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422 HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY
THE ONLY MURDERER EVER LEGALLY EXECUTED IN ERIE COUNTY
John Ritter (father of Miss Mina Ritter, for many years stamp clerk
in the Sandusky postoffice) before 1914 lived in a small house near the
west end of the present West House. Edward Evans Avorked in a tailor
shop next to a grocery and saloon kept by Ritter on an alley running
from West Washington ROAV north to Water Street, Avhich Avas a continuation
of the present alley Avest of the Sloane House.
Evans was a one-legged man and hobbled in May 5, 1840, and demanded
a drink, and on being refused, stabbed Ritter to the heart.
Evans Avas tried and executed for the- murder September 30, 1840.
His trial took place in the old courthouse. Parish & Sadler Avere special
prosecutors, and L. S. Beecher and George Reber defended Evans. He
was hung in an old mile race track that then existed about 15 rods south
of the brick house, No. 324, on the south side of Jefferson Street, the third
house east of the southeast corner of Jefferson and Franklin streets and
east of the railroad, according to the testimony of John Holland, Avho saAV
him hung on the galloAvs erected for that purpose.
Evans Avas tried under the old practice before three judges—Moors
FarAA'ell, Nathan Strong and Harvey Fowler—and a jury of the folloAving
men: James Belden, Samuel IT. Smith, Nathaniel Byington, David
Barber, James Cleveland, Joseph Stansbery, Moses I. Morsman, Royal
P. Lock, AndreAV Prout, Harvey Wood, AVilliam D. Lindsley and William
Smith.
There Avas not much delay in the laAV in those days. The record begins
on page 474 of volume 1 of the court record, and the Avhole record does'
not cover four pages, including the bill of exceptions on Avhich error Avas
never prosecuted.
But the hanging seems as complete as if it had all the modern improvements.
Zalmuna Phillips Avas the sheriff Avho hung him, and the confession
of the murderer is preserved in the Carnegie Library.
The Register of December 3, 1885, contains a summary of the Evans
ease, and states: "The execution took place south of Jefferson street
and east of the present B. & 0. track, in the presence of a large croAvd.
The murderer's body Avas buried near the track, and probably later carried
off by body snatchers. Evans had no relatives or friends in this section.
Then the city had tAvo thousand population and the county 12,599."
THE LYNCHING OF WILLIAM TAYLOR
A generation has passed since the only lynching in the history of Erie
County. On September 4, 1878, William Taylor, a negro, Avas lynched
for the murder of Alice O'Donnell, AVIIO had mysteriously disappeared
on September 2d. It Avas suspected that Taylor kneAv Avhat had become
of the girl and he was arrested and on September 3d made a partial confession
of guilt. He said the girl had been killed and her body taken to
McCartney's woods near Venice. Taylor claimed he Avas not her murderer,
but another negro had committed the crime. He admitted hiding