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The Reform School*since, your corespondentith a number of friendj,^risited the sform School at Plainiield, where he issed a pleasant hour or so, in theone lionr antt forty miiHites, and was quite clcOT^Mili^oSGise in every detail that w.ook be\ established in the testi-on rued formpany of Thomas Westcndorf,one of the first day,'i^rthe jury allowed to e gentlemanly instructors at the In- j separate for the uight.mony.At this pHill, Slifor A John Xing,l]itution, and from whom lie gained e following facts in inference to it:s$co;xi bay„ . 1 _ I At the call of the court at 10:15 a. m..ic fechool was founded bv an act of!,i r i r i 1 l... _ 1 the case for flic defence was opened by jJ. Thon for aifiice, I. St.cars cCo. J J. II. ITreas and 3c Legislature, for the bcnefitof iuve-! - Tr • u * t ' .f . , ’ 1 ,IGen. Lem. Harrison. lie iirst discus- j S. L. III A i itv ****** I r» t r ^ i% a • % -% a ... .1 ! 1le criminals, as its name indicates,and j „ i *1 ^ * c *\ • a* *«. . , , t * ! sed the three counts of the indicias first opened for the reception ofinieiltch in 1SC6. It is beautifully located ;That from the three counts eachthe southern suburbs of Plainfield, ! ion a grand elevation, surrounded on ery side by grassy forests, and fineoping country.The present arangement of tliebmld-gs is decidedly unique and interesting, unprising as it does, a semicircle of x magnificent brick structures, front-charging the defendant in a different!miiti] oners Same f*m se| manner, the State comes before the ju- j viewi ! ry saying they do not know how tlie Ilazzanmurder was committed. It mav be one way it mav be another. The defendant» wwas once a prosperous farmer—a stock drorcr, and had as he thought and the neighbors thought considerable of thisworld’s goods: but reverses came tog a central building of grclcrcttpaci-: ,lim „ ,hcv wi„ ,0 mcniail. i J/O. Vlocat:sell in J as. Xi officeMcPhegoodsooner or ; j. t, which contains the chapel, cook- • i*,. ’n t • r, 1 * ; later, by these reverses and nnsfor-Co. ooius ami other business departments j tu!1C3 lic was m|ucc(l to poverty, anti i John* Ithe institution.Of the six outer ■ tcwl:ly jias OI|jy onc thing left to via-I ^olI1inklings referred io lom-_ cqnjau,. d: • afe and Umt js his d n;un,.! S. L. 11:li*bi^WRiW^‘ihTU(fia§cmcnt floor,with 1Then the history of the case was taken cat!} furnished and well ventilated! Up The Coroner's jury was underecping apartments above,sufficient foric accommodation of what is there |u-med a family, or about forty boys, he other two buildings comprise theibor-departmcnt of the School, which; bv far the most interesting feature ot* -Jie whole. The principal business to hich the inmates are now devoting tieir time is the manufacture of chairs,rn a most extensive scale. Under the :imanagement of competent directors this■vork is carried on with restless energy,nd the product of their labor certainly ;ives evidence of successful operation.nd is complimentary to all. In addi-ion to the finely ornamented groundsurroumling the buildings, there is a urge green‘house, in wliich are grownImost cverv variety of flowers, both• • 'lative and exotic. Here the bovs spend i portion of the time in working andeceiving instructions from a well educated florist, engaged for the purpose.The present number in attendance is iboul ISO: mostly boys ranging from ive to sixteen years of age. who seem0 take great delight in Mi di life, andivoifd. doul’lUs, rather l;e there thanlot. 'When thcv have reached a snfli-*dent degree of regeneration to purity• - *7? l ■;cl?ase from the Institution, they are*lllowed to go. under conditions that :hey report regularly their w hereabouts. business, c.Mr. F. 15. Ainsworth and brother, both large-hearted and well qualified gentlemen, now have charge of the Institution, and are conducting it in such1 manner that it is fast becoming a place of celebrity, on account of its humane tenderness and influences. It is questionable whether anv other State in themiss:IndianbookofficeWill. 3ditoimore favorable circumstances and yet they brought in a verdict that the killing was suicide. The last request was passscd from the defendant into the hands of the deceased's own family. Win. I and they pronounced it the last request! of of the deceased and it) her own hand-; b.^I. writing, and expressed no question ot {its genuineness. j Qui)*'flic Insurance Company paid the Careyinonev.but not until after one year.: pooiand until the Company had investigated I *^°^n -careMartaut thro and•S. l. :I chai; Ii. £ 1MaiiSameI qtiMi Mrs. ;W i bw a \the case one year. Their judgment’«.was passed and it was in support of the I Coroner's verdict. (At this point Ma- ijor Cordon olqecied to any such state- !■ment going to the jury ; but Gen.llarri- ■ son said he did it to meet the statementi ■of the counsel on the part of the State, j The court allowed the statement to bemade.)The question of the “'money motive was then taken up and discussed beforethe jury, and showing to the jury that j Mrs. . money could have been no motive in the jcase, lor he had ♦fofkOOO on his own life '» *for the beisen t of his wife. and *f 10,(XH.);on his wife for his benefit when he be-:icame 50 wars old. and sooner if she i• ishould die. The ‘Must motive*' was*«spoken of al.so, and this would be rcfut- ; ed and the character of the womanishown bv the testimony of the children !• •*to whom she now stands as mother. It 1jwould take more evidence than the lean- ; ing of the elbow on the knee, as related !w ' Ikbv a gossiping old inau.or that the fath- i«► lt;^7 • * - * **cr of Phoebe Johnson tapped Gossett on j the shoulder and took him to his house,4~i to convince the jury that there was criminal intercourse at that time. The ques-chil X. T.co f Peirsc ot ( Jamc: t o rHail 1 As\ Peirt As\ Same X. K.Du; Pei rsime: A si Me PigoeMaryAs- tion of uiorphiffc as related by the State y n “ j was presemcu to jm’y oy the de-UUnion c«tcnAs lr; j{5 UlifrtH nimtu clillCtren as many charitable advantages as ; fence, would show that she looked like tin Indiana. •*** j onc who took morphine. That she had ■ Chas.State vs Alva ^V. Gossett.Asj bought it in considerable quantities, j j-jp]’i in ST I* AYThat slie had made remarks to her *i| daughter closely bearing on the subject I rial of A. M . Gos.-ett lor tlie murder j 0f .suicide, would show that the tenden-ot Ids wile, Mary J. Go.-sett, on the cy oJ opium eating is to depression of_oth ul June lsb9. : spirits and suicide. Few people whoIuesday the l(th ot ^ept.? it being commit suicide but leave some last rc-tlie Sdi daj, wo-; the time fixed for the ’ qU0^t.aml the story that the last requestAt a I'rev ions 0f ^jr5# was in Gosset's hands sometrial of A. \V. Goswit. term of the court the defendant prayed for a change of the Judge, since he believed he could not have a fair and impartial trial before his Honor tludge Howland. Accordingly Judge fur-man. of the loth Circuit, was called to preside at the trial of the case at bar.The Attorneys for the State are, the Pi*bsecntor, T. J. Co for, assisted by Major Gordon and lladlev «fc Ogden. Attorneys for the defence—Gem Ilenj. Harrison and L. M. Campbell, At 10:-JO thecommonths before the death can not l»eproved. Some paper was about, but noproof that this was the paper. It willhe shown that her own family and Dr.Jlondly in particular thought formontlis tliat the last request was in thewriting ef Marv J. Gossett.» «The theory of being shot in the west* *room, with the door leading to the east room shut and then thebodv thrown in the east room, but no prints of footsteps were seen in the east room on a soft dirt floor. This was thought to be an im-Vpossibility. The position of the pistol.CoSam*:PelSameCuJohntoSam*dieJ. Ik MiJess* a 111J. H.OHb o' J. O'. Alt;-9•/ vlAsHill.polt;he prisoner was brought into tlicj l he position of the clutched hand wast and arniinged for trial, when lie 5 le ^l0Pir-* . ,. , . ' „ m ' • the statement ot the defence waspleaded not guilt} and the uoi* of im- Verv clear and concise, occupying ompanneliug a jury was commenced. The hour and forty-live minutes but the regular panel was soon exhausted and points given are some of the more im-thon the specie! panel of 50 men was . portant ones and not lull and clear.called. Some were excused on account of sickness either themselves or fami-Commissioners Proceedings.lies. Some had conversed with witnes- j ses and formed an opiniou,or had form- •ied opinions as jurors tliat could not be . changed bv the testimony in open court.;• * v jIt is a remarkable fact that nearly if not*■all of the jurymen selected Jwere men»either from Eel River or Frank I in town-( rships. The jury selected to well and; trulv trv the case and return a verdiot,;\' itc.. consisted of the following named ;I I; persons: j; * !Win. Underwood, John Bavne.David S Mastiii, David Walker, John S.Bobcrts,1The following allowances were made% ~by the County Board at its Septembersession :MISCELLANEOUS.James McMuJen, for paintingnorth tower Court-house,rIt. 1\ Davis.rcauided erroneous.poll tax.John L. Wilhite, for grading done around Court House2500o50LEsquare,Jes.-e X. Townsend, for making complete record of the assessment of Rtal and Personal property oftliccounty forl87315 001 Samuel Barbour. J. E. Humstou, Win.! B. F. South, dtsk furnished Co.S Scott, Jesse Davis, David Scollen, Jere- j 4i . . ... , 1t * i II. M. bmtth, paints for Court| niiah 1 age, Allen M cddle. ; House,Jail, :ud other articlesi The witnesses were then called and II Xillt;; lie au199 50 ■ re#i,i,!I drickj' ty, m^1 ’*;a 1 ^ '-1 ^ l MareUoult;*ifor county,] separated by request of the prosecution. 1 George M. Geitry. for work on I John V. iiadlcv, of the firm of Ilad-) )ors^ rack aid curbin-about; ley Ogden. opened the case for th.| trork ini btate by reading to the jury the statute burning caterpillars on treesS i GO115 00A c sums note *and aScj,S“in Court-hotsc yard,The indictment was in three! J- A. Viquesmy, work done atJail, changiur and relaving- o »- • Ostone walks xi Court House vard,m *lt;Iupon which the prosecution founded j j their case-j1 counts and strong enough for all purpo-l ses.| The opening statement was clear and j sC^c\x r. Sdbnck. for tax er-; concise, containing first a description j roneouslv ascssed in Brown-' J •of the scene after the tragedy, then i township, showing that the defence would be that! ^ ,n* ^ llardn, for hauling she coninnttcd suicide, and mentioned 2 on w karoun ourti• UU ; fro HI 127 00|count; a]Klh! tiff iI Hcavk\ make i with12 30: poic ;! Sat u! House square; | the evidence that would be introduced I xhos. Ferriter,cord wood forIS 00 j»J to explode this theory. He then show-| Sheriff,i hoa«cther for fencekbout the Court; ed how improbable it would be for the * ^1* B. F. Uo^jcll, miscellanies! suicide to slioot herself in the place i TI*?,1 ^onut* iI , - 1 * Hall Bros., wok and material■jI where Mrs. Gossett was shot, viz. onej Cn Jail, I i] inch above the right ear, and the course j Pcirson, Wynaft * Smith, lum-i j of the ball being downard and forward, s | The motives for the murder were shown! to be twofold. 1st Lust, 2nd Money The money to be procured from the Insurance Company and for this purpose\ i r ,he had the deceased life insured for3 50 j- for a| ing ‘11 431 . Tb{\tionr I norlhb DO | (SO) a\House squalltChas. Dill, wort on Jail. Peirsoi Maeejuu, goods furnished SheriKej*ser SraithiIhmbers, work on Jail aud epense,1 Hear1G2 33 j 4 75!(Ifficien - ! ««ts#O 03 l at pai cr 5011 00 ?hareC. Walls, e«or Indianian,^ , i pnblishing AHitor’s reportafter tl»e tragedy. The opening state- {j. a. C. Dobso*emces as Co.1 mcnt ou the part of the State occnpled22 00Saiwhat*Snptv.j.L.-W-:Vno,■v.r
Newspaper Details
Danville Hendricks County Union
Danville, Indiana, US
Thu, Sep 18, 1873
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Sarah W.
NA, 03 Aug 2021
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