Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1907-04-17
Tu~ lIan Who
Murdered Himself.

gate and said:
"a murder has been committed about
q mile from this town. saw the muir
derer rifle the body and come In this
direction. | followed him and saw
him 20 into restaurant"
An officer was sent to where the muir
Ter had been committed to bring IN
The body. Another went with the In
former to the restaurant, where the
murderer was found and arrested. He
was taken to the police office, and the
dead man soon arrived at the same
place An examination showed that
the man had been killed by blow
from some iron or wooden substance.
In the pockets was no money, but
Docketbook containing cards on which
were printed the name Russell Rowe.
The prisoner was searched, but no val
uables or papers were found on MIN.
He was q we'll dressed man OF respect
able appearance. The murdered man
was quite the reverse. His clothes
were shabby. and the body gave evil
dence that he drank.
When the prisoner was asked Tor his
name he gave it as Russell Rowe, the
name on the cards in the dead mans
rockets The chief of police looked at
him scrutinizingly, wondering what
this statement would have to do with
his line of defense. Then he asked
the man for his story. 1t was this:
He had been walking along the road
when he was overtaken by man, who
asked him for money. He was uncer.
tain of the mans intentions and hoped
to get off by giving him something
He took out his pocketbook, and the
man caught sight of large roll Oh
bills.
After that the prisoner remembered
nothing till he came to himself some
time later. He was lying In the road,
with a terrible pain in the back OF his
head. Feeling in his pockets, he found
his money gone. With difficulty ne
arose and tottered on. He had gone
but n short distance when he came
upon a dead body, which he recognized
at once as that Of the man who had
robbed him. He searched the clothes
for his money, but, not finding 1t, went
on to the town, where he could get
stimulant to brace him up. &c was
arrested while drinking a glass OF
whisky.
That" said the chief, sis one OF the
most ingenious yarns have ever
heard from a criminal, but when you
made it up you forgot one important
part-the money he took from you"
The prisoner stuck to his story, and
the indictment against him read that
Russell Rowe was indicted for killing
an unknown man, supposed to have
been Russell Rowe. In other words,
ne was indicted for killing himself. de
brought witnesses from distant city,
where he belonged, to identify him,
but the prosecuting attorney badgered
| them so with questions as to whether
they were perfectly certain ana now
| they knew they were certain ana
whether they might not possibly be
mistaken that they broke down ana
couldn't swear positively that the man
was Russell Rowe, whom some OF
them had known for years.
The attorney for the defense got up
theory to account for the disappear
ance of the money, but there was notn-
ing probable in 1t. Even If the disap-
pearance were satisfactorily explained
there were the visiting cards to estab-
lish the identity of the real Russell
Rowe. The attorneys explanation Tell
fiat being unsupported by the least
evidence.
The prosecuting attorney In sum
ming up explained the nature OF CIT
cumstantial evidence to the Jury-wna'
would be weak, what strong, evidence
He reyiewe1 the evidence against the
prisoner. lie had been discovered RI
ling the pockets. If he had founo
ANYTHING it had been easy to get riu OF
If leeore his arrest. This proof ht
contyasted with the prisoners improD
able story. Thus he made 1t clear to
the Jury. ANA the judge charged then
in accordauce with the evidence
They were but half an hour bringing
in verdict of guilty.
Notwithstanding the plainness or thu
case there were some who felt tina
n mistake was being made. The pris
oner's lawyer was in an agony at INT
result. lie fought the case with de
, laws. but they were of no avail. Moth
inc but new evidence could save I'M
prisoner. and new evidence was no
3 forthcoming. The prisoner was FINAL.
hanged. protesting his innocence o
l the crime and declaring that he wa
r the man who had been murdered.
4. The Russell Rowe case, which hat
attracted much attention, had come I
] he a thing Of the past and was grad
ually being forgotten except by Rowe
5 attorney and the chaplain who attend
ed him in his last moments, who coul'
t never forget it. Years after the trae
3 edv a man named Hardy was convict
ed of murder and robbery. lmmed
I ately before his execution he made
: confession of another murder OF whlc
j he had never been suspected. He an
S n man named James Shilling had bee
: companions in crime. One day the
I saw a man display large roll o
y bills. Afterward he started to wal
0 TO Windigate. They followed hin
Hardy going around and ahead or hin
n Shilling behind him. Shilling came
, with the man and did the job. Whe
q Shilling met Hardy he claimed ther
$ was no money in the case. Hardy oil
not believe him. They quarreled, an
II Hardy killed Shilling, took the none
d and went away, leaving the body
II the road.
r 1t is easy to complete the chain
}. events-Harding took the money, lea
IS ing Russell Rowe's pocketbook an
J. cards on the body.
u BERTHA d. HURLEY.