Writings of Abraham Lincoln, the — Volume 1: 1832-1843 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 280 pages of information about Writings of Abraham Lincoln, the — Volume 1.

Writings of Abraham Lincoln, the — Volume 1: 1832-1843 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 280 pages of information about Writings of Abraham Lincoln, the — Volume 1.

In the meantime a sort of scuffling-ground had been found in the brush in the angle, or point, where the road leading into the woods past the brewery and the one leading in past the brick-yard meet.  From the scuffle-ground was the sign of something about the size of a man having been dragged to the edge of the thicket, where it joined the track of some small-wheeled carriage drawn by one horse, as shown by the road-tracks.  The carriage-track led off toward Spring Creek.  Near this drag-trail Dr. Merryman found two hairs, which, after a long scientific examination, he pronounced to be triangular human hairs, which term, he says, includes within it the whiskers, the hair growing under the arms and on other parts of the body; and he judged that these two were of the whiskers, because the ends were cut, showing that they had flourished in the neighborhood of the razor’s operations.  On Thursday last Jim Maxcy brought in William Trailor from Warren.  On the same day Arch. was arrested and put in jail.  Yesterday (Friday) William was put upon his examining trial before May and Lovely.  Archibald and Henry were both present.  Lamborn prosecuted, and Logan, Baker, and your humble servant defended.  A great many witnesses were introduced and examined, but I shall only mention those whose testimony seemed most important.  The first of these was Captain Ransdell.  He swore that when William and Henry left Springfield for home on Tuesday before mentioned they did not take the direct route,—­which, you know, leads by the butcher shop,—­but that they followed the street north until they got opposite, or nearly opposite, May’s new house, after which he could not see them from where he stood; and it was afterwards proved that in about an hour after they started, they came into the street by the butcher shop from toward the brickyard.  Dr. Merryman and others swore to what is stated about the scuffle-ground, drag-trail, whiskers, and carriage tracks.  Henry was then introduced by the prosecution.  He swore that when they started for home they went out north, as Ransdell stated, and turned down west by the brick-yard into the woods, and there met Archibald; that they proceeded a small distance farther, when he was placed as a sentinel to watch for and announce the approach of any one that might happen that way; that William and Arch. took the dearborn out of the road a small distance to the edge of the thicket, where they stopped, and he saw them lift the body of a man into it; that they then moved off with the carriage in the direction of Hickox’s mill, and he loitered about for something like an hour, when William returned with the carriage, but without Arch., and said they had put him in a safe place; that they went somehow he did not know exactly how—­into the road close to the brewery, and proceeded on to Clary’s Grove.  He also stated that some time during the day William told him that he and Arch. had killed Fisher the evening before; that the way they did it was by him William knocking him down with a club, and Arch. then choking him to death.

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Writings of Abraham Lincoln, the — Volume 1: 1832-1843 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.