Tuesday, August 01, 2006

The Good Old Days


1893--The first indictment found in the Miami Circuit Court for assault and battery with intent to commit murder was in 1841 and the parties to the action were Peru's most prominent business men-Col. George W. Ewing and Hon. Daniel R. Bearss. Both were Indian traders. The difficulty grew out of some domestic affair--language contained in a correspondence. Bearss had threatened to whip Ewing and when this came to his knowledge, he armed himself with a pair of pistols, and exhibiting them in public declared that if Bearss arracked him he would kill him. They met on the sidewalk in front of Bearss' store, between Second and Third street, and Bearss attacked him. They clinched and both fell into the gutter where they were separated by Judge Cole and L.D. Adkinson. Bearss hurried into his store and closed the door with Ewing after him firing as he went. After exhausting his pistols Ewing took to his heels, with Bearss after him, running through town to a blacksmith shop where Ewing hid. Ewing was indicted for the shooting. Judge Biddle, of Logansport, was retained to defend him, his client helping in the challenge of jurors. Ewing was acquitted, no intent being established.

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