‘Murdered In Centreville the 7th
inst., Capt. John A. Gooch, of the above town, of a pistol ball shot by Robert
Trimble. The amiable, generous and humane disposition of this young man,
endeared him to every person of his acquaintance. He has left an amiable young
widow. All of acquaintance laments his untimely death; and the citizens of
Centreville and others of Livingston county, pledge themselves to make up and
pay a reward of $200 to any person or persons who shall apprehend the said
Robert Trimble and lodge him in any jail in the U. States, or that shall secure
him so that he may be brought to punishment.
“Robert Trimble is a young man of about 5 feet 11 inches high, close set, straight and heavy made, about 23 or 24 years of age, he is regularly featured, but in general of a downcast look of his eyes and eyebrows, dark hair and dark eyes. Livingston county, March 7: [signed] Hiram McDaniel, Enoch Prince, James Hawthorn, Robert Leeper, James Ritchey, Sen., David Kline, Joshua Scott, Jesse Ford, Robert McConnell, A. Gooch, Moses Shelby, Horatio Merry, Isaac Bullard, W. Armstrong, James Armstrong, James Deacon, Robert Hodge, George Brown.”[1]
William Trimble and Lewis Portee were taken into custody of David Kline, Jailor on the 24th day of March 1807 on the charge of having, with Robert Trimble Junr. killed and murdered John Gooch, late Deputy Sheriff of Thomas Gist, late Sheriff of Livingston County, Kentucky. Grand Jurors were impannelled during the May term 1807 and charged that William and Robert Trimble and Lewis L. Portee, yeomen, “not having the fear of God before their eyes, but being moved & seduced by the Instigation of the Devil the 7th day of March 1807 at the house of George Brown of Centreville” made an assault on the body of Gooch. Robert Trimble, with a pistol valued at $4.00, loaded with gun powder and a leaden bullet upon the right side of the belly of John A. Gooch did wound Gooch to the depth of six inches and breadth of one inch of which mortal wound Gooch did instantly die. William Trimble and Lewis L. Portee aided & helped Robert Trimble. The Jury found Lewis L. Portee Not Guilty and William Trimble was found Guilty of Manslaughter and adjudged him to be confined in the jail & penitentiary house for two years. [2]
“We are informed that Robert Trimble, who murdered Mr. John A. Gooch, was taken a few days ago in Barren county, and is now confined in the jail of sd. county. His brother, who escaped from the guard on his way to the Penitentiary, was taken with him.”[3]
[1] “Murdered,”
The Mirror of Russellville, KY, Fri., 8 May 1807, p. 4, Newspapers.com.
[2]
Livingston County Miscellaneous Files 1807, Accession #A1986-289, Box 1,
Kentucky Dept of Libraries and Archives, Frankfort, Ky, accessed 2003.
[3]
News item, The Mirror of Russellville, KY, Tues., 20 Oct 1807, p. 3,
Newspapers.com.
Published 5 Aug 2021, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment