The weekly Butte record., 1861-12-28

The following letter was forwarded to US by
D. W. Cheeseman Esq, with request to pub
lish it. 1t explains itself:
"SrATR Prison, Dec. 18th, 1861.
Mr.. Cheeseman's You will pardon the
liberty 1 take in addressing you this communi-
cation, but trust my motives will be sufh-
cient excuse for the trouble shall give you in
perusing this letter. My object in doing so is
this : There is now confined in this place
young man, Jeremiah Thurman] who was
convicted in the year 1857 in Oroville, of the
crime of arson. and sentenced to five years i'm
prisonment. My knowledge of the fact induces
me, as duty | owe to him. to inform you that
he is entirely innocent of the crime for which
he suffers. l desire to send you a truthful
statement of the whole transaction, in hopes
that you will send this statement to the Editor
of the BUTTE RECORD, in order that he may
publish it, so that the people of Butte county
may assist Thurman in obtaining his release.
am prisoner myself-convcted on another
charge. 1 have, therefore, no other motive in
stating what know, of the burning of Hen
shaw's property, except to see an innocent
party regain his freedom. l am satisfied, in
making this statement to you that address
one who can sympathize for the unfortunate.
If the account send you will aid this man in
the least manner, my desire in sending you this
will be amply rewarded.
STATEMENT.
In the year 1857, in the latter part of April,
was keeping saloon in the town of Orovllle;
there arrived at my place one evening" in the
latter part of April, 1857, three men, viz =
Chas Dickerson, Thos. Sullivan and Comanche
Charley they had with them, two very large
American horses, which they stole in Butte
mountains =; they asked me where they had
better put up their horses l told them in the
Orleans livery stable The next morning they
started for Marysville- Dickerson riding one
horse, and the others riding one. In q few
days Sullivan returned to Orovie, came to
see me, and told me the horses were sold for
about four hundred dollars, but that his part
ners had swiDdled him out of his portion of the
proceeds of the sale of the stolen stock he
then narrated to me an account of the burning
of Henshaw's barn. which was as follows The
horses, they stole, over in Butte mountains,-
they then started for Oroville; on their way
thither, they came to Henshaw's house, when
Dickerson remarked Boys, an ODD
lives here, who has done me an injury, and
intend to get even with him now y saying
which, he dismounted and set fire to the barn !;
the party then started in full haste to Oroville
When they came to my place, noticed the
fire in the distance, and asked what it meant,
when Dickerson remarked that it was nothing
but the property of an ODD going to
hi. What became of Dickerson, after he
went to Marysville, do not know he was
arrested in Butte county, charged with setting
fire to barn in Butte mountains the evil
dence not being sufficient, he was discharged
Comanche Charley has since been st.o to the
State Prison, where he died, about two years
since. l was in Orovle at the time Thurman
was tried, and would have gone and made un-
der oath, the statement have made to you,
had thought the case would have resulted as
it did. Had l not, myself, got into the diff
Guilty that brought me here, would have been
able ere this, to have obtained his release A
that can do now | have done let me hope
that my appeal will not be in vain. Rest as
sured that your efforts in his behalf will be
amply rewarded, when he is situated so as to
be able to compensate you for all your labors
in his behalf The idea of man being incar.
cerated here five years, for crime of which he
is innocent, should unite for him the sympathy
of all humane hearts.
You will confer great favor by sending me
copy Of the paper containing the published
statement. In conclusion, allow me to indulge
the sanguine hope, that my efforts in behalf Of
this unfortunate man will not be in vain, but
that, through your instrumentaity in publish
ing this statement, an innocent man may be
restored his freedom, and the prayers of the
unfortunate will ever ascend 10 Heaven, for
your future prosperity and happiness.
Respectfully yours,
Colin DOUGLAS"