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Rochester, Monroe, N. Y.
Rochester Daily Democrat
July 10, 1858

HORRIBLE TRAGEDY — The Cedar Valley (Iowa)
     Times relates the particulars of a horrible transaction in that Iowa, on the 30th ult. Ambrose S. SKEELS, formerly of Lockport, had parted from his wife and went to Michigan, leaving her at Cedar Rapids. A few weeks since, he returned and endeavored to effect a reconciliation with his wife. She refused to receive him and at once took steps to procure a divorce, alleging ill-treatment. SKEELS went to her house one day, while she was absent, at a neighbor's. One of the children went to inform her mother, and the latter, accompanied by a young lady, went home and found SKEELS in the cellar. He was told to leave the house, Mrs. S. saying she had told him often enough not to come there. He came out of the cellar, and his wife was about to fasten the door, when he threw her down, and with a pocket knife nearly cut her head off, killing her at once. He then inflicted wounds upon his own throat, which soon after proved fatal. The man was 35 years old, and the woman 32; they had been married fifteen years, and leave four destitute children. Mrs. SKEELS maiden name was Bulah C. VINTON.
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SAD ACCIDENT AT BUFFALO — It will be seen that Mr. H. C. GILBERT, the commercial reporter of the Buffalo Advertiser, was killed yesterday. The deceased was formerly a compositor in the Advertiser office in this city, and as assistant in the Telegraph office. He will be remembered by many of his former associates in these positions, and his sudden and untimely death sincerely lamented
The Republic gives quite a different account of the matter:
Mr. GILBERT was standing in the dock doorway of Elias WEED & Co's warehouse, with his pencil and commercial notes in his hand at the time. There is a wooden awning over the door, and over this another awning, built of heavy beams a foot square. Workmen were at work about the upper part of it, and had sawed off both of the heavy timbers about six feet from the wall.
As soon as these timbers were separated, the flooring gave way, the ends toward the building fell to the dock, the outer ends of the timbers being thrown over with tremendous force into the doorways, in one of which was Mr. GILBERT. He was crushed to the stone threshold in an instant, and in that instant died. He never breathed or stirred after the timber struck.
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COURT RECORD

Supreme Court .... Special Term

Friday, July 9 — Chris CHU?? Vs. S. M. and Edward SPENCER. Referred to P. M. CRANDELL, Esq., to take testimony.

J. N. INGERSOLL vs. E. W. COLLINS, Submitted.

Wm. S. MACKIE vs. Wm. H. HALL. Motion to dismiss complaint denied, with costs.

Rochester Savings Bank vs. Wm. McKNIGHT and others. Referees report confirmed.

J. G. RAMSDELL vs. Thos. A. SLOCUM and Monroe County Bank. Judgment for plaintiff.

Eagle Bank of Rochester vs. J. E. CHENEY and others, Referred to H. R. SELDEN, Esq.

C. INGERSOLL vs. J. S. WRIGHT, J. HALL and others. Referred to E. Peshine SMITH, Esq., to hear and determine the issues joined therein.

D. RUSHMORE vs. J. B. ODELL and others. In progress.
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COUNTY COURT — Judge MUNGER

Friday, July 9 — At the request of Maria GIFFORD, one of the owners of property near Deep Hollow, James L. ANGLE, Platt C. VIELELAND , James McINTOSH were appointed commissioners of appraisal, to inquire into and determine what damages and compensation the owners' of land to be taken for the improvement at Deep Hollow, State street, are entitled to receive.

The Court heard the argument in the case of Barach WHEELER vs. Stephen WALL, and then adjourned.
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POLICE COURT — Before Justice BARDWELL

Friday, July 9 — Charles and Hannah SMITH, the fugitives, on their way to Canada, alluded to yesterday, were brought up. The woman said that she had become exhausted from lack of food, and took some liquor for a stimulus, which affected her reason. Her husband stood by her in this emergency, and was locked up with her.-- The ‘Squire admonished her, and they were both discharged and put en route for Canada.

Edward D. DONOUGHUE — drunk and wandering about the streets. Having neither excuse nor money, he was sent to the Penitentiary for thirty days.

Geo. THOMPSON, a negro, was found asleep in a lumber yard at midnight, and arrested by the night watch. He alleged that his wife had turned him out of doors. Having a job of whitewashing to finish, he was permitted to go and complete it.

Henry McDONALD was arrested on complaint of R. A. FOX, who alleged that a whip which McD. Had been furnished, on hiring a horse and buggy, was not returned. — The defendant paid for the whip, and was discharged.

George F., Charles H. and Albert QUIGLEY, three brothers from 5 to 12 years of age, children of a man who is familiar with the work-house, but now out of the State, were taken up and sent to the House for Truants. The mother tries to keep her head above water, but her children — she has five or six — often have to go to the Truant House.'‘Wm. BRUCE, 7 years old, the son of a fish peddler, was taken to the same asylum for these waifs.
John BRADISH and ---- BRENNAN, two hotel runners, were brought up charged with soliciting passengers at the railroad station, contrary to law. One settled the suit, and the other's case was adjourned.
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WASHINGTON, July 9 — Lawrens HAMILTON, a member of the New York Regiment and grandson of Alexander HAMILTON, was drowned in James River. The body has been recovered and forwarded to New York.
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EDITOR KILLED

Buffalo, July 9 — H. C. GILBERT, Commercial Editor of the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser and Commercial Reporter of the New York Associated Press, was instantly killed this morning, by the falling of a scaffold at No. 14 Central Wharf.

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July 12, 1858

Daniel HIGGINS was drowned in Owasco outlet at Auburn, on the 5th, and his friends suspect foul play. He was last seen in low groggeries in Auburn, and when his body was recovered, his money was all missing.

The United Presbyterian Church in Freeport, Armstrong county, Pa., was struck by lightning on Saturday evening, while the congregation was at prayer. Mrs. RAMALY was instantly killed, and several were seriously hurt. Those who were standing free from contact with the pews were not shocked.

Contracts for convict labor in Auburn State prison were bet on Wednesday. I. F. TERRILL, of Auburn, got the cabinet contract. Col. POMEROY, the new Postmaster, that fot making Agricultural Implements, and Geo. SALMAN & Son, of Syracuse, the shoe contract. There was considerable competition.

Israel GIBBONS, reporter of the New Orleans Crescent, was shot through the lungs, in a duel with Joseph HANLON, reporter of the True Delta. The cause of the quarrel was this: Both had attended a school celebration, and HANLON obtained some of the young ladies compositions for publication. GIBBONS desired to get them also, but was anticipated by HANLON. G. was annoyed ans accused H. of taking an unfair advantage of him, or stealing the papers. This subsequently led to a challenge by HANLON and the fatal wounding of his adversary.
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A FREE NEGRO THROWN INTO JAMES RIVER

On Sunday Evening, a white man named Edward PACE, on going ashore from the steamer Powhattan, at Portsmouth, Va., encountered in his path a young negro named Isham, 19 years old, whom he took by both arms from behind and threw into the water. The negro could not swim and was drowned. The body of the negro was recovered on Tuesday, and an inquest held at which the above facts were proven. It does not appear that PACE was held to account for drowning a negro.
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A party of boys were playing with powder, in the loft of a store at Burgh Hill, Trumbull county, O., and the whole keg, some thirty-five pounds exploded, tearing the building to pieces and fatally injuring two of the boys, ADAMS and VERNON, 10 and 12 years of age. The shock was felt two miles distance.

Christine McCARTHY and her daughter, are suspected of having murdered a pedlar named JOHNSON, who had been stopping for some time at Mrs. McCARTHY's house, in Detroit, and died suddenly; JOHNSON placed his stock of jewelry, &c., in the woman's charge, and when he demanded it, was refused its possession, and told to leave. He informed some of his friends that he was afraid the woman would kill him, and asked them to institute inquiry, in case he should be long absent. On going to the woman's house, they found him dead. The woman denied that he had any property when he commenced boarding with her.

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July 13, 1858

A fugitive slave, perfectly white, arrived in the city, to-day, by the Underground Railroad. His name is Edward WALKER; he is in his 17th year, and he came from Charleston, South Carolina, but for the mould of his features, no one would ever suspect that negro blood flowed in his veins. He will be provided with a good place, where he will hereafter, be free from the taunts of Southern "bloods," and the barbarities of Southern taskmasters.
Talk about "the white slaves of England!" We had better look at home. (Syr. Jour., 10th.)

EXPRESS AGENT — Mr. LaRue P. THOMPSON has been appointed by the Superintendent of the N. Y. & Erie Railroad Express, as Express Agent at Corning. Mr. T. has been for several years in the important post of express messenger between Corning and Rochester, and is amply qualified for prompt and efficient discharge of the more labrious duties of his present office. It is an excellent appointment, and will afford gratification to his numerous friends.
We concur cordially in what the Journal says of Mr. THOMPSON's fitness for the position to which he is appointed, and share in the gratification it gives his friends.

ARREST — Two young men were arrested yesterday afternoon, charged with being concerned in the burglary committed at the house of Mr. Geo. W. CURRIER, on the Clinton street road in Irondequoit, on Sunday night, June 5th. It will be remembered that Mr. CURRIER lost $25 or $30 in money, a gold watch valued at $180, and some jewelry, amounting to some $60 more; making the total amount taken, about $240. What the proofs are against the parties arrested, we are at present unable to say.

KILLED — We see it stated that the celebrated horse ‘Excelsior," whose docility and apparent intelligence have so long formed one of the principal attractions of Dan RICE's circus, has been killed. The poor brute, it would appear, fell from the stairs which he used to ascend in the ring, fracturing a limb which rendered his death necessary. "Excelsior" was a son of the renouned "Grey Eagle," and was twelve years old, eight of which he performed in the ring.

MURDER TRIAL — At the Steuben OYER and TERMINER, last week, Jerome McBAIN was tried for the murder of Thomas EDGER, last November. — The jury disagreed, and McBAIN was then allowed to plead guilty of manslaughter in the second degree, and was sentenced to Auburn prison four years.
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SINGULAR ACCIDENT — A little boy fell into a bulk-head and went through the spout connecting with the water-wheel of a cabinet-shop, in Hermon, St. Lawrence county. The spout is sixteen feet long, two feet wide at the upper end, and twenty-two feet seven inches at the place of discharge into the water-wheel. The wheel is a centre discharge, and is six feet in diameter, and performs about seventy or eighty revolutions per minute. The boy's companion gave the alarm, and the water was immediately shut off. On going below, the lad was found alive, with his feet through the discharging hole at the bottom of the wheel, and crying to be released. He was told not to cry, and he would be taken care of, when he made for an opening in the wheel, and was released, with no bones broken, but bruised from head to foot.
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EXTENSIVE SWINDLING OF A PARTNER — The Syracuse Standard gives the particulars of a swindling operation at Skeneatelas, by a man named James FITTON, the victim being his partner, Chester MOSES. They were engaged in manufacturing woolen goods, and FITTON went to New York to raise funds for the purchase of wool. He succeeded in raising some $40,000, with which, and $10,000 for his own, he left for Europe, leaving his family at Providence, and taking with him a Mrs. ANDERSON, whose husband is in California. Officers are to be sent after the swindler. FITTON had previously stood faie in the community.
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Samuel BAILEY, a carpenter, residing at Washington Mills near Utica, went to the city in pursuit of work, taking along his tool chest. He did not find employment, and hired a carman to take his chest back again, telling the carrier that his wife would pay charges. The wife had no money and the carman took the chest with him on his return to Utica. BAILEY fully discouraged by this incident, swallowed opium and died.

Mary GRIFFIN, a poor Irish girl, who had been seduced by a man of family, in Utica, took strychnine, and at about noon was seized with spasms in Chancellor square. She was taken to the Hospital, where she died at nine o'clock in the evening.

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July 14, 1858

In the town of Bedford, Weschester Co., on Saturday afternoon about 4 o'clock, Mrs. Clara BROOKS, wife of James BROOKS, Esq. Of that town while standing in the door of her dwelling, was struck by a flash of lightning, and instantly killed. Mrs. BROOKS was about 45 years of age. — She leaves a husband and three children.

The Coroner's jury in the case of Chauncey JOHNSON, the deceased pedlar, in Detroit, rendered a verdict of death by congestion of the brain. The woman at whose house he staid is therefore acquitted.

Geo. P. PEARSON, son of the proprietor of the Revere House (Boston) has disappeared from home, and it is feared that in a fit of mental and physical depression he has drowned himself.

Matthew FLYNN, a salt boiler, of Syracuse, is a target for some evil disposed person. On Friday night he was shot at for the third time, and (unreadable) of a heavy charge of shots in his back.

The wife of Moses SUMMERS, Esq., of the Syracuse Standard, died at Truxton, Cortland Co., (where she was making a visit to her relatives,) on Saturday.

The Choctaw Mississippi Herald, gives an account of a terrible homicide that occurred last week in that vicinity. It appears that a Mr. A. V. BROWN had killed a man by the name of James PICKENS, mistaking him for his brother, Johnson PICKENS, against whom he had a grudge, and whose life he sought to take. BROWN fled after the murder, but subsequently came back and gave himself up and was bailed. Last week while BROWN was with his lawyer, Johnson PICKENS came to the house, and as soon as BROWN saw the approach of PICKENS, he became agitated and fled. PICKENS pursued him and shot him with a double barreled gun, inflicting a mortal wound in his back, and he fell. Mr. P. then went to where Mr. B. had fell, took B.'s pistol and knife, shot him four times with his own pistol, and with Mr. B.'s own knife cut his throat, stabbed him in the breast fourteen times, and left the knife in his breast. PICKENS gave himself up and was acquitted.
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GjS

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