LIFE OF THOMAS MCGEHEAN.

CHAPTER I.

EARLY LIFE--JOHN C. ELLIOTT MCGEHEAN ACCUSED OF COUNTERFEITING-ELLIOTT FOILED.

HOMAS McGehean, the accused murderer of Thomas

TH

S. Meyers, was born in Clermont County, Ohio, on the 10th day of April, 1835. His father, James McGehean, was a native of Loudon County, Va., and his mother, Hannah McGehean, was the daughter of an old and respected farmer of Clermont County, Ohio, named Edward Barton.

When Thomas was eight years of age, his father died, leaving his wife and seven children-of whom the subject of this sketch was the second youngest-in somewhat narrow circumstances. At this time, his uncle, Lewis Story, in order to lighten the heavy burden thus thrown upon the widow, adopted young Thomas, with whom he lived four years.

In 1847, his mother having been married a second time, to a man named Calvin Wilson, a tanner and shoemaker,

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1

Thomas was taken home and learned the shoemaking trade with his step-father, in Butler County, Ohio; at which business he worked some eight or nine years.

About this time, McGehean having left the shoemaking trade and gone into horse dealing and real estate speculations, began to take an active part in the politics of the day, which brought him in contact with the notorious John C. Elliott, who was marshal of Hamilton for several years. Elliott was a sharp, shrewd, unscrupulous man, who never hesitated by what means he attained the object of his desires, and woe betide the man who crossed his path. This person took a violent dislike to McGehean, and hunted and persecuted him on all occasions. stances in which Elliott displayed the animosity that he bore against him.

We will relate two in

Elliott

In the year 1853 a number of counterfeit five dollar notes were circulated by some person in Eaton, Preble County, Ohio, a town about twenty-five miles from Hamilton. This person was arrested by a constable the evening the money was passed, at about eight o'clock, but he subsequently, by knocking the constable down, effected his escape. hearing of the affair, immediately circulated the report throughout Eaton that McGehean was the guilty party; stating that he knew for a fact that he (McGeḥean) was out of Hamilton on the night the money was passed and the arrest made. By his misrepresentations he induced the con

stable, together with several who had received the counterfeit bills, to go before the grand jury and swear that McGehean was the man who passed the same upon them. He was indicted, arrested and held for trial. The trial came on, and four men swore that he was the man who passed the bills upon them; and the old Dutch constable followed, swearing that he had arrested "Tommy," as he called him, and that "Tommy knocked him down, and run avay shust so vast as he can." The men who testified to the above, were all considered fair men by their neighbors and the citzens of Eaton, although the result will show how easy it is to become the willing dupe of a wicked and designing man. For the defense, Joseph Jacobs was called, who testified that he was a merchant in Hamilton, and that on the evening in question, and about the same hour, McGehean called at his store and paid hím a store-bill that he owed, at the same time producing his books, showing where he had given him credit for the same. William Spencer was next called, who testified that he was a citizen of Hamilton, and had held the office of court crier for many years; that he had known McGehean from childhood, and that on the evening in question, about half past eight or nine o'clock, he was in company with him in Hamilton, and that he (McGehean) was playing the violin by his request. Thomas Slocum was next called, who testified that he resided in Hamilton and kept a livery stable; that he had known McGehean well for years,

and that on the evening he was charged with being in Eaton, he (McGehean) called on him about eight o'clock and paid him a livery bill he owed, producing his book in proof. Slocum, moreover, added that he had seen McGehean almost every hour during that day and evening up to ten o'clock. In addition to the above, there were sixteen witnesses called, who testified that they attended a ball on the night in question, in Hamilton, and that Thomas McGehean was there from ten o'clock that evening until three o'clock the following morning, and many of them stated that they had seen him frequently during the day and evening. McGehean's presence in Hamilton during that whole day and night could have been shown by many more good and respectable witnesses, had it been necessary. This defense was incontrovertible, as the witnesses were all men of good standing in Hamilton. Judge Haynes, the gentleman before whom he was tried, said that had no one but Mr. William Spencer sworn that McGehean was in Hamilton on the night that the counterfeit bills were passed, he would have to take his evidence before that of the four Eaton men and the constable-not that he doubted their veracity, but from the fact that the Eaton men and the constable had only claimed to have seen the prisoner once before, and then by candle-light, and a case of mistaken identity might easily. arise, which would be impossible in the case of Spencer, who had known the prisoner from his (prisoner's) child

hood; moreover, Mr. Spencer was an intimate acquaintance During the trial Elliott kept up a continual

of his own.

warfare upon McGehean, branding him as a counterfeiter, and trying to intimidate the witnesses for his defense.

It may be truly said that this man Elliott was to blame for much of McGehean's persecutions, as he always had at his command two or three corrupt newspaper reporters who would publish his falsehoods and give them the proper coloring. Thus, even after McGehean was honorably acquitted from this charge, certain newspapers neglected no favorable opportunity for raking the matter up and insinuating that he escaped only by unfair means.

Elliott was heavily censured by all the right thinking citizens of Hamilton for his dastardly attempt to defame the character and curtail the liberty of an innocent man.