The Portland daily press., 1867-02-12
The West Auburn Tragedy.
THE PRISONERS CONFESSION.

THE PRISONERS CONFESSION
Permission having been given to publish the
leading facts in the cOnfes sion of Clifton Har-
ris, the negro now under arrest as one of the
murderers of the two aged women at West
Auburn, the Journal gives the following:
In general terms it may be stated that the
negro says that the subject was broached to
him on the evening of Wednesday while re-
turning from Lewiston, by the man whom he
imphcateS in the confession, who held out to
him the inducement that Mrs Kinsley had a
large amount of money in her house, and also
suggested another inducement which shall be
nameless.
In brief the confession represents that while
the particular object of entering the house was
robbery, he had no idea that murder was in
tended, or would be found necessary, however
| it may have been with the accomplice, Other
| circumstances indicate that the accomplice
| foresaw the possibility of having to resort to
| this extreme wickedness and provided the
means for it. In short that the plan was to
have the money anyway, and If he could make
| the women tell where it was and get away
| without their recognizing the parties engaged
| in the robbery, then the inmates were not to be
| killed. Rut if they were recognized then both
| women were to be put out of the way.
The negro proceeds at first to give an account
| of his movements Wednesday evening of the
| night of the murder, substantially as already
reported in these columns. He came to this
| city with Mr.. w. I'll. Keith's horse and sleigh,
| alone, visited several friends, obtained pint
| bottle full of whiskey. and fortified himself
| with four drinks during the evening, leaving
| this city to return home, about O'clock where
| he arrived near the hour of ten. Mr.. Keith
lives about half mile beyond the place OF the
| murder. After taking care of the horse he
went to his room at Mr.. Keith's, and soon all
was quiet in the house and all peacefully
| sleeping but the negro who, excited with the
liquor, was awaiting the hour of midnight, ap-
| pointed as the time to execute the bloody work.
| The prisoner alleges that he soon met his ac-
/ complice after leaving the house, which he did
| stealthily, without making any noise or Great
| ing disturbance, in his stocking feet, carrying
| his boots in his hands.
The parties the confession goes ON at once
| proceeded to the rear of Mrs. Kinsley's house,
| well aware that there, then were only the two
| old ladies' quietly and unSuspectingly asleep
| within, beside their little worldly treasure on
| whose possession these birds of prey were bent,
| and understanding also in just what room
| they slept.
| On reaching the rear of the house the negro
| tore off q loose board from. the privy, and at
| tempted to get in, but found the opening rath-
| er small. He then took OIL his coat and threw
| it into the privy, and renewed his attempt with
better success. On reaching the interior he at
once proceeded to and unhasped the shed door,
| and let in his accomplice, who, mean time, had
| passed around to the front of the shed.
The negro after letting his aecomplice into
the she'd returned to find his cap, which he had
| left in the privy, having thrown it in with his
| coat before crawling in. After fumblng about
| few moments he found it. The privy, as may
| here be said, as will be seenby reference to the
| plan, can be seen from the highway, being on
| the end of the shed and entered from it. ~
| Mean time, as the negro alleges his accom-
| plice, armed with a hatchct and knife, he him
| self having no weapons, went ahead through
roo ar,fr dn.,t II 1..,,. .,%,
| the house. When the negro returned with his
| cap, he passed through the doors and d. which
| had been opened by his accomplce, into the
| kitchen, and from thence through the door e
into the sitting room, where he heard proceed
| ing from the room 1, where Mrs. Kinsley slept.
| the door being open, the shrek and cry, ~ Pol,
| ly, Polly, come here,' Polly being the given
name of Miss Caswell, who was sleeping in the
| room X.
| The accomplice, mean time, seems to have
| entered the room of Mrs. Kinsley, reaching it.
| of course, from the shed, through the doors
| above named, of which the door, d, was the on
| ly yone fastened, undoubtedly opening that by
| lifting it up so as to raise the latch above the
catch. 1t was so dark in the house that no OBJ
| ject could be plainly discerned ualif.< 10
1t may be mentioned here that the negro
| states that the accOmplice on reaching the sit
| ting room, as the former afterwards ascertain
| ed, laid his hatchet upon the lounge and pro-
| ceeded at once to Mrs. Kinsley's bed room op-
| ening into the sitting room, finding her peace
| fully sleeping. He Immediately moved to her
| bedside and seized her with his hands. Just
| then it was she shrieked and cried, g Polly,
| Polly, come here" and the negro appeared ON
| the scene.
| AS soon as the shrells We're made and the
| plan thus spoiled, the accomplice seized chair
and struck Mrs. Kinsley with it over her head ;
| demanding to know where the money was. AT
| first Mrs. X. SAID that cher daughter had all
| the money With her down to lewiston" The
| negro then appeared upon the stage and the
demand was repeated, when she indicated it
was at the head of the bed, in a closet in that
place. --.-''s'.r..-. a.'aiAfi q i.'ii
The negro then opened the passage way
door leading from the bed room into another
room at the right, and searched the passage
way in every part, but could find nothing The
money was really in trunk on a bureau in
this room beyond, and there was second door
in the passage way opening directly into the
room. The negro missed it, supposng that the
passage way was only a closet, while it was
both atpassage way and closet While the negro
was searching for the. money, Polly Caswell,
aroused by the cry, arose, came out into the
sitting room, and proceeded to the mantle piece
where she was trying to light lamp. lr-.ii
The accomplice, hearing Polly coming out
left the bedside of Mrs. Kinsley, the latter be-
ing partially insensible, and passing out of the
bedroom-leaving the negro there stealthily
tip-toed up behind Polly, who stood back to by
the mantel piece, and struck her on the head
with, as is supposed, the hatchet This felled
her to the floor; and the accomplice left her,
suppOsing she was dead. 1t was there that the
pool of blood was found ON the floor g. 4.i5.fsa q
While the accompice was dsposng of Miss
Caswell Mrs. Kinsley began to move, as though
attempting to get out of the bed, when the ne
gro turned upon her, and gave her heavy
blo~ with the chair, which felled her senseless
back upon her bed t4iitr& tf 8"
! The accomplice then returned to the bed
room, and demand was again made for the
money, but no response was received Mrs.
Kinsley was still alive, but perhaps in a swoon.
Her pockets and closet were again searched.
nile the negro was searching the closet the
accompllce was on the bed with the half-dead
Mrs. kinsley, and what happened there the
negro does not pretend to have personal knowl-
edge of. f-tr.-.r7 ''-' ''''iN
At this point Polly, who had been left for
dead, by the mantle-piece, was discovered up
and moving across the floor towards her room
her white night clothes making her visible in
the dim moonlight. The negro went out to take
care OF her and seizing chair, struck her and
at last felled her in the doorway, where she
was found. q T. . Il :,
: Returning to Mrs. Kinsley's bedroom, the
negro found that the accomplice had made way
with Mrs. *. by stabbing her in the neck. The
negro was then sent for light-all the tran
sactions above detailed having been in the dark
He proceeded to the kitchen, but in trying to
obtain a match he upset the matchbox, and it |
turned out that neither OF the murderers could
iight lamp. Having satisfied themselves of
down together upon the lounge in the sitting |
room and talked over the money matter.
After sitting there a short time, the negro |
sad, 1T is OF no use to stay here we can't find
the money! whereupon they both arose and
left the house by the back door
The negro asserts that when he entered the |
house he had not the least idea that murder |
was contemplated, but when the work was COM
menced he says, she did his part.p
The negro says there was no attempt to set |
hre to the buildings. The detective was salts |
ned previously from the inspection of the pile
OF burnt wood found in the shed. that it was |
simply something taken from stove
There was no light in the house during the |
execution OF the terrible tragedy. and no at
tempt ON the part of the murderers to wash
themselves there or divest themselves of any
clothing. VI '
1t was about o'clock A. NJ, when the mur-H
derers finished their work
3 The above are the essential points Of tbe ne
gro's confession, although of course some of his
statements, which bear upon the onestion as
to who was his accomplice, are properly vita
held for the present by the officers
The negro prisoner states that he was in the
rebel army during the war. He certa;nIvst then.
has had schooling that would fit him tor any,
thing bad a ,l '' I'M ioi '' '
Harris signature to his long and awful con-