The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-10-25
The TERREBOxkE MURDxRs.
Examination Before q. 3. Commissioner
Warren.

The preliminary examination into the charge Of
muroer preferred against Cornelius and Michael
O,C.nnor as princin.Is ana ph;,;n w..
.-..,, ..s. lp "s'ors as
accessory, came up yesterday before the commits
sioner. II VIII be remembered that about two
weeks since the accused were brought down rum
Houma, Terrebonne parish, BY a posse of deputy
marsbals sent tbither to arrest them. charged
r,,or ,ha saSdav;. q, c.. r. p,a.;a...
Jpn ~ -. "!.. Ism, 'e'uon'
OF the Opelousas haiiroao, with having been con-
cerned in several murders which have occurred
in Terrebonne during the past ak months, The
licensed we're arrsigned ve.terdav for .x.u,;,a-
49,, 49, ,hs nar,;an,a- oharoa 80 ,Sa :,
tion upon ine particular charge Oh tne murder OF
George Lacey, colored man. Judge Atocha
appeared for the prosecution and Col. Field and
Gov Weller for the defense. The foowino testi.
81.
D Joan 1oc T 1ass'ce 7 Hse Isace " u'e
TaIssm 10. uyo,'y 49, ~ IsSu o"'e, S.o I'll
4 h1eM nau 1sne 40 1evisG LaIey. 10 uesa
ne u,.9 aooSs 'nu s. - Ssd a;n ne u'Gs ~
t;s h. .Me ,sa, h;s Saa,h "a . a5;naS !. 80
rs Doey ansf o n he IA an ;r,naSt on ,ba
I tolnu s .h esoS ~ ~ ~ tts vi .us
pouy .ne nssn ~ ne pS a e nsn. nsnd
nnssa shn. 1850 th,ouah h;s r;abs ,b;ch ,hara
S ehas onnd obona ,he ham 81 ,hs ~,
was no ,ha socot hs.wssn tha TO- " .nS 1 ,Sa
eye; IN 'ne socAe'' between 'ne lace ana tne
SCross croo,;,,sd- Michael f,,connor nm. 80 ,ha
defendants vas the frat to and the hodv AZ this
tiyna w;,ness and ono pbiIn watars ysra IN a
hoat IN search Of the bodvr Mchas, O;connor
on heinU asked nv me WHARF the hodv was noint.
ed ont spot under the bridge. and said this was
,ba Lost nIsce wbara he hal sasn n The ho5v
was found under the bridge the next morning
The inonest as held
~ ~ 49,, m.u
4. d. cdIttn s.oo,n-i resloe az Iiger'iiie ana
oio mere resiue ~ tne montn OF July Ias'. huew
coloreo man nameu geo Lacey-ne Is ueao ne
was khieo on lne Zotn Oh July las. ~ nigelVine,
office that l occupy at said Tlgerville station. l
was watcnman al said station. ne was snotEtae
nlst snot uiu not All nin. VI .ne evening Oh tne
Zotn came uown iIom my mouse 70 .ne ssation.
On the way met mr.. fhihp maters ne saId, we
nave tne man.; asked, wnat man he SAD,
Geo. Lacey" L asked where. he said, "at the
depot" de said, you must take charge OF him
to-nght, saio dio no, wish 70 90 so tnen
had no weapons, ana tnat was employed oy the
company 10 take charge OF freight and did not
want any persons In the house. told him to see
the agent, Mr.. Moody. He said, "all right" He,
Waters. tsaid that Michael O'Connor woud be
there to guard the prisoner, and that he (O'Con-
nor) would remain till midnight and then he
(Waters) would relieve him. On my arrival at the
depot found Michael O'Connor at the door he
had revolver in his hand. Geo. Lacey was sit
ting in the Office on bench. | spoke to M.
O'Connor. l went into the Office and lit my
lamp. Lacey said he was under arrest for
stealing q beef, and added he was not guilty.
A short time after this M. O'Connor
remarked that he was hungry and said he would
drop note to Mrs. Mcintyre to send something
to eat. He sent the note by colored boy. Some,
thing was brought to eat by the same boy. Mr..
Waters then brought some bread and meat and
gave il TO Geo. Lacey, the deceased. Mr.. Waters
then went home, or said be was going home;
soon after this Mr.. O'Connor asked me to come out
on the platform and sit down. We did SO. After
this NJ O Conner got up and went towards the
wood-shed aud Immediately returned and re-
marked 10 me, I" If you see anybody, say nothing
III
Cornelius.u He said yes" He then sat down,
and while was sitting with nv back next to the
switch, heard footstep on the platform which
leads from the railroad to the Office. then saw
and recognized Cornelius O'Conuor one of the
accused present, a brother of Michael O'Connor,
the one whom l referred to when spoke to
Michael O'Connor of his brother. Cornelius
O'Connor then advanced, holding in his hand
double barrel shot gun Michael O'Connor then
got up also with gun in his hands and met his
brother on the platform. They both then came
towards the Office and then both made rush into
the Office and fred two shots at George Lacey.
Lacey then rushed out and passed me, bloody
ing my pants. He was wounded in the thigh
and in the hand he tried to jump across the track
and fell into the bayou. Mr.. NJ. 0Connor ran to
wards the wood-shed. G. 0'Connor went towards
the switch he stopped, and in holding his gun In
the attitude of shooting, and then ne ran
behind the house and shot George Lacey the third
time. All this time Lacey was halloing !" murder,
don't shoot" and trying to get out of the bayou.
At the third shot Lacey sank and spoke no more:
Michael O'Connor then SAID, get your lamp and
let's see II we cannot find him. Lit my lamp and
Michael O'Connor took small boat and told me
to go TO the bridge and hold my lamp so that he
could see under the bridge. did so. We then
looked among the bulrushes. We did not find
him, and went back to the office. Michael O'Con-
nor then said, ado not say anything to Nash" He
then told US what to tell the next morning when
we were questioned. He told us to say 1t was
traveller who rushed into the office and shot the
boy. ! would not go back to the office, and mott
fed Mr.. Hugh O'Rourke and the agent, Mr.. Moody,
TO this effect. I quit watching from that night.
Mr.. NJ. O'Connor was the first man who found the
body the next morning. Lacey was killed about
O'Clock at night and found the next morning
about o'clock. Michael O'Connor put down his
oar at the spot where the body was found aud
said that must be the body, and the body was
there and then pulled out
Gross Erd1nined.- Witness states that he was
one of the Jury of inquest who had signed the
verdict that Lacey came TO his death by parties
unknown; was neither sworn as a witness nor as
a Juror. Michael O'Connor made the statement
before the jury that the negro had been killed by
a tramp, Michael O'Connor, Hugh O'Rourke,
witness and A. Knight composed the Jury OF in-
QueSt.t Witness has known Cornelius OPCOQQOr