The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-07-23
Execution and Confession Of a Murderer.

Execution and Confession Of Murderer.
The negro, Toney Johnson, alias Tnom as
Shaw, whose capture we have noticed,
we un derstand was hung by the citizens of
the District Friday morning, at the Dean
Forest Bridge, on the Ogechee Canal. The
following is his confession
"I was brought by Henry Tucker from Vir-
ginia when / was seventeen years Of age
am now about twenty four years old. / was
sold to DR. Briggs, in Troupvilie, Ga and
was sold by him to b. l. johnson l ran
away from Mr.. Johnson in December, 1850,
carrying a boy with me to Savannah ; said
bov has been returned to his owner, having
been taken on the Savannah and Charles tOu
Railroad, near the Savannah river. l WAS
captured also that time, but made my escap pc
after wards, and returned to the city OF Sa-
vannah, and have been i'll the county of Chat
ham ever since.
"On March the 4t.s / murdered Mr.. P.
Brady in the city of Savannah in YaInacraw.
Mr.. Brady saw me pass his house several
times, and took me to he IL .unaway. He in
vited me into his house, saying he would give
me something to eat. l Wen 20 the door, and
he arrested ME, saying, Yo; are my prison
err I had a knife, and stab SD him in the
left arm, also in his left SHOULDER, which
killed him in ten minutes. immediately left
his house for the woods.
"I killed Mr.. SamI w. Williams on or
about the lSth day of June, 1861. l was per-
suaded TO do so by a negro man, nam ed Guy,
belonging to Mr.. James Hines. / saw Guy
on Mr.. Hines place two or three times, and
he persuaded me to kill Mr.. Williams, and /
agreed to do so. l saw Guy the same morn
ing killed Mr Wiliiams-he told me to stand
in the bushes close to the bridge, ana that Mr..
Williams would cross the bridge. Guy then
went to the field After had killed Mr. Will
liams ! went to the field and saw duy and
told him / had killed Mr.. Williams. / then
asked Frank for a hoe to bury Mr.. Williams,
telling him I had killed him; he told Inc
would find one under az old house. l buried
Caff hon IL
below the Dean Forest Bridge. He was shot
on the opposite side Of the canal-he was shot
with double barrel gun, loaded with buck
shot.
~ met Frank, p slave of Mr.. j. J. Hines,
in the month of March, and told him if Mr.
Williams did not mind ] would kill him. He
replied, well, il you will, we will take q big
drink on it,.
"Adam, a slave of MI James J. Hines,
now in Jail for the murder of Williams, is. in
nocent.
The hoe with which l buried Mr. Will
liams is in the canal, about five s4eet from
where the head of Mr.. Williams was; (the hoe
was obtained in The spot mentioned 1t was
Mr. Dotson's gun thar shot him with Mr..
Williams was shot about six O'Clock in the
morning about thirty steps from the bridge
After left Mr. Williams 1 went to camp of
Messrs. Brady and Giles negroes, eight in
number, near MI. Shaw's plantatl but
soon left them and went to McAlpin's, where
I stayed until the 10th of this month when
v-as arrested by Constable Jones and others,
and was shot by bIr. Mitchell.
81 have committed various robberies in the
county. l robbed Mr.. Schnder. on the Au
eusta road Mr.. J. w. Wilson, on the canal !;
Mr. Dotson. Oh Cherokee Hill, of gunpowder
and shot John H. Crawford's smoke house,
and from many others who do not know
The above confession was read to T0ney, and
he read it himself, and signed it under oath
He was very sensible negro, and could both
read and write, and has been, in his own
words, the most desperate boy in Chatham
county.