Murderous Assault

This account of criminal assault was reported in the Defiance Daily Express of October 17, 1900.  Did crime pay?

"MURDEROUS ASSAULT

 Farmer Badly Pounded by Two Tough Hobos.

JESSE HUFFMAN, who resides on the GEO. ROCK farm, one mile west of Sherwood, was assaulted by two desperate men at 6 a.m. Tuesday and had a close call for his life.  He had about completed his feeding and went back into the barn for something when he was set upon by two men, strangers.

The first blow was across the top of the head and knocked him down.  They continued the assault and battered Huffman's face up in bad shape.  There was one cut on his cheek that looked like it might have been made with the corner of a square stick.  He also had a cut on the lip and several teeth loosened.  

After the men left the barn, they threw a bomb back toward the barn and it exploded with great force.  The men moved away from Huffman's place in a leisurely manner toward the Cincinnati Northern railway and started south.

 An alarm was soon given and the officials at Sherwood telephoned the marshal at Cecil to look after the men.  They passed through Cecil before the marshal heard from Sherwood.  The officer took a hand car and with a posse followed the fellows and overtook them at the big woods where CHAS. HART killed the GOOD children several years ago.  The men fled to the woods and one of them was finally located in a tree and put under arrest.  He gave his name as EARNEST RICHARD LEWIS and had a revolver and several sticks of dynamite on his person when arrested.  The second man got away.

No reason is given for the murderous assault on Huffman.  The officials seem to think the men had been guilty of some crime at some other point and simply assaulted Huffman that they might escape identification.  Lewis admitted that he assisted in the assault on Huffman.

Lewis had a hearing before Mayor D. F. OPENLANDER, of Sherwood Tuesday and was bound over to the grand jury in the sum of $1,000 on the charge of attempted murder.  He was brought to this city this morning by Marshal L. F. CARTER, of Sherwood, and incarcerated in the county jail."

 

On November 29, 1900, LEWIS was indicted  for assault with intent to kill.  He pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to three years in the penitentiary.

Sheriff John P. Elser and Jack Binney took

Lewis and another prisoner to the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus on December 6, 1900.  From there, the trail ends.

No mention was found of the other assailant.