By SHARON KILPATRICK

By SHARON KILPATRICK

Rappahannock News Staff Writer

Those at the Town Hall last Friday evening for presentations on the history of the Town of Washington were in for quite a treat with Clerk Diane Bruce showing the variety of materials available from her office and the Rappahannock Historical Society, Dorothy Butler describing the black schools in the county in her youth and the continuing important role of the Black church, and high school public speaking students reading from materials from Rappahannock's history.

But the best was definitely saved for last when Douglas Baumgardner gave a dramatic recounting of what he called "the trial of two centuries.

On Friday, May 13, 1859 "a convicted killer went to the gallows," Mr. Baumgardner reported. There had been 2.000 people present for his trial. There were no seats available in the court house and "people were hanging outside the windows," he said. There were 5.000 present for the hanging.

The case had "drama, suspense, horrer, illicit sex, an unwanted pregnancy, and the secret birth of a child," he said.

Mr. Baumgardner said his report was based on a pamphlet published anomymously by a "member of the Rappahannock Bar Association" shortly after the recorded events. Mr. Baumgardner said he believes the author was probably Horiatio Gates Moffett, who had been Commonwealth's Attorney but was not in that office at the time of the trial.

The Historical Society's copy of the pamphlet has disappeared, and Mr. Baumgardner said he relied on a report from it that appeared in the Rappahannock News, which the Historical Society does have.

Mr. Baumgardner also checked out records in the Clerk's Office including the order of execution and boxes containing summaries of testimony by witnesses.

There were 37 witnesses called for the defense although only six took the

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