The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1950-06-29
First Ohio Murder
Trial

1t was wild party, that st
Valentines night, 1892, at the cabin
of Hardin Smith, Sixth and Main
streets, in three year-old Cincinnati
Heavy drinking, raucous shouts and
snatches of ribald song mingled with
the glow of tallow-dips through
creased paper window panes and the
stomp of dancing feet almost tore
up the loose split-pole floors. The
rowdyism continued far into the night
nearly nine o'clock.
1t was celebration of victory
victory of the citizens over the
soldiers at Ft. Washington in a
fracas two days earlier. Ever since
the fort was built and garrisoned in
December, 1889, clashes of authority
had come about who was running the
town-the soldiers or citizens.
The fight on the forenoon of Feb
ruary II, 1892, was an aftermath OF
trouble in the days just preceding
Lieutenant Pasteur, of Ft. Washing.
ton, had gotten into a quarrel with
John Bartle, Cincinnati's first ane
then only storekeeper, and had decoy
ed him into the fort under pretenses
of business. There, surrounded b!
other soldiers, he had beaten Bartlt
badly. Bartle Immediately retaliatet
by having Pasteur arrested.
Seeks Revenge
At the trial Bartle's lawyer, Johr
Blanchard, pictured Pasteur in sucf
contemplate light as to incur hi!
enmity. That same afternoon, Pas
teur, with a sergeant and 80 private
came into town and attempted to bea
up Blanchard and any others VIII
had taken his side of the affair.
The soldiers found Blanchard nea
the law office of William Mcmillan
Main Street between Front an
Second streets, in company wit
several friends-among them McMil
Ian and John Riddle, the first tow
blacksmith. When the fight began i
other citizens came to the aid o
Blanchard, Riddle and Mcmillan an
after about 20 minutes the Is Gin
cinnatians had routed and badl.
whipped nearly double their numbe
| in soldiers.
It was in celebration of the victor.
that the wild party was being helt
in Hardin Smiths cabin. Smith wa
| one of the 18 victors.
Drunken Brawl
Two revelers at Smiths cabin tha
night, James Mays and Matthew Sui
livan, both of whom had been in tn,
fight with the soldiers, got into {
drunken brawl of their own. Mays
was a big, powerful man and Sulli.
van, a slight wiry Irishman. But ir
the set-to the little Irishman gave
big Mays the licking of his life.
Incensed by-b-ing whipped by such
a small man, Mays declared his in
tention of killing Sullivan the first
time thereafter that he crossed his
path. Sullivan tried to laugh it off
and offered to shake hands with
Mays, telling him to forget the whole
thing-just drunken brawl.
Mays answered that since he had
sworn to kill Sullivan, now was just
as good a time as any. Then he drew
his hunting knife and stabbed Sulli-
van in his heart. 1t was Cincinnati's
and Ohio's first recorded murder and
all at the drinking party had seen
it. Only one, Joseph Paxton, under
took to take Mays side of the matter
Two Land in Jail
Both Mays and Paxton were arrest
ed by Sheriff John Ludlow-the first
Hamilton County Shorthand were
lodged in the little log Jail on the
river bank, Water Street, west OF
Main Street. There they spent the
whole summer waiting for the Octo-
Der term of the Supreme Court OF
the Northwest Territory"
Both criminals and debtors were
lodged together in the log Jail and
mixed freely. Levi Mclean was the
jailer and would allow all the run