Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-06-22
A Murderous Confession.

H~~~~~~~=-~~-~~-~.----a-----~~@
A Murderous Confession.
The following confession Of the ne
gro George Truman, recently execut-
ed at Frederick City, Nd, for the
murder OF an unknown soldier, exhib-
its revolving picture of brutality:
On the way up the man was talk
ing about his having been in the army,
and said he did not want to be there
again. lie said he had been travel
ing for three days. Little did he
dream that | was leading him to so
terrible a doom. | do not recOllect
all the conversation-my mind was
bent upon robbery. | walked a lit
tie behind him, and when we reached
Balls Hill and met my accomplish,
unperceived 10y the stranger | picked
up a stone, and without a word of
warning | struck him violent blow
on the back of his head. He stag
gered and fell, dropping his carpet
bag. He Immediately recovered and
raised up, with the stick he had cut
at Motley ThOmas's raised in his hand.
He sprang to his feet. | then deter.
mined to silence and dispatch him
| seized the same stone with which |
had first struck him, and hit him in
the temple. He fell senSeless, the
blood flowing freely from both wounds.
The Stone-and the only stone with
which | struck him--was produced in
court during my trial; it was the
long. brick-shaped stone, with piece
broken off from tue corner.
The man fell upon his back, and
while he was lying unconscious | took
off his boots and then his pants; pick
ed up his hat and carpet-bag, and lef
him-not yet dead. | left my accom-
plice with him. | do not distinctly rec
ollect what he said to me When frs
struck him. The blood upon The
pants was from his head, and no
from my nose, as | have always insist
ed. The pants, coat, hat, and carpet
bag produced at trial all belonged t.
the stranger-and for these | murder
ed him. He had also a blue over
coat which | did not take, because
had one, but left it lying beside him
| did not take the vest because it wa
: bloody, and because dared not har
= die my victim when he lay before N
5 senScless, with his life blood flown
: from the gashes which my unbridle
: avarice had impelled me to inaict.
found no money in his pants or cal
, pct-bag, and no papers identiiyin
r him. | did not then, and do not no.
: know who he was, or where he cam
from, except that he said he had bee
in the army.
j l then went to my home at Henri
5 Hopewells. A short time afterwar
| went back to the mountain and hau
a ed rails for Mr.. kremer until nearl
dark. 1t then occurred to me ths
5 the man was not dead when left hi
$ in the morning, and that | had bette
d go and see what had become of hin
: | quit work and went to the sp(
where | had LETT him; he was NJ
e there. | found him short distanC
+ from where | left him; he Was sti
S alive, and had returned to cCnsciou
ness, but was unable to move. Il
had lost much blood. He had eithe
n crawled or been moved by my accon
plice since morning. He begged n
It to relieve him of his sufferings. q
! had lain there helpless from abol
5, nine o'clock in the morning, endurir
e God only knows what agony. | kne
e it would not do for him to recover :;
h would be in danger.
i | LETT him and immediately wei
home, got Hopewell's gun, loaded
and returned to where the man W;
Is lying. He was still lying upon b
Is back. l went close to him, took d
IL liberate aim at his head, and as
Y lay there conscious but helpless b
= fore me, | fired The flash lit up Il
IS gloom of that desolate spot, and tt
le guns echo sounded the hapless stra
K gers death knell He never breat
" ed again. The charge passed throus
his head and scattered his BRAINS
The gun was loaded with shot; it vi
{ the shot, not the stone that shattert
&c his skull. His blood spurted on tt
< pine trees and laurel when shot hil
70 =, 1t was just growing dark, and no Of
n saw Inc 60 or return with the gum
My accomplice, and not |, took t
mans blue overcoat.