Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-03-31

ing he could take the gun aud go and do
II. | told him that murder Is bound to
be found out anyhow, Snd IL we went
and killed this old man that we would
be lying in jail while they would be
walking around the streets free with
money in their pockets. We o n
cluded that we would not do it,
and we raised q window of the
church, got ia and slept there all night,
until about al hour by day, when We
ate again and then started home. On
the way back shot of the gun. When l
got in town 1 brought the gun TO where
| board. 1 was arrested a few days after
on Suspicion of stealing, and while at
Station house told Sergeant Brown to go
to nv house and get my gun as 8 forfeit.
He did so; somebody redeemed the gun
afterward. 1 did not. / don't know
who did. (Here Squire Griffith said the
matter related wss irrelevant n unnec-
essaFy, but the counsel assured him it
was very important, aEd the witness pro-
cseded.) Curtin came down to the garden
to get bis pistol, and he asked why we did
not do the work. Told him that thought
he could do better; that the old man
never did anything to me. After that
We were st the Bayou bridge on the Rl-
leigh road, one day, and John Curtin Of
fered me four hundred and fifty dollars
to do the work, and said the money
would be good. I told him he could not
give me money enough to do il. / went
cut first, with no intention Of doing the
work; I hoped to get some money in adj
vance that was the reason why l prom
izsd to 60 cut. The pis-
tois were revolvers, six shooters, with
handles washed with silver; the gun
was q heavy, long dOuble-Darrel. l was
never cut in that region before. The
church is francis a half mile from the
old mans house, and three and a half
b4yond Rsleigh.p
Cross e1dmiaed By the defence,-Am 3
cOok-a baker hSve worked at Bsrton's,
on Poplar street, at the Worsham, and
st the Ogertops FED
myself all the time, until l got sick
have been sick nine or ten months
lived with 3 friend, Joe Porter, (coIored).
/ was once in the county jail; l wac
there undeF suspicion OF breaking into
R3cCO's; was there eight days Wss
cleared. That was the first and last time.
Never broke into = house. in my life de-
~ anybody to prove any such thing.
Have been in the station
house for fighting, several times. .
D5n'tknOw how long l have known John
Curlin got acquainted with him in the
ordinary Ssy-in nay rotations around
tog1. Can't read don't know ting date
when / left M ssissippi; never was
charged with crime there. I met John
Cu-isn ct the Bayou bridge, on the Ra-
leigh road cal. tell what month it was
last yeas, bsfore Christmas; cGhs tel
how often L have seen ClFiin.
He told me that q man wanted to see
me. he did not tell me what he wanted
to see me for until we were in the pres
ence OF this gentleman pointing to Pat
t~erson). He i~ntroducsd me to Patterson,
aud said I WIS the gent he Patterson
Aberdeen This is a nickname I
have got. L am certain this is the man.
Diin't get mad when Patterson said he
wanted me TO kill s g or course 1
would have taken the money and used
IL. Nobody would refuse money l
would have taken it and the gun, too,
but would not xiii anybody. Did not tell
Curtin that l wanted the money in adj
vance, hscause L supposed he knew his
business. > The FIRST arrangement
was, that Curtin was TO do the shooting,
aud L aud Charles Green were TO hold
the horses. Curiin was to go up to
the window and shoot him while at his
supper. When we got out there We
found that Curtin was to hold the horses
and We DO the shooting. Green was at
the bridge with US. / was not at the
garden when Curtin came. Green was
there. / came in efterwsrd and talked
with him, but be did not tell US what he
wanted until We got to the bridge. Were
walking. We met Patterson the last
tine at the bridge over bayou on Raleigh
road. Tbst was three days after we
came back. CuTlin asked US why we
didn't do that work. Patterson vas
present. Issid l didL't feel exposed, be-
side, L didn't know now to shoot q gun,
and then II / had have done it they
would be%Tuaning around the streets free,
with money ia their pockets, while we
would be ia Jail. L talked with
Col. Gaatt, Gen. Sales, and that man
(Dt. Dickens) yesterday for the hrs5 time.
fhey never said anything to nae, but told
% tell al l knew straight out. .
l I'D not know the man | was to kill uu-
al l3 was pointed out. There were two
there, and il was the old man that
was pointed out; wss at the house which
John said was mis-; house was about
p9ces from the roEd they were
together, sitting on the porch, in the
evening, when pointed OUT; it was not
yet sUnJOwn. Green and l rods q yell
horse, double" ami Curtin a cream
pony. We had one gun and two
Curiin carried gun and pi5-
and | carried other pistol. Il was 8
am. when We left town. BJughts loaf
Of bread, some crackers and cheese st a
grocery. Don't Know where we
W9if river didn'tsee any river,
not big enough for a steamboat, at least.
Stepped at bridge, and Curtin went in
bathing. There we're no houses
or ~clearings about the bridge" Here
a long cross Questioning about
an attempt to steal 8 watermelon, and
moral points involved in water
melon steaii3g.) Cuclin is in jail, 50
| hear. It was dars when he left us
We left the Ghu CD about daylight. Got
back to Memphis about q O'Clock in
day. Here followed anotteS long
snd tedious REORGANIZATION about the
visits Of the witness to a sweetheart of
bis, Of no relevancy 30 the easel. know
3 man named Gus. DON'T know whether
be is named Gus Williams or not. l
know Gen. Wallace. l know him be-
cause he used to BE- prosecuting attorney
the Criminal Court. Saw Gus , along
with Taylor Stacks. Taylor asked me
what 1 wEs doing here, Said 1 was SUBJ
p@nsed to give testimony. did not
six to Gus anywhere yesterday at all.
; Yonder stands a man that l told
Ibis whole affair to long ago-his name
9 Joe Porter. I told him all about the
Here Joe Porter was called up
1t requesC Of the prosecution, aud sworn
%rebuttiog testimony. After some
cross questioning from State, Col.
CAN'T stated that there was a question
he would like TO ask the witness
)ne hat had been forgotten. Permission
If the Court wss given and be asked the
Il Curtin and Patterson had
given any reason why they wished old
man Dickens killed. /
Ans ney told me Dickens was q
trader in rebel times and that q
nan in Missouri owed him large sums of
money fer negroes bought then. This
nan wanted him killed to get rid Of pay
ng these debts. John Carlin told me
his 81 the time on the bridge. The Offer
II $3.50 vas to assist in killing the old
The Court adjourned till nine o'clock
his morning. -
Miscellaneous.
There were eighteen arrests in the