The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-02-03


and then, when the General lodged the vote him.
self, il rather soured Mr. g.. and he thought he had
been made Q tool Of, as he would not be sec .nd
time. s.
Ehe alave Case I'm Observation-Disclosures Ac-
count.
from the CincinE att Columbian, Jan. So
Amer the arrest Of the fugitive slaves at the house
OF Elijah Kite, Coroner Menzies proceeded to hold
an inquest over the body Of the slain child.
John Patterson, residing on Kemble street, de
posed that he was on the look out for the escaped
slaves: be ascertained they were In KiHs house
Mrs. Kite refused to admit him; he got over the
fence and raised window; saw two black men, also
one black woman. hiding under the bed; he got In
at the window, and attempted to seize one-of the
men; pistol was fred, striking his face and q
finger; he got out and staid about until the United
States Deputy Marshal came; the back door wa
then broken in; two coloied men, two women and
two children were arrested; the other child had been
killed. there was much blood on the floor; the neg
who shot had child setting on his knee; witnes
did not know whether 1t was the child afterward:
found dead or not.
James Faris, living on Front street. near the rail
road depot had the wounded child given him by liz
owner, Mr.. Gaines it died in his arms.
James Murphy, Of Third street, C0vngton, Ky.
deposed that he was present when Kites door was
broken open; the big negro was dra eyed out, also
woman from under the bed; the child was wrapped
in quilt; II was lying by the edge Of the bed, q
little under it, the child gasping when witness
picked 1t up; he saw Mrs. Kite give butcher knife
to boy in the yard and tell him to throw 1t in the
privy; he saw no blood on it.
W. NJ H. Butler, Of Main street, gave similar evi
dence.
Charles Moore, who resides on Eighth street, said
he saw the knife given to the boy by the woman
halt hour after the door was broken open, white
man came from the saw mill and entered; he stayed
for five minutes, then passed out in the rear with
Kite; he was of middle size and wore black whis'
kers.
W. L. Kennett had made post mortem examina-
ton. The childs throat was cut to the spine; the
spine itself was half severed; the windppe, blood
vessels and integumcnts were all severed. The
wound seemed to have been made by one heavy,
forclble stroke.
Mr., Broomdeld and Mr.. Sutton added some unim.
portant particulars.
Yesterday tie inquest was renewed. Vim. Robin
son, of Covington, corroborated in several particu
aIs the evidence given by Patterson and Moore.
Mary Kite, a woman of about twenty-five, who
gave her evidence with her infant child lying on her
knee, testified that the people arrested came to their
house about o'clock On Monday morning; she did
not know their names or from whence they came;
she asked them but few questions. Persons applied
for admission; she refused, not being in the ha bit
of admitting strangers; they threatened to get an
officer; she replied, when he came ne could get in;
she heard shot, and going in found the youngest
of the women attempting to cut her boys throat;
the child was saying, Oh, mother don't kill mel
he had mark upon his throat, as II from knife;
witness struggled with her, took the knife. from
her and told her not to kill her children the wo-
man said she would rather kill them ali than have
them taken back over the river; witness took the
knife into the back room and laid 1t on the table,
the woman came out looked for it and grabbed at it,
witness took it away and gave it to her (witnesss)
boy to throw down the priyy, which he did, when
witness went into the room she saw also the two
men, the other woman, and the little girl lying On
the foorwith its throat cut: this was some little
tin G before the arrival Of the officers.
Elijah Kite, husband Of last witness, corrobcrated
the evidence OF his wi e, TO the struggle for the
knife the attempt to cut the boys throat, and other
particulars.
Kite and his wife testified also that when they en-
tered The room where the strangers were while the
woman attempted to cut the boys throat her hus
band was walking about screaming, the other man
was walking about, grooming; and the woman going
up and down the room, wrnging her hands.
The inquest was then postponed until six o'clock,
to give time for obtaining further testimony.
At the adjourned inquest in the evening, Major
William Griffith, of CoyingtOn deposed to Pat
terson raising the front window, and hearing the
pistol shot; Mrs. Kite then came ont into the back
yard she said she was locked out; when witness
got Into the front room, lie saw the father and mo-
ther Of the child, and seized the former.
The jury then walked mp ia body to the JAIL
where the grandmother OF the dead child was ex.
amined. She i hearty looking Degress, and gave
her evidence with great pr0prieiy and gravity OF
manner amounting to solemnity. She said her
name was Mary Garner. Being warned not to say
anything that might eliminate herself she was
sworn, and deposed:-
The mother Of the dead child is named Margaret
Garner, and is witness daughterin-law. When the
white folks came in on them, she said before her
child should be taken into Kentucky aud made
slave she would kill it.
She said to witness. " Mother, | VIII kill my
children before they shall be taken back, every one
Of Them She then ran to her child with butcher
knife, and cut its throat. 1t the little girl
Mary. who was three years old. My daughter cried
Mother, help me to kill the Children / said, !"
cannot do it." Witness went out Of the room and
got under bed in another room, and staid there
rrfh rufl hnY Il
anything to any Of the other children. Nobody OF
their company then in the room but herself
Margaret and the children. Her husband aud son
in other parts of the house. A good many
white people were rushing in, who seized them.
The Child was killed in the front room. In reply to
question from Juror, witness said the deed was
done az the white people were rushing in. She had
heard nothing said about killing the children pre-
yiously. They had not drop OF liquor about them,
and had not been drinking. When she ran under
the led her husband was already there
The jury brought in the following verdict
We find that the child, Mary Garner, came TO it,
death by butcher knife in the hands Of its mother
Margaret Garner, with which she cut Us throat.
Two Of The jury, in addition, found that the two
Negro men we're accessories, also the woman Mary.
They founded this addition to the verdict on the an
sence Of any attempt on the part of those indi
duals TO prevent the contamination Of the horrible
deed.
The account of the last witness was so opposite,
rs to the abssncc OF Der son and husband from the
room, 10 that given by Mrs Kite, that they consi-
dered it probable that they were present during the
murder.
The appearance Of the fngityes II favorable 10
regard 10 their physical well being, looking as
though they HAD been well fed; their clothing II
good and comfortable. We do not hear If them
making any complaint of unkind usage on the part
Of their masters, and we learn from one OF the wit
nesses that when the officers were breaking down
the door, Mr. Gaines expressed his anxiety that no
thing should be done inconsistent with the law and
especially desired that no harm whatever should be
done ~ the little children.
The mother is Of an interesting appearance, a
muatto of considerable intelligence of manner, and
with good address In reply TO a gentleman who
yesterday complimsnted her upon the looks of her
little boy, she said, You should have seen my little
girl that-that-t she did not like to saywss kied)
that ded--that WIS the bird"
Mary rumors were aioat yesterday, owing to
knowledge of the fact that the fugtiyes we're not in
the custody Of She Sheriff. but OF the United States
Marshal; that there was an informally about the
writ OF habeas corpus aud that mona Of the parties
were under arrest for the murder. Ii was said they
ha been TAX from Jail aud bot,,rc tha Initial