New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-04-29
FROM MISSISSIPPI.

A sabbath with Xerger-His Place OF
Con finement-The Felon's Appearance
His Peeuliar Eyes-His Cruel. Sen
suMs Under Lip Full of TremOrs-His
| Fondness for ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Of
HIS CeIl-YerKer's Own Account Of
tho Murder-He Expects 10 Spend the
| Summer MT SaratOga-The Feions
| Wife Considers Herseif Glorifed-The
| Victim. Wife Insane.
| Correspondence of the Chicago Republican,
JACKSON, April II.
Have you never wondered how you should
feel in the presence of Il man who had slow
ly, coolly and deliberately forced knife
blade, nine inches long. into the back of an
| acquaintance, then into his side, then into
his breast, then into his heart aud before
1t was Withdrawn for the last time, and
while his victim was falling wrenched the
kniie about in the wound, alter the manner
of experienced French butchers-I mean
swordsmen-untii the cut has become a
hole?
| Have you never wondered what must be
his physlognomy, and felt an awful thirst,
| similar TO that which children listen TO
| stores OF people who die of hideous dis
eases, to feel his presence and the touch of
| his eye?
And then, have you not wished to hear
| from the murderer's own lips how lie would
|
neither IL drink, il passion, nor in self
| protection?
| Wondering and wishing thus, passed by
| the church this morning, and went into the
jail. It is Il little, square, brick, white
washed, building, with yard attached,
surrounded with q high fence of wood
Mr.. Leake, the Sheriff, is pleasant, dressy
| young fellow, sagaci0us and cigaTy. |
diin'C suppose could shake hands with q
| wretch; but just as We entered the hail, Mr..
| Leahe opened an unlocked door on the
| right, requested me to step in, some hurried
| words Of Introduction were spoken, and,
before knew it, my hand was being,
rather pleasantly than otherwise, shaken
| by that OF Yerger. The Other gentlemen
| being in the room, / was afforded an oppor-
tunlty OF observing him rather closely for
| some moments, without being observed
| myself.
l don't suppose that any person is 10 be
| considered responsible for the color OF his
| eyes, but those cold, uneasy, lustreless
things, which looked a. me only when
was not looking at them, We're the most IN
| satisfactory eyes have ever seen. l, was
not until | went, that became satisfied Of
| their color; their owner then came out IN
der the full blaze OF the sunlight, and l sew
they were of a very light yelowish grey;
and whether it is caused by long inprison-
| ment or not, can not say, but they always
udNc IudI peculiar lDUh III them, as Oh u
woman WHO'S eltceinte. For the rest, the
pan suggests the peacock rather than the
lion. His hair is ringlets, his Dlustache long
and silky, his under lip cruel, sensual and
full OF tremors. BE is always under the in
fuence OF liquor, but never drunk. The
room is pleasantly furnished, save host of
empty bottles huddled in the corner.
Let me here say, corrective of the some
what sensational 'Felen's Cell in Mississip-
l1Ah1 u in ba
Tribune, an account which the writer Of it
had promised to correct, that. while Yerger
Is comfortably situated. he is constantly
guarded and watched. The furniture of The
| room is provided by its inhabitant. The
windows are grated with iron bars, and the
fence, Instead of consisting of boards eight
feet high, Is of double thickness and fifteen
feet high. OF course, no prisoner can be
considered as perfectly safe SO long as he is
exposed TO any visitors, but greater rigor of
treatment would only precipitate the soiu-
ton OF a question which our courts will find
is embarrassing enough. Liquors are fur
nished the prisoner by order of the ply
stefan.
Yerger was very much incensed as came
in with the Washington Chronicle, which
characterized him in the paper just received
as IAN assassin" But he soon grew quiet
and conversed readily in regard to his crime
and it's consequences. He was very anxious
to have the public understand that he ibid
not kill Crane for political reasons.
Il owed taxes" he proceeded to say. 81
did not pay them, because the city WAS al
ready indebted to me for larger amount.
During my absence in Memphis, as chair
man of the immigration Committee, Crane
levied on my property. My wife begged his
officer to desist: told him the property was
hers, and not mine, and informed him that
/ would whip Crane when l returned. She
Immediately telegraphed me, and l tele-
graphed him to take no advantage of nv
absence. l arrived home next morning at
one o'clock, and at nine o'clock challen ged
Crane. He declined. | threatened to post
him as coward. We met Oh the street.
which was the first time had ever seen
him. | denounced him in these words.
THE words are unprintable.l He struck me
with his cane three times. closed, draw
ing knife. The struggle lasted about two
minutes and Crane was killed. l walked
home, was arrested, and have been in close
confinement since the eighth OF June last
have been tried, been sentenced. but prac-
tcally acquitted on the ground of unconsti-
tutionality in that clause of the constitution
under which / was sentenced, and this by
the interference of the Attorney General. |
In week l shall be free on writ of habeas
corpus, and spend the summer in Saratoga"
DO you defend this taking Of law into |
your own hands? Do you, for instance, de- |
fend the murder of Tuck, your former keep
er, by Sizer?'
'In regard to the latter question, am
hardly at liberty to answer it, Sizer being |
relative of mine"
eyes," replied, Il should say you were
relatives dy blood; but do you offer any ex-
cuse for him"
Yes, l think he was insane. Why, he |
killed niger servant girl he had the other |
day-shot her. T. He always uses double- !
barreled shot gun
'When he hunts humanity, suppose; but |
! believe your cousin put in the plea of your |
insanity"
Not with my consent; would reject such |
an idea. Nevertheless, 1 do not approve of |
Iawlessness. l wish quiet. Crane had no |
business to prosecute US in the way he did.
But | warned him three times"
You still had a legal course, if your wife's |
property had been obtained for yours"
II also had another course"
Here terminated the conversation. His
statement is hardly correct in details. The
cane carried by the murdered man would
not weigh as much as the paper you are
reading. And as to whether he struck
Yerger three times, the evidence conflicts as
to whether he struck him once. Yerger
claims that Crane was armed, and made
toward pistol. This is probably
a mistake. 1t was not in evidence. Yerger
ls rapid, correct talker, intensely nervous
ID manner and rather impatient of contra
dictlon. He is intellectual, and not wholly
of bravery, although his record is
one OF blatant, sneaking cowardice. In his
last trouble he challenged man, and then
oesought the Mayor of Vicksburg to have
Doth him and his antagonist arrested.
Lately, bitter Southern partisan, was al
most beaten to death in Tuscaloosa, He was
r fighter by nature I do not indorse him |