The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1863-05-18
Dfe DAILY duttrttar.
TRIAL OF A. J. HOUSTON.
Indicted for Treason.

The trial of A. j. Houston of Warric
county, commenced in the U. S. Circu
court, at indianapolis, on Wednesda
the 18th inst He was indicted for trea
son, as participator in the rebel rai
on Newburg, in July last to which h
plead not guilty. u S. Attorney Ham,
was assisted by H. v Kyger; while fo
the defense Judge Dahl Mcdonald
JAS. L. Mcdonald, and l.. C. Stinson
Esq, of Evansville, appeared as attor
neys. Samuel Blancet: Simeon Lance,
Stephen Armstrong, Philip Higholder
and John B. Edwards were examined
Wednesday afternoon for the prosecu-
ton. Their testimony was as follows:
SAMUEL BLANCET, sworn.-Live near
NeWourg Ht the time OF the raid lived
in Kentucky, opposite the Newburg Fer
~ Landing. The raid was-July Is, 1862
l was tending farm. When | came to
dinner, and had eaten, Mr.. Lance got
done first, and came down to the river
bank As | got done eating, a man rode
up and asked if there was a ferryman on
that side of the river l told him no.
He asked how he could get him. told
him to halloo for him. Lance hallooed
two or three times, but got no answer.
He then asked if there was no other fer
ry on this side. | said there was, but it
was not used much. He looked IL D and
saw it, and then went past me down the
river. In a few minutes heard fuss on
the bank, and saw the guerrillas passinq
toward this ferry-boat. We went along
toward them. AS they got to the boat
he sail, "Double-quick time" Trey
went down the bank, and all got in but
one, who went down the river. After
they had been gone some time across the
river, Mr.. Horseman, Mr. Shelby and
Mr., Hathaway, came to the bank. 1t
was Richard Lambert who came up and
hallood for the boat After we had been
there little bit, Mr. Lambert came
down and asked if we had seen any,
thing of his son, Richard Lambert.
Shortly after Mr.. Lambert came down,
Mr.. Huston, Mr.. McAIlister and R. Lam /
bert came up from the ferry landing
down the river. Some one asked, "What
did they come up for?" Huston an
swered: They had come up to see the /
fun" Some said the guerriilas had come |
over and taken the town, but don't know |
who said that; but old man Lambert |
said: 'It was there intention to go over
and take the arms, as they had done the
same day at Herderon." He said it be-
fore Huston came up. 1t was from a
half hour to an hour before the first boat
returned from the Indiana shore. The
About twenty crossed over IN the boat
with double-barrelled shot guns, un-
formed. When the boat returned, and
was at the waters edge, all those men
went down to the boat as it landed Two
guerrillas had charge of the boat, and
the ferryman, William Brownlee, was or
it. When it landed, a wagon and two
horses were taken off and drove down |
the river. Didn't go right down to the
boat, which was two or three hundred |
yards from the landing. Started down
after it was unloaded. Samuel Vance,
Elias Murphy, and Huston went down
before | did. Alexander Mefford, the
son, got in when it landed, and came up
to nv landing. After that, l, Elias
Murphy, Huston, and Sam Vance went
down. Sam Vance wanted to cross the
river. He walked into the boat and sat
down on gunwale. Huston was in the
boat, and (Murphy.) | was standing on
the bow of the boat talking. While we
were standing there, the two guerrillas
came up the river, with guns, and came
down to the boat One of them asked,
"Are you soldier?" said INC" He
said, ''You had better get off here and
not be too forward.
They went into the boat and asked
Lance if he vas soldier. He answer
ed, no. He told Lance, if he wanted to
cross he would have to take the OATH
He said he wouldn't, and stepped off the
Aoat. Mefiord said, 6 | would like to
90 across the river and see my family"
The guerrilla said, "We know you; you
are all right" Huston said, {" L would
like to go across and see my family"
Mefford said, He is all right; | will
vouch for him" Old man Mefford, Hus-
ton. Thomas Mefford, and Elias Murphy
crossed over with them. Heard no ques-
ton asked of Murphy. The boat started
out soon after this conversation. 1t was
from three quarters of an hour to an
| hour till the next boat arrived from the
| Indiana shore. Don't know which was
the first boat that returned after Huston
went over and unloaded; it landed be-
low. No boat went over then to the In
diana shore. Three boat-loads were
brought over to the Kentucky shore,
two on one boat, one on the other.
Brownlee's boat, which belonged to the
Indiana shore, brought across two loads,
the other one From the time the rebels
started across till they returned was
three hours. They landed horses, but
no other property that | saw. Saw no
thing more of Huston that evening till
came across to the Indiana shore. Came
over before sundown, half an hour Oh
tbree-ouarters after the rebels left, bu
after Mefford was wounded-the same
man who went with Huston. Didn't SCI
anything of his son that evening, no
after he went across. Didn't see Carne,
cross with the rebels Don't know tha
he crossed that day. Two men CAM
across from Indiana at sunrise. Sav
one of the same men there. He was no
in company with them, but by himself
He came from down the river, under tn
| hank like He went off down to tn
boat when it landed the first load, an
didn't come back any more. Don
know who took charge of the horses an
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