Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-09-05

man met me and asked me some ques-
tons. answered him as well as could
The man said, You don't talk like a
Southern man, No, | said, i live
Northp %, you are Northern man
with Southern principles, and then called
me doughface. This made me mad,
and we talked pretty plainly, but didn't
come to blows"
NARROW ESCAPE.
He stated while making his confession
that the first time he noticed the impul-
siyeness Of destructiveness was when he
went to ride one night with Bidwell
girl II had all could do to resist the
impulse to kill her. Just as was about
killing her there came a sudden shower
of rain, and this started me from my re-
Elections, as at once thought Of getting
the girl home without her being wet,
and | forgot all about killing her" he
had singular way Of telling this story
to Mr.. Finch. One night he asked:
Did you ever hear of aperson that
wanted to kill some girl, and was pre-
vented from doing so because of a rain
Storm" Mr. Finch told him he had not.
Starkweather then went on and related
the story, referring to third person all
the time The next night he said
You remember what l told you last
night about a girls having her life
saved ?" Yes" Well, the young
man referred to was myself.
ANOTHER LIFE SPARED.
He gave his experience in another
case as follows: /" / went up to see Eme-
rette Campbell one evening We had
been sitting on the lounge some time,
and finally got up to 90. She rose too,
and ! took a large knife out of my
pocket, and drew my hand back to
plunge it into her heart She looked
me steadily in the eye and my knife
dropped from my hand on the floor.
He was asked: ibid you intend to kill
her ?" Yes, did, and when had
killed her | was going to kill myself
HIS LAST MANIA.
He stated on Thursday night that
one day when Prof Simonson was
locked into his cell he could hardly
keep his hands off from him (Simonson.)
: | wanted to kill him He was asked
what for? and said, / didn't know but
there might be some chance to get away.
This may partly explain what he states,
in the confession above, that he could
not resist killing those persons for whom
he had the strongest affection, and it may
not
INTENDED TO COMMIT SUICIDE,
On Tuesday night last he intended to
commit suicide, so he said, and wrote to
one he though. much Of announcing his
intention. When asked how he was go
ing to do it, he replied, BY my will;
and then gave the person addressed to
understand that he thought Of smother
ing himself to death. On Friday morn
ing he wrote-and it was the last letter
he penned-to the person above referred
to, saying that he did not commit suicide
as he intended, because he was watched
so closely, and added " ] am not sure
there is hope for suicide, He then
continued his letter, referring to his stu
alton as follows:
! want to meet you in that happy
land if / can. / do not fear death, per
haps because do not fully realize how
near am to it. | cannot describe my
own feelings. 1t is now the morning of
my last day on earth. | am as cheerful
and free from all fears of the future as
ever have been, and almost free from
the thought of death, yet / try to think
and be prepared. / think am as we'll
as we'll can be under the cir
for | hope to be saved. y
He persisted to the end in denying
that he had any motive to commit crime.
When asked what motive he had in poi
soning his uncle Buckland's family, he
said "The only motive had, if any,
was that my uncle promised not to sell
any more liquor, and | was afraid he
would go to selling again T. He was
then asked why he attempted to poison
the whole family, If it was his uncle's life
alone he sought? His reply was 81
don't know; | happened to see the bar
rel of flour there and put the poison In
it."
PLEASING EFFECTS OF THE MANIA.
At the close of the confession concern
ing the poisoning and barn-burning, he
wrote as follows: (" presume | have
done great many things which do not
now remember. | never thought it over
only to chuckie over it, and | now can
hardly keep from jumping up and laugh
ing and chucking over what have done;
and If i was not so weak bodily, / pre-
sumo / should be as bad now as ever.
HIS PROPERTY.
On the Sd of this month he made will,
and gave all his property to Miss Camp
bell, IF she would accept it." When
asked how much property he had, he
said there ought to be from $4,000 TO
$4,000; ''but come to think Of it now"
he added, II don't know but some of 1t
has been sold" Then he said: my
uncle Nathan has been here a good many
times with papers for me to sign, and
have signed them, not knowing what hey
we're" He was then told that one of
the city papers said that he had decided
his property to his uncle Nathan. He
then replied: Il never have to my knowl-
edge "