlle dry goods and grocery store which
had been fitted M "a atemporary court room,
IA mad been fOreSeen, nothing new was devel-
op"d Al this perfunctory Examination. Belle
ana aaron Turner each repeated the stories told
a. the inquest and the coroner and his assoc
'ili" witnesses testified that the position of the
wound wa, such as to make il possible and even
rr"hdhl" that the dead girl had indeed COM
mlt'd suicide, whether Intentionally or acclden-
ANY no one could say, II was hardly probable
mat NJ" -nlt-d"struCtion could have been pre-
lr'ila'"d. HaSmlC n no cause could be- adj
du"'d for m" deed. In like manner there was
Total ialurr to show reason why Belle 1urner
stlld m rider her SISTER, between whom and her
per- . strong bond Of affection had always
tp"ui M useless questioning and crosS-question-
-. lbr CI-n was dismissed a. unworthy tho
Al 'lnro the Grand Jury.
llE' any other incident of serious import AZ
''n" or It's occurrence. the shooting ~
NalI" Ilrnrr would probably have died ont
T. 10" minds of the people in tho provrrbial
." rl'~, had not subsequent events tended
'''h lh' lllalr upp"ruIusi n a topic OF con-
'"'''u'N. This violent death proved 10 be the
''' gamer Of a ~nrlrs of cHiamiti"S that beiell
m" Itru'r family IN rapid succession. On
"'h .I t"prHe IN" baby died. Then the