Viewing page 3 of 255

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

025
(2)

a different suit. The clothes he was usually seen in was not to be found and in the store in the Bake shop was found the remains of clothing mostly burned and identified by witnesses to be the same that he wore. No one but Butler occupied the shop and he had with him once in a while John Johnson. Mr Morse the teacher of the Freedmens school (who had his school at that time in the lower floor of the building) was in the habit of leaving his books and Bell in Lees Room  After his absence Morse was always challenged by Butler upon being admitted into the room above. Butlers counsel who was appointed by the court to defend him rested the case entirely upon the evidence for the Commonwealth and ably defend him. The jury after staying out all night rendered a verdict of "Guilty of Murder in the 2nd Degree" and fixed his term of imprisonment 14 years. There happened to be two good Union men on the jury and while I believe Butler knew something of the affair there was not evidence enough to hang him. Still the jury stood 10 for hanging and 2 for imprisonment afterwards compromised by the above sentence. This case is just as much a mystery to day as it was when the body was found. The cause of the murder is supposed to have been money as Lee was supposed to have a large sum in Gold &

(over)

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-05-06 09:11:22 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-05-06 09:33:17 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2024-05-06 13:51:48