The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1851-06-13
FULL CONFESSION OF THE
COSDEN MASSAC2E-


COSDEN MASSAC2E-
The parties all in Custody.-We
received last evening the following
hasty letter from our correspondent at
Chestertown, written yesterday morn.
ing, a half hour after the confession to
which it aludes was made. It will
be seen that full development of
this bloody transaction has been made
by one Of the parties to the deed, and
that all Of the accused participants
are in jail:
CHEsTERTowN. May &c, 1851.
Gentlemen: We have now con.
fcssion Of one of the parties under ar.
rest for the Cosdcn massacre, which is
thought to be worthy of crcdit. About
the time Of the murder. man by the
name of Hand, living near BIackbird,
suddenly, and without assigning any
reason, left his home and went to
New Jersey. A few days after his
wife also left. The movements of
these people were of course regarded
as suspicious, and efforts for some
time past have been made to obtain a
knowledge Of their whereabouts.
A few days since Mrs. Hand was
brought to Chestertown, and made
statements to the following effect {:
That on the morning after The muir.
der, at a very early hour. man by
the name of Stephen Shaw, who
boarded in the house with herself and
husband, came running into the house,
with musket in his hand, and very
much under the influence of liquor
that he told her the Cos,lcn family
were murdered, and that himself.
Taylor, Shelton, and Murphy were
the parties--that he had been solicited
by Taylor to join the conspiracy.
which he supposed was only for plum
der, and not for murder-that he and
Taylor proceeded, on the evening of
the murder, to the Swantown mill,
(about half Il mile from Cosden's,) and
were there joined by Shelton and
Murphy; that he had a double. bar.
relied gun; Taylor musket; Shelton
double. barrced gun and a double.
barreled pistol, and Murphy a double.
barreled gun. He then proceeded to
State that upon arriving at the house,
Taylor fired through the window and
shot down Cosden, and then snatching
away Shaw's gun, shot Mrs. Cosdcn
as she ran out. He also states that
Shelton murdered Miss Cosden and
Miss Webster, ard Taylor shot the
black woman, bat that Murphy took
no part in the murder. He asserts
that he himself was drunk and took
no part in the murder, and that he
was afterwards so overcome by liquor
that he fell in the fencc.corner and
lay there for several hours.
Shaw was arrested on Saturday,
and this morning has made full con.
iession, corroborating all the state.
mcnts made by Mrs. Hand, saying
"that he knows that Mrs. Hands
testimony will convict him, and that
he may as we'll make clean breast O!
it," He has been confronted with
the parties charged and adheres, in
their presence, to all the particulars
as detailed by Mrs. Hand.
Murphy, he says. he had never
seen before, but believes the man he
sees in Jail as Murphy, to have been
at the murder. There is little or no
doubt entertained of the truth of this
confession.
The cause Of the sudden flight OF
Mrs. Hand, was fear that, as she
possessed Shaw's secret, he might DO
her some bodily harm, to prevent her
circulating ii. :,
Since the above letter came to hand,
we have conversed with gentleman
direct from Chestcrtown, who was
present at the Jail yesterday morning
when Shaw was confronted with the
prisoners, and made his confession.
He says he never saw a more har>
dened set of men collected together.
The excitement in Chestertown was
intense, and great joy was manifested
by the people at the certainty OF all
the murderers being in custody
Webster, the uncle Of Mrs. Cosden.
is now acknowledged to be free OF al!
participation in the bloody deed, and
will be discharged in few days.
The prisoners are heavily chained
together, and present most revolving
spectacle. The tria! will take place
next week.-Bahimore Sun.
FIRE IN THE CoAh.--ln Wales a
fire has been raging in a coal mine
for twenty.six years. and has con-
sumed. it is computed. 100000 worth
of coal Within five years after its
commencement it was greatly re-
strained by the construction OF an
enormous stone wall which cost $780,.