An attempted murder to investigate

Today, I came across the following article about an attempted murder up in Ohio in 1872, that apparently involved a member of my family.  Unfortunately, the journalism of that era was not as specific with details as we would demand of modern news accounts, so it fails to give the would-be victim's complete name.  It merely give his surname (Blakesley) and that he formerly lived in Sandusky, Ohio.  This is tantalizing, because my ancestor Edson McClure Blakesley (1845-1931) lived in Sandusky before moving to Indiana about the time of this story.  But, so did his father and all of his brothers.  So, I am uncertain at this time which one of the Blakesley men may have been involved.

Nevertheless, I post the story here in the hopes that some genealogical sleuthing may be able to solve this little mystery.

From The Tiffin Tribune, Thursday, 18 Jan 1872:

The Sandusky Register says that on Wednesday last a former citizen of Sandusky named BLAKESLEY put up at a hotel in Forest kept by a man named Stevens, and while in his room, two young men named Joe and Bill Stevens brought him up some liquor which, from its peculiar taste, led him to think he was drugged.

Accordingly, he left the hotel and started up the railroad track for Whartonsburg, fearful that if he remained in Forest he would be robbed and perhaps suffer a worse fate.  When he was passing through the swamp, two shots were fired at him by someone, but he was not hit.  Hastening to Whartonsburg, he related his story and men started out in search of the would-be murderers.

Near the place where the shots were fired, it was found that two horses had been hitched to the trees and their color was ascertained by the hair found upon the bark.  Proceeding to Forest, it was learned that the Stevens brothers had hired two horses at a livery stable there without stating where they were going.  It was also learned that a boy who knew them both well had seen them enter the swamp together.  The horses they rode were grey and bay and the hair found upon the trees corresponded to those colors.

A warrant was procured for the arrest of the two brothers and they were lodged in jail to await the action of the Grand Jury in their case.

One of the prisoners, Joe Stevens, was formerly an insurance agent and was doing well at it until liquor got the mastery over him.  His brother Bill is said to be a rough character.