State of Ohio v. Samuel Robbins
Murder in the 1st degree
Montgomery County Pleas
Jesse Kelsey, Jr., born on April 29, 1829, was the son of Jesse Kelsey, Sr., one of the area's most prosperous farmers. Jesse, Jr. and his wife, Unity, were expecting their first child. Their farm was located about a mile and a half south of Centerville on the southwest corner of what is now the intersection of Dayton-Lebanon Pike and Spring Valley Road. Their home sat near the present Kroger Store. (Click to see map)
At midnight on September 7, 1862, Unity woke to see a man standing over them in their downstairs bedroom. She roused her husband, who spoke to the intruder. The intruder fired his pistol at Jesse. As Jesse pushed Unity out of the room saving her, the intruder fired again. Mortally wounded, Jesse fell. Unity screamed and rushed to awaken their house girl, Serelda Montgomery. Together they ran across the orchard to John Allen's farm north of Spring Valley Road. John, along with Aaron Robbins and Perry Reeder, went to Kelsey's farm. When the men found Jesse dead, they went for the coroner in Dayton.
Samuel Robbins went with them. Samuel and his brother, Aaron, and their parents, Samuel and Mary Ann, lived with John Allen. Samuel, the father, was a blacksmith, had been the first mayor of Centerville in 1830, and was the son of Centerville founder Benjamin Robbins. Samuel, the son, had just returned from the Civil War, probably AWOL. That night after the murder, his behavior was "agitated and confused" and he could "scarcely talk." When pressed, he claimed he saw a man riding very fast out of Kelsey's gate. He said he tried to catch him but could not because the leather strap to his stirrup broke. Samuel was dressed in a linen coat, black pants, and straw hat with broad black band, which matched Unity's description of what the intruder was wearing. Also, several witnesses saw Samuel with a pistol the day before.
Samuel Robbins was arrested for the murder of Jesse Kelsey, Jr. He was tried, found guilty of first-degree murder, and hanged for his crime.
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In 1980, the court depositions of 27
witnesses were discovered by Mr. and Mrs. William Dutcher, descendants of the Kelsey family, in an old antique roll-top desk and were donated to the historical society.
To the right is a sample of the twelve-page document. It is filled
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