The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-07
INNOCENT MAN HANGED.
Strange Case OF Erroneous Conviction
Told b. a Lawyer.

From the Kansas CITY Star.
One Of the stranRest cases OF erron eous
conviction OF which I ever knew" said the
old lawyer. was that OF Jonathan Bradford.
who was hanged In oxford. England. for the
murder OF Christopher Hayes. Bradford
was an innkeeper and a very respectable
man. too. one evening Hayes, who was
travelling toward London. stopped at his
inn and while in conversation with two men
at supper, mentioned 10 them that he had
upon his person a large sum Of money. 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 softly
to the door OF the next room. There was a
light in the room and the door was ajaT.
They entered and saw upon the bed. welter-
ing in his blood, the body OF a man. An
other mar stood over him with a knife In one
hand and a dark lantern in the other. The
man seemed as terrified as themselves. but
his terror carried with 1t 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 Bradford. the landlord. They
seized Bradford at once and disarmed him
Of his knife. which was covered with blood.
Bradford assumed an air Of innocence, POSI-
lively uPnIeu luN " INV aIN Nh"N hSs
too, had heard the Rroans and got out Of bed.
struck a light. armed himself with a knife
for his defence and had but that minute
entered the room before them.
This sort Of a defence was Of no avail.
Il was proved at the trial that Bradford had
heard Hayes tell about having a large amount
Of money with him. II was proved that
Bradfordis knife exactly htted the wound
in the breast Of Hayes, the knife and the
right hand Of Bradford were bloody. and with
such apparent evidences Of guilt the jury con-
victed him. and the Judge. in sentencing him
10 death, said:
mi Bradford, either you or myself com
mitted this murder
Bradford was hanged shortly after ward,
protesting upon the soafold that he was
innocent, bu6 he died disbelieved by all.
but Bradford was innocent after all. The
murder was actually done by the footman OF
Mrs. Hayes. who Immediately upon stabbinE
his master rihed his pockets Of his money
and gold watch and escaped back to his own
room inst before Bradford entered. Eighteen
m onths after Bradford was hanged the foot
man became very III and upon his deathbed
confessed the murder and gave to the officers
Of the law the watch and a part OF the money
he had stolen from hts master.
But the str an Hest part'of this stran ge case
has vet to be told, Bradford, though inno-
cent Of the murder. and in no way connected
with IL, was. nevertheless. a murderer at
heart. He lad heard Mr.. Hayes say at supper
that he had a large sum of money with him,
and he went to his bedroom with the dark
lantern and knife intending to kill and rob
him. But when he reached there he was
struck with am~Azement. when he turne ed back
the bedcIothes , to ind the man already stabbed
bleeding and dying. In his agitation he
dropped his knife upon the breast OF the
murdered man. and thus the knife became
bloody. and in picking 1t 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 attended him after
his conviction, and the clergyman afterward
made them public"