The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1857-08-06

Arrest Of Two NEGROES, CHARGED With Murder.
Yesterday morning q black man, Allison
Joiner, appeared before Esquire Mills and
liled an affidavit against two other negroes
William Watkins and Josiah Jenkins, charg-
ing them with the murder of Richard Bark
er, who was found dead near Pigeon Creek
last Monday. Az we stated yesterday, the
Coroner's jury found no marks of violence
upon the body Of Barker, and it was sup
posed. from the remnants of burnt clothing
about him, that he had accidentally set fire
TO his clothing, and 90 died. The body was
buried in the poor. house graveyard twice
once by Ingebrant before :he Coroner was
summoned, and afterwards by the Coroner.
who did not examine the body sufficiently
even to determine whether there wore any
gunshot wounds or other marks OF violence
upon it or not. He was evidently more anx-
ious to 60 through the forms of an inquest
and make his bill against the county, than
to ascertain the real causes of death. 1t is
affirmed by men who saw the body before
the Coroner examined it, that there was .
hole of ball in the head. From circum-
stances and appearances, he must have been
shot on saturday night and afterwards csr-
ried some distance-placed in the fence cor
ner-his body propped up-his clothes satu-
rated with the whisky he had with him in a
jug--and then set on fire. The murdered
man was a negro, who has been employed
about the city and is we'll known; he was
seen in company with two or three other
blacks, who had had, at different times
fights and qusrrels with him. He was known
also to have had $40 or $50 in his pockets
The negroes against whom tho affidavit was
made were two of those seen in his company
on Saturday. The only proof developed
against them is circumstantial, with some
indirect confessions-in which they darkly
limited at the crime-made to their associates
on Sunday, after the murder was supposed tG
be committed. There is q third negro
probably the principal in the crime-who
has absconded. He left in the cars after the
b,dy was found, and suspicious were ava.
kened. As yet no steps have been taken Il
pursue him. The officers cannot be expected
to incur the labor and expense of such pur.
suit without any prospect Of remuneration
There are no officers authorised to incur the
expense but the County Commissioners OF
the City Council; and they are slow and re.
luctant to move in such matters. As oul
safety depends on bringing such criminals Il
sure and speedy justice, we hope the citizens
viii make up q purse, large enough at leas
to guarantee the expenses OF the pursuit
and put Sheriff Gavitt upon his track ant
he will be certain to ferret out the fugitive
and bring him back.
By the activity of Sheriff 'Gavitt, the TIVE
negroes now in custody were arrested scvera
miles from town yesterday, and brought be
fore Justice Mills, who-not improved b!
past errors-put them under bonds Of $780,!
each-which they were unable to give, ant
went to jail to await further examination
this morning. The circumstances revealed
in these proceedings ought to impress upoI
our citizens the importance of having NOR
active and efficient men US ministers of tn
law in these subordinate departments. A
most foul murder would have been buried III
by the inefficiency of the Coroner, and if tn
villains who committed the deed had hao
800 each, they could have fed beyond tn
reach of the law. These are alarming an,
crying instances Of maladministration of tn
laws, that ought to arouse every citizen l.
the discharge of his duty in taking his par
IN the selection of competent men for sucl
duties.