My great-great Uncle Gilman Houseworth was born on April 17, 1843, in Delaware, Ohio, he passed away in Kenton, Ohio, on April 11, 1915, just short of his 72nd birthday....if the story that surrounds Gilman and his brother-in-law Enoch Young are true, Gilman probably could have counted himself lucky to have made it that far.
As the story and newspaper articles go, on February 25, 1880, Gilman and Enoch were drinking heavily in the town of Waldo on that night....causing trouble and picking fights with others around town and in the local watering holes. After getting whipped by a man named "Big Jim" Coleman, Enoch went home, fetched a large knife and accompanied by Gilman came back looking for Coleman....when he didn't find him, he picked out an innocent man, 49 year old Israel Bensley, and stabbed him to death.....or at least that is how the story went in the 'Marion Daily Star', dated February 26, 1880. If you have read many news articles from that era, you can realize that the paper already had Enoch tried and convicted the next morning...all that needed to be done was have the Neck Tie Party.....Gilman was treated better in the later news articles, however after reading the court and prison records leading up to Enoch's release years later, Gilman may have played a prominent part in the murder....true or not, this story is a very interesting tale.
{ Wednesday, February 25, 1880}
7PM: Gilman Houseworth and Enoch Young are reportedly drunk and disorderly in the town of Waldo. According to some accounts the two were bragging that they could whip any men in the town. Around this time it is said they attacked and beat a man, described as a peddler or pelt buyer, when Jim Coleman stepped in to help the man out, Young went after Coleman and received a severe beating{as the 'Star' reported, Young still carried the scars of the beating when they interviewed him in jail}. Enoch went home and came back with knife in hand, and Gilman in tow, to hunt for Coleman, when he didn't find "Big Jim", he stabbed an innocent bystander, Israel Bensley.{later prison and court records would dispute whether Bensley was sober or innocent}
The murder occurred at aobut 7PM, young was arrested and jailed by Midnight. When the newspaper interviewed Young the next morning, he said he was drunk, had nothing against Bensley, and didn't know how it happened.
The victim and Young are described this way............"The murderer is a tall, well built man, sandy complexion, with hair, side whiskers, and mustache of the same color". "Bensley, the murdered man was about 45(actually 49), a farmer, or worked on a farm, was an industrious, hard working, sober man, he was a poor man, and highly respected by all who knew him".(from the Marion Daily Star, February 26, 1880).
NEXT:
Gilman is charged.
2 comments:
Pretty cool to have this kind of documentation.
Good intro. You have me interested in reading further. I've read and written too many research papers in my time and this is looking like the start of one of them.
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