John Colt Trial: 1842

Colt's past was distinguished by a reputation for gambling, forgery, burglary, and notorious romantic affairs, but he was well-connected socially. His brother Samuel was the inventor of the revolving rifle and pistol, while another brother, James, was a St. Louis attorney. The Colt family's connections allowed them to hire expert lawyers. From the moment he was arrested during the search for Adams' body, however, Colt's case became a scandal. Investigators found that he was living with a pregnant woman posing as his wife, Caroline Henshaw. They also found Adams' pocketwatch hidden at Colt's home.

Colt's trial began on January 19, 1842. The prosecution's first witness was Asa Wheeler, a bookkeeping teacher whose room was next door to Colt's office. On the afternoon of September 17, Wheeler and one of his students heard a loud noise, followed by what sounded like the rattle of fencing foils and a body falling on the floor. Wheeler went next door to investigate and peered through the keyhole. He saw a man stooped over something, but the man faced away from the door. Wheeler went to find the landlord, but returned alone. By then, Colt's keyhole cover was closed and no one answered knocks upon the door. Wheeler opened Colt's door the following morning with a borrowed key and peered inside. He noted that the floor was freshly scrubbed, a large box was now missing, and there were splashes of fresh ink and oil on the walls. When Colt arrived at the building later, Wheeler asked about the noise. At first Colt denied being in the building at all, but then told Wheeler that he had upset his writing table and ink bottles.

The building's janitor recalled seeing Colt wiggle a large crate down the stairs. A cartman testified that Colt paid him to take the same box to the packet Kalamazoo. Witnesses who found Adams' body in the Kalamazoo's hold recalled opening the crate and freeing a stench so horrific that most onlookers fled to the upper decks. The box and canvas in which the body was packed were brought into court, flooding the room with a smell lessened little by the four months since the murder. Other physical evidence included Adams' watch and a small hatchet, which Colt's indictment cited as the murder weapon.