Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-10-16
INNOCENT MAN HAN GED.
Strange Case of Erroneous Conviction
Told BY a LAWYER.

Strange Case of Erroneous Conviction
Told BY Lawyer.
lone of the strangest cases Of er-
roneous conviction of which l ever
knew" said the old lawyer, was
that of Jonathan Bradford, who was
hanged in Oxford, England, for the
murder of Christopher Hayes. Brad
ford was an innkeeper and a very re-
spectacle man, too. One evening
Hayes, who was travelling toward
London, stopped at his inn and while
in conversation with two men at sup
per, mentioned to them that he had
upon his person a large sum Of mon
ey. Late that night, after every one
In the inn had retired, the two men
heard groans from an adjoining room
as of one dying in pain. They both
arose, lighted a candle and went soft
ly to the door Of the next room. There
was a light in the room and the door
was ajar. They entered and saw up
on the bed, weltering in his blood,
the body of a man. Another man
stood over him with a knife In one
hand and a dark lantern In the 9TH
er. The man seemed as terrified as
themselves, but his terror carried
with it all the indications Of guilt.
The two men soon discovered that
the murdered person was Christopher
Hayes, with whom they had talked at
the supper table the night before, and
the man standing over him was Brad
ford, the landlord. They seized Brad
ford at once and disarmed him OF his
knife, which was covered with blood.
Bradford assumed an air Of inno-
cence, positively denied the crime,
and asserted that he too, had heard
the groans and got out Of bed, struck
a light, armed himself with knife
for his defence and had but that min
ute entered the room before them.
This sort of a defence was Of no
avail. 1t was proved at the trial that
Bradford had heard Hayes tell about
having a large amount of money with
him. 1t was proved that Bradford's
knife exactly fitted the wound In the
breast Of Hayes, the knife and the
right hand of Bradford were bloody
and with such apparent evidence OF
guilt the jury convicted him, and the
Judge. in sentencing him 70 death,
said:
Mr.. Bradford. either you or my
self committed this murder
Bradford was hanged shortly al
terward, protesting upon the scaffold
that he was innocent, but he died dis
believed by all.
But Bradford was innocent after
all. The murder was actually COM
mitted by the footman of Mr.. Hayes,
who Immediately upon stabbing his
master rified his pockets Of his mon
ey and gold watch and escaped back
to his own room just before Bradford
entered. Eighteen months after
Bradford was hanged the footman
became very i'll and upon his DEATH
bed confessed the murder and gave
to the officers of the law the watch
and a part Of the money he had stol-
en- from his master.
But the strangest part OF this
strange case has yet to be told. Brad
ford, though innocent of the murder,
and in no way connected with IL, was,
nevertheless, a murderer at heart. He
had heard Mr.. Hayes say at supper
that he had a large sum of money
with him, and he went to his room
with a dark lantern and knife intend
ing to kill him. But when he reach
ed there he was struck with amaze
ment, when he turned back the bed
clothes, to find the man already stab
bed, bleeding and dying. In his agi-
tation he dropped his knife upon the
breast of the murdered man, and thus
the knife became bloody, and in pick
ing it up his hand was covered with
blood, too. At this moment the two
men entered and caught him.
These circumstances Bradford
confessed to the clergyman who at
tended him after his conviction, and
the clergyman afterward made them
public c"-Kansas City Star.