Thursday, November 3, 2011

Murder at Bloomfield

The Home News, October 12, 1861

A man of the name of Adamson was stabbed at Bloomfield, Ludlow tp., on election day, by a desperado named Joseph Elder.  Elder has always been regarded as a dangerous man, and heretofore has made a practice of getting up a quarrel at every public gathering.  As he is a powerful, reckless fellow, people would unite and drive him away, to preserve the peace.  On a former occasion, Adamson, who was a law-abiding citizen, had helped to eject him from a company in which he was creating a disturbance, and Elder swore vengeance.  His victim was engaged in conversation with another person near the polls, when Elder came upon him unawares and inflicted two wounds in his left side with a dirk.  He lingered until the next day and died.  Elder swam the creek which was high, and hid in the woods but was finally captured, and is now in the county jail.  A bill has been found against him for murder in the 1st degree, and it is to be hoped that our county court will award him the punishment he so richly deserves.


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