The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-07-22
TWENTY-FIVE DAY.


TESTIMONY OF JSo. D. FREEMAN.
By the Judge Advocate:
reside very near the prisoner on the oppo-
site Of the street. l have known him fifteen
years or more; | have never heard insanity
imputed to him till since this trial commenced.
by the Counsel for the Accused:
think he has peeuliarities Of character
while he was member Of the Democratic TX
ecuttve Committee, Col Yerger at times
excited about topics under his consideration
more than other members Of the Committee
he exhibited upon those occasions as he did
upon most occasions. a disposition have his
own way, If possible, and think he has ex-
hibIted a proneness TO take offence at matters
which other people would not notice; it il his
disposition TO exaggerate and TO have rather
an enlarged view Of subjects IN which he il
personally interested. l have observed THAT
he construes any opposition to his views and
plans as personal hostility; | think these traits
have marked him in the comm unity as an ex-
traordinary man.
BY the Judge Advocate
/ have known klen who were perfectly
sane who were prone to exaggerate: on the
occasion of the excitement in the Committee
L would think that he had drank little
more than usual, though had not seen him
take any liquors and his excitement might
have arisen from the subject matter in hand;
he has the reputation of being an egotisti-
cal and dictatorial man; | think his egotism
and imperviousness we've greatly in ex-
sons; when the Committee was in session
Mr.. 1erger made motion to have a certain
thing done in which | cOncurred. We were
0yerruled by majority in the Committee.
his uncle Judge 1erger, chiefly speaking
against 1t; next morning very early | re-
ceived a note from Mr.. Yerger, sending in
In his resignation as member of the Com
mittee; he attributed the action of the
Committee as being personal to himself. /
paid no attention to the letter, | do not think
1 NOR nf fan firran
than one or two members of the Committee,
and subsequently Col. Yerger came back to
the Committee as usual, and nothin more
was said about it.
TESTIMONY OF c. H. MANsHP.
By the Judge Advocate
| have resided in this community for 81
years; | was formerly Mayor of this town;
| have known the prisoner u or Is years, !
don't know exactly: am not aware that |
ever heard him spoken of as an insane man
until this trial commenced; | think he has
moved among the citizens and conducted
his business as other men.
BY Counsel for accused:
have heard his peeuliarities spoken of,
his extravaganza of speech and so on; we
had little brush at one time | thought his
action in that matter very extraordinary
the provocatiOn on that occasion being in
my judgement altogether too slight to justi
fy his conduct; was discharging my duty
as Mayor of the city; he took exception to
one of my acts and assaulted me in my office;
the circumstances are as follows: There was
a negro man who kept barber shop near
my office during the war; | acted as Mayor
of the city during the years of 1862 and 90;
the Negroes shop was very near my office.
and | learned shortly after he opened the
shop that he was selling liquor, and that it
was a sort of rendezvous for Confederate SOL
diers; 1 learned this from the City Marshal
and others of the police force; | gave the
negro notice to desist, which he failed to do.
and then ordered the Marshal to close up
the establishment; l did not know at the
time that Mr.. Yerger had any control of the
man or any management of his affairs; the
negro reported to Mr.. Yerger the condition
of things and Mr. Yerger sent me a note re-
quiring some explanation; / paid no atten-
ton to the note, and he came down i'll COM
pany with some other parties to my office;
he wanted an explanation why didn't an
Swer his note; / told him | didn't have time
to write or something Of that sort; he be-
came very violent, and | saw there was no
escaping from difficulty with him, and we
were very soon engaged in little scutfle;
after the scutlle was over L discovered that
he had dagger on his person which had
fallen from him in the scutfle, and [ asked
him if he had brought IT, at for me; do not
recollect what his response was; that ended
the difficulty.