The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1869-07-22
6bt 0olrtkIp Clarion
TRIAL OF e. NJ. YERGER,
Before N Military Commission. for.
ahe Killing Of Joseph o. Crane.
TwENTY-EIGHTH DAY.
TUESDAY, July 18th. 1869.

TUESDAY, July 18th, 1869.
The Judge Advocate introduced in evil
dence for the prosecution and by agreement
with counsel for the accused, as follows:
IL is admitted that the property in the
city OF jackson. upon which the taxes were
assessed and for the collection of which the
distress warrant was issued, and also the
piano referred to in the evidence in the case
were assessed by the city assessor az the
property Of f.. NJ. Yerger, the prisoner. and
have been so assessed for the years Of 1861.
'6S and 60; that the house and lot In said
CITY is also assessed upon the county tax rec
ord. as the property of +. Nj. 1erger
TESTIMONY OF DIR. W. NJ. COMPTON.
reside in Holly Springs. Miss. and am
physician by profession; l know the accus-
ed have been acquainted with him since
1850, about four years knew him from
reputation and character before, my oppor-
tunities for knowing him well. were not
good until 1865. On two occasions l think
his conduct was rather extraordinary; the
first was in January or February, early in
1868, on the day OF the assembling of the con-
vention, of the people Of the State of Missis-
sippi who were opposed to the plan of re-
construction, or in other words, who were
opposed to tile Radical Republican party. in
the State; Col. HeTger invited myself and
Mr.. Watson, and Capt. Townsend, OF my
county, Judge AIcCutchen. of Lafayette
county, and ! think invitations extended TO
all the conservative members, of the consti-
tutional convention. which assembled the
18th of January, 1865, at his house for the
purpose of consultation and what course we
would take in the convention which was
about TO assemble; we went to his house af-
ter tea, and he looked the position and urged
it upon the gentlemen VINO were present, 10
or u that the proper course for the people
of Mississippi to pursue, would be to unite
with what was then known as the COnstitu-
tional Union Party; the party of which he
and Judge Potter, of this city, were the os-
tensible heads and bodies; he thought that
would constitute neuclus around which
the conservative elements o ( the State could
rally and defeat Radicalism; all of us with
out exceptions. feel satisfied on that point,
myself particularly, and Mr.. Watson in
quiet way. dissented from his views. on that
subject. and thought that inasmuch as there
was Democratic party, called the national
party, opposed to Rldicalism in the State it
would be best to affiliate with them, ] think
it possible that l opposed his views more
poinJedly than anybody else at his house;
Mr.. Watson said very little on the subject
what he did say was in opposition to Col
1erger's views, on the subject; 1t was the
next day that the conservatives met; that
convention decided to ignore the existence of
the Constitutional Union party, anG then
and there proceeded to organize a Democrat
ic party; the action of the convention in
that matter, seemed to displease Col. Yer
ger, and l know it displea5ed Judge Potter
very much; Mr.. Watson during that meet
ing. took the position in the convention that
he thought it prudent and proper, to act in
concert with the Democratic party; Col.
Yerger seemed to me to understand Mr..
Watson's position, the night before, and
thought Mr.. WatsOn-and so expressed him |
self to me-had introduced himself into his !
secret council in his own hOuse,and get pos |
session of his views, and had gone to the |
convention next day to betray him; his idea |
was that Mr.. Watson had agreed with him !
fully in his views, and on the next day, had |
betrayed him,after having got his confidence |
and sought an interview with him he SEEM |
ed to have forgotten the invitation he ex-
tended to Mr.. Watson. and that he had from /
some cause or other dropped Col Nerger |
and his views entirely. lie was very much |
enraged against Mr. Watson; spoke of him |
very harshly and in bitter terms, and told |
me that he intended to write an editorial to |
the Nicksburg Herald, in which he would /
show Mr.. Watson and his treachery, Also
lie wrote an article and showed it to me the |
next day, and 1T was after n great deal of re- |
monstrancc and cntreaty; he would not ac- |
coed to my request not to publish it. 1t was /
very bitter article, and he read it to me-
MIR. watson was my personal friend. and the |
attack mace upon him by MIR. erger. was |
of very personal character, and after a |
great deal of persuasion he left me without |
saying, whether he would publish it or not
After that, not seeing it in the Herald, l |
spoke to him on the subject, and he said, |
''Oh that's all stuff" and that ended it. Mr.. /
Watson was invited to his house. and very |
modestly and distinctly expressed himself |
adverse to the counsels and plans that were |
offered by Col. Y cr0er, in regard to this Con-
stitutional Union Party; his remarks in the .
convention next day were entirely in the I
same line as expressed at Col. \ erger's /
house; there was no substantial ground for
misconstruing Mr.. Watson's opinion. Mr..
Watson is a lawyer of as much distinction
perhaps, as any in the State: his a0e is
about go; he has always been held in high
esteem by members of all political parties,
as a most upright, truthful. candid man. |
lNnF hnr ri,
four months of which / speak, Il was with
him almost daily,) ON which his conduct APP
peared to be strange, eccentric and unreal
sonable. 1t was ON the day that the Con-
servative members of the convention re-
signed their seats in that body Capt. Town
send, delegate from Marshal county. had
had some alteration, in the way of words,
with Mr.. Morgan, from NazOo county, on
the floor of the convention, which were eX-
ceedingly personal and quite bitter; after
the adjournment of the convention, without
any waiting on the part of his friends, or
anybody else, Capt. Townsend met Colonel
Morgan in the Immediate vicinity of the {
door of the Capitol, caught him by the {
beard, and told him he had denounced him !
in the conVention,and that he meant to cow (
hide him. and he attempted to draw cow |
hide from his pants, some gentlemen stand {
ing near, suppoSing he was attempting to {
draw his pistol, when he had got his cow t
hide drawn about a foot, seized his arm to &
prevent him from drawing it entirely out. |
Captain Townsend had Col, Morgan by the |
beard at that time and pushing him back t
ward. Col. Merger was standing near the i
gate of the capitol yard, and seeing there |
was collision, or about to be difficulty. [
and rushed, it seemd to me, very frantieally, 1
more so than most persons would under the h
| am satisfied he did not {
know anything about the nature of the con- t
ifict, and doubted then. whether he knew |
what parties were concerned in it; he rush Il
ed up to the crowd with his walking stick, I
NJ 81 I'M ia ppI apX III
out for fair play, II am determined there /
shall be fair play, or l Will die right here v
There were only two men engaged IN the II
fight; no man shall interfere, if he does, | a
will put him to DEATH | thought he had II
less occasion to be excited on the subject. n
than had myself and a number of other h
gentlemen who were standing near; saw it h
was matter between those two men. and | | o
finally interfered in the encounter between il
Captain Townsend and Col. Morgan and e
got Col. Morgan away, but | found it more b
difficult to contend with Mr.. lerger. than h
either of the parties engaged in the difficult 1
". when Capt. Townsend pushed Colonel L
Morgan 10 the wall | stepped up, and re- b
marked, don't strike, he has declined to ii
light You, you VIII make yourself coward
If you strike him. ! then caught Col. Nor
gan by the arm and carried him across the m
street, from the capitol to the northern cor V
ner Of the street. and left Morgan, and went CO
back to see Col. Yerger, and | found it more m
difficult to pacify and quiet him. than did h
sililCI VI INC parties euS1eU III llle uliflCul-
y. thought that very unusual conduct. Il
He seemed he to entirely wild, his eyes h
lashing, his face flushed and every other a
evidence of very excited state OF feeling ! al
think he knew nothing of the quarrel be- bC
ween the parties, and he was in no wise til
with it. On the occasion of our of
Tisit to Yerger's house he seemed to be en- to
irely sober; after the matter in hand was
disposed OF. the older gentlemen of the Con-
rention went home L think. remained. and
everal of the younger members OF that IN
ody and we had several drinks. and after W
hat we played q game of cards and stayed ca