New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-09-03
a Texas Tragedy.
ONE MAN nunpERrp AND TWO HtSa

ON I NJ y NJ RIDE AN ID T " < U st.
respectable citizen of Grimes county, Texas,
furnishes the Houston Telegraph the following
particulars OF recent case of marder and lynch
ing in that county:
On Friday morning, 10th inst, q little after sun
rise, Judge Anderson was walking throrg his field
with his gun, and had shot some of Jones hogs
that were depredating upon his crop when Hay
good, the assassin let his victim approeehwithin
twenty-five steps, when he fired both barrels ri his
gun, loaded with sixteen buek-shot, into the heart
of this unsuspecting and harmless citizen, from @
temporary blind he had skulked behind. He then,
with his young companion, fed to 3, IanRs', where
he lived, and there eXultingly boosted Of bis foul
and cowardy deed to Jones aHd wife-leaying one
Of Grimes county's best citizens weltering in his
blood, where he lay unbound by his family until
about 10 O'Clock his absence by this time causing
his unsuspecng wife to send a negro to hunt him
and tell him his breakfast was waiting.
When he was found, the whole ueighhorhOoa
was aroused with indignation. Three or four hun
dred persons were soon collected at the house Of
the deceased. Grcnmstanual evidence soon dI-
rected suspicion to Yankee Jones and his step-sOn
and Tom Haygood, a stranger in the neighborhood,
who was in the employ4of Jones.
The party were soon arrested. and the citizens
assembled again on Saturday with increased num-
bers embracing citizens from Grimes Harris and
Austin counties, the residence of Jadge Andef-
son being in Grimes, near thecerner OF those three
counties. s--. .--=
The justly indignant citizens soon constituted
Vigilance Committee out OF their number, EN-
hracing gentlemen of the highest responsibility.
They then notified the. accused that they should
have trial by jury of their peers, and pick said
| jury from list of so or 60 names furnished them,
with the right also of counsel.
| Two legal gentlemen of fine ability were soon
| arrayed each side, two for the prisoners and
| two for the State .. ...
The Court was organized by seating on the bench
| a legal gentleman Of ability from distant county,
far removed from the exeitement.) Thus Hay,
good was put on trial, witnesses introduced and
sworn, the facts ELECTED and the attorneys prose-
| cuted and defended with ability.
The facts in this case were conclusive and plain
that Haygood killed Jugde Anderson, and that the
step-son of Jones went with him and stood in close
| proximity when the act was done.
| The jury retired and very soon returned with
verdict of guilty of murder in the FIRST degree when
| q voice went up from the multitude, hang" In
his address he displayed himself as the most hard
ened, reckless daredevil in human form. cursins
| and swearing like demon and asserting his lnno-
| cence, of course, and kept this up until he swung
from limb of the tree where his innocent victim
| fell by his murderous gun. If ever an outraged
people were justified in taking the law in their own
hands, this seemed fit occasion-one of her
worthy and peaceable citizens assassinated in his
own field, and within few hundred yards OF his
family.
On the following Sunday morning the committee,
court and citizens again assembled, and B. Jones
Cor Yankee Jones) was put on. trial as an accom-
plice. A jury was selected as before-uo attor
neys, however, appeared on either side Some
eight or dozen witnesses were examined, whose
evidence proved, beyond a doubt, that Jones had
hired Haygood to kill Judge Anderson-he walked
his step.son up that morning, and made him &C
company the murderer. With this proof, the jury
soon returned with similar verdict and very soon
after the outraged and indignant people closed
the career of q Yankee Jones,n by hanging him
from the limb of tree hard BY
Jones was citizen of some twenty or twenty
five years standing; a man of property, and had
filled several offices with credit, but tor many years
was regarded as not very sound On the slavery
question-had been taken up recently hy the Tigi-
lance Committee for his Northern proc!ivities, but
discharged, under oath. JONES' cooiness and
willingness to hang was truly ramarkable-but
said he had no agency in the murder, arranged his
t business calmly; bid his friends and children good
bye, aud asked them very jocaarly 10 go dowr
, | and see the execution.