The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1903-06-20
johnston's History
Of Cecil County.
CHAPTER MI CONTINUED.

then one of the CoronerS of the county,
empaneled jury Of inquest. consisting
of eighteen of the good and lawfcl men
of the county. who, after hearing the trs-
timony. rendered verdict that the said
Porter then and there feloniouSly killed
and murdered the said Dunn" and por-
ter was Straightway incarccratrd in the
little stone Jail in CharlcStown. BY com
mon law the property of those convicted
of capital offences was forfeited to the
State. The Coroner therefore returned
an inventory of all and singular the lands
ana tenementS. rights, and chatteS of
Stephen Porter. as appraised hv Patrick
Ewing Samuel Scott John Crawford.
and James Egan. The inventory is ns
follows One plantation of two hundred
acres of land together with one merchant
mil. ROO: one mare. one horse and two
colts, t2O: three COWS, 70: two small
hogs. II lS.: six or eight sheep. II IS. (:
Sundrios. household furniture. 800: total,
tIS2 los: whercupon Porter. who was
lawyer, conveyed his property to his
wife and one of his friends. in order. if
possible. to secure il for the benefit of
the former
Some time after Porter was impris-
oned, some of his friends provided them
selves with 4 tlrct-fuotpd horse and Wis
tied the Jail, taking with them II supply
of whiSlcy. with which they succeeded in
making the iailrr drunk. and getting up
Il sham fight. kicked Porter. who had
been Informed of the effort they intended
to make i'll his behalf, out of the door
Porter lost no time in mounting the horse
and made good his escape to the Octoraro
hills. and bidding goodbye to his friends
proceeded across the Allrghany Mount
aims to Washington County. PcnnSyl-
vanla. then frontier settlement. where
he is said to have betrayed himself by the
knowledge he exhibited of the law. dur
ing Il discussion he engaged in with some
others in public house.
The papers in the ease show that Por-
ter had hearing before two of the Jus
ticcs OF the Court of Common Pleas of
w aShington County. Pennsylvania. on
the 9th of October. he having been ar
rested on suspicion of having murdered
man i'll Cecil County. and that he con-
feSSed the murder and narrated the at
tending circumstances and manner of his
escape, all of which are briefly set forth
Ill one of the papers. This paper is Il
most extraordinary legal document, and
seems to have been given to the persons
III whose custody Porter was to enable
them t. conduct him safely on his way
towards this county: for on the 18th Of
October. he had another hearing before
Robert Galbraith. IL Justice of the Peace
of Bedford County. PENNSYLVANIA, who
gave the posse i'll whose custody he was.
somewhat similar. though more sensible
document. i'll which the facts of the muir
der and escape are set forth. and they
are commanded to deliver the prisoner to
the Sheriff of Franklin County. in order
that he might be safely conveyed to the
Sheriff of Cecil County. which was done
Ill due Time and early in THE next De
cembrr. II commission was issued by the
Governor to five of the Justices of the
county. authorizing and commanding
them to hold special term of Court for
his trial. 1t is worthy of remark. that
this special commission was sent to JOS.
Gilpin who WAS designated us Presiding
Justice, and that he notified the others
and designated Bnruch Williams rs Il
suitable person to act aS Clerk. The
Court met ut fharl"StOwn, ON the 9TH of
December 1874. and Timothy Kirk be
ing unable to attend. the other Justices,
John Leach Knight. stephen HylanI,
and John Dock"ry Thompson. opened the
Court and proceeded to business. The
next day tn" grand jury returned true
bill against Porter for murder. and on
tn" following day he was arruignrd and
the same day convicted of manSlnurhtrr
the verdict of the jury being mot guilty
of murder. rs specified in the Indictment
nut guilty of manSlau~htcr." The Court
th"rrupon ordered that the prisoner enter
security for his appearance on Fridiy,
tn" 10th. to hear their Judgment. and he
was recognized in ia" sum of 1000 for his
appearance from day To day until thu
Court would pass judgment. Patrick f.w-
ing becoming his surety in that sum.
Ih" tnrrlinrsS of the Court in passing
Judgment probably gave offence t. some
of the friends of Dunn. At all events.
George Gather and John Robinson were
tried ami convicted of insulting the Court
and jury some time during the trial. The
nature of the insult is not stated. but