The Murder of John W. Galehouse

The Murder

The murder took place on or about January 28, 1841 in Doylestown, Ohio.

Description

The circumstances that led to the crime, appear to be that sometime in the fall of 1840 John W. Galehouse leased his tavern stand with a part of the furniture in Doylestown, Ohio to Amos Clark but reserved one room in the building for his own residence and so both Clark and Galehouse were living under the same roof. After some two or three months some little occurrence produced dissatisfaction between the two men and from the nonfulfilment of the contract on the part of Clark, John Galehouse wished to reclaim possession of his house and goods. Therefore, he went upstairs and gathered some covers off the beds to take with him and met Clark at the bottom of the stairs. Clark seized the items, shoved Galehouse out the door and closed the door. Galehouse shoved open the door and forced his way in again. Clark again, pushed Galehouse back out the door. Galehouse again shoved in the door and Clark again pushed him out. This happened two or three times before Clark called for his sister to bring him a fire place poker. She brought a poker of a foot and half length and three-fourths inch diameter to Amos Clark, who stepped out onto the front step and struck John Galehouse in the head. Witnesses reported that Clark struck Galehouse twice before Galehouse fell to the ground, then Clark hit him again while the man was on the ground, then kicked him and damned him to lay there while he turned around and went back in the house.

It was reported that John Galehouse never spoke again after he fell and died the next morning between the hours of nine and ten o'clock.

The Trial

Jacob Parker, Common Pleas Court Judge
W. McMahon, Prosecutor
W. S. Tannyhill, Assistant Prosecutor
Levi Cox, Defense Attorney
Edward Avery, Defense Attorney
Eugene Pardee, Defense Attorney
Mr. Carter, Defense Attorney
The jury deliberated about 2 hours and Amos Clark was found NOT GUILTY.

References

Wooster Democrat newspaper, Homicide, 1841-FEB-03 p.3
Wooster Democrat newspaper, The Doylestown Homicide, 1841-FEB-10 p.3
Wooster Democrat newspaper, Trial of Amos Clark, 1841-MAR-24 p.2-3