The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-10-25
Only Execution In County.
Discussion of The Murder OF
James McBurney and The
Subsequent
HANGING OF JAMES RICE.
August 25. 1871, Circumstautial
Evidence Placed Him on the
Gallows to- Pay The Penal
ty OF His Awful Crime.

On August %, 1871, James Rice
murdered James McBurney ON
Rays Hill. Rice was twenty-three
wears old when he committed the
murder. He ran away from home
when he was twenty-five and went
to Ohio. On July %, 1911, he Sc
cured employment at Coshocton,
o., with Benjamin Ricket, a stock
dealer. McBurney at that time
was working for Ricket. He was
two or three years younger than
Rice. A few days after Rice's APP
pearance on the scene Ricket start
Cd with drove of cattle for Lam
caster, Rice and McBurney accom-.
panying him. They reached Ian.
caster on August 25, and after the
cattle were sold the young men
we're paid off and discharged.
They then started for home. They
were last seen together on the pike
several miles east of where the line
now separates Bedford and Fulton
counties This was about an hou"
before sundown on August %.
Rice carried a club in his hand and
II pair of saddlebags over one
shoulder, while the upper part Of
his face was concealed by ii hand
kerchief. That night McBurney
was killed on Rays Hi |, about six
ten miles east Of Bedford. The
club carried by Rice was found ly-
lag by the body. 1t was covered
with blood, and there was hair on
IL that corresponded in color with
McBurney's hair Rice Travelled
all night. No one saw him until
daylight the next morning. At
Mrs. De6baugh's tavern, now
The Willows" Samuel West, who
was travelling on horseback, over
took him and the two travelled to-
gether westward West stopped
in Bedford to transact some bust
ness. He rode up the front street
while Rice took the back street
and passed through the town with.
out pause. He was finally ar
rested near Connellsville and was
brought to Bedford for trial.
The trial was begun Wednesday
morning, January 26, 1912, and
the verdict was rendered Satur-
day night, January 20. The Com
nonwealth was represented by
District Attorney William G. Lo-
gan and G. Ii. j. Pigman, young
Somerset lawyer, while the attor
neys for the prisoner were John
A. Blodgett, one of the ablest
members of the Bedford bar, and
John X. Edle of Somerset, Judge
Thompson presiding. On both
sides the legal battle was fought
with great earnestness. Blodgett
was then in his prime and his plea
for the friendless prisoner was one
of the ablest ever delivered before
alury in this county. None of the
prisoners family took any interest
in his behalf or attended the trial.
The evidence was purely clrcum-
stantial. The blood-stained club
was of course very strong link in
the chain. Several of McBurney's
possessions were found on Rices
person, even to articles of cloth
ing, while Rice mad more money
than Ricket paid him in wages. A
bill on a State bank of Indiana was
identified by Ricket as one of the
bills that he had paid to McBur-
ney.
On the part of the defense it was
claimed that Rice and McBurney
were warm friends and that they
never had a quarrel. Their pos
sessions we're mingled on this Jour
ney. When they reached RAYS
Hill McBurney was so tired from
walking that he insisted upon wait
ing for stage. Rice said he
would continue the journey on foot
and would join his companion when
Inc stage overlook him. He had
used the club for carrying his
budget" but found it unsuitable
TOR the purpose and threw it away
wnen he parted with McBurney.
lie claimed to have come into pos
session OF the surplus cash by win