Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1858-02-18

""t Nftet0 tutee Witnesses duQ 10 Tue
presence Of Almighty God. before whom
10 moment Of time expect to sppeaEand
with the last breath that am permitted
10 breathe 90 earth, With a full knowledge
Of my awful situation and my accounts.
blliiy, ! solemnly protest and declare that
Mouroe Stewart is entirely innocent Of the
murder Of George Wilson aud his sitter
The deed was plsnned aRd pepetaled by
myself and Charlotte Jones, without an
other human being to plan, aid or assist
Us. tor our crime be hss suffered a long
Imprisonment but pray God that the
last words Of dying man, with no hope
or motive to declare anything but the
truth, while the Just punishment Of God
would be visited by ialsehood, will be ia.
ken and restore him to that liberty Of which
ho has been 50 long deprived. In what.
ever was honest he was my friend, but no
partner Of mine in crime. lie has suffer.
ol much for my crime aud beg his for
.giyeness. Monroe Stewart is innoeeul.-
May God have mercy on my soul.
HESRY FIFE.
The statement Of Charlotte Jones was
then read by Mr.. Williamson, one of the
cIergymen present, We give this state.
meut IN full:
l now have but few moments to live,
and | wish to make a statement Of the
truth. Since my arrest, have been rep.
resented as a prisoner hardened, and des
tItute of feeling and without penitenco for
the crime iu which | have been engaged.
Any statements that | was not sorry, are
untrue; because | have suffered contnu-
ally since the preparation of that offence
--more than tongue can tell aud if | had
the power to rctrace my steps, aud restore
my unc.e aud aunt to life, there is nothing
| would not be willing to do to accom-
plish it, The reason why did this was
the great love had for Henry Fife, and
in order TO get money to go to housekeep.
ing with him. A short time before this
crime was committed, Fife left Inc, against
my earnest wish--gying me, as a reason
Tor leaving me, that he was too poor to
supTotm me, aud that he was compelled to
leave me, and 60 and hunt work. He
did leave me, and was under some ap-
prehension whether he would return. Du.
ring bis absence, | suffered great deal,
and | would have done anything in the
world to be with him. When | next saw
him, it was at Columbia. Washington CO.,
Penn. | was not willing he Should leave
lne again,nnd | went with him-be going
to McKeesport, and | to my uncle's.--I
Then when | WAS 1t my unc'e's house, | !
first formed the idea Of committing the
crime, in order to get the money, SO that
| could live with Fife as | was sill afraid
bo would leave me again.
l also fully believed that Monroe Stew
ant was trying to get Fife to leave me, and
therefore | had a great dislike for Stewart.
The deed was planned and executed rs |
have stated in my confession to Mr. Phil
ips, and the statement of the murder, AZ r
gave it to Mr.. Philips, 10 correct, all but
this: stated that | started to Washing
ton to get tho poison but concluded to
stop in Monongahela City and get it, and
that ! tried there and failed to get it, but
| also stated what Mr. Philips did not
take down; that got another person to
60 for the poison, and this person stated
that the poison could not be got without
swearing what it was for / did not 90
for t M self md never intended to be so
understood. | wished to say in making
my confession that did expect from what
Mr. Philips said that l would have been
cleared and taken as a witness for the
Commonwealth, and the reason that /
put Stewart il,was that | did not like him,
because believed he tried to get Fife to
leave me, and | was afraid that the morn
ing after the murder was committed he
might have seen something and been used {
ps n witness against Fife aud myself I
Since bave been in the Jail here | have
always been well treated by Sheriff Patter-
sou and Mr. Philips. Now | expect to
lie, and have tried to make my peace
with everybody, and | hope to be forgiven {
ly God for my sius. | know the awful Z
tuation in which | am placed, and know
1t this time | shall tell nothing but the
ruth. because | fully believe that shall 4
% accountable hereafter for what | say. v
With this full knowledge am willing to 9
tale, before man and before God, that =,
lOnroe Stewart is not guilty Of the muir
er Of my uncle or aunt, and / believe .
i'm to be entirely innocent. | am sorry C
hat ever put him in the situation that it
9 is now in. | have been visited by 81
lergymen and other religious people, and =
feel qs though | am prepared to die. ] y
l!Iy confess my crime, and admit that my o
enlistment is Just. C
In regard to the murder Of Mr. White, s.
a Washington county, it is my wish to
ay that do not know anything about it, p"
nd the first time Fife ever saw my broth. a
+, WIN. Jones, to my knowledge, was The Il
ext evening after Viii was killed, TO "
ny counsel, Mr.. Howard. Esq, | desire y
0 return my sincere thanks for his serv- =
c.. lie has done everything for mo that !
counsel could do. now bid the world II
nd all my friends farewell. l trust in
iod aud hope to be forgiven.
Her =
CHARLOTTE = JoNEs. c
mark. 4