Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-06-02
THE LEoNARD CASE.
A Card From JOcsIyn Ia Defense Of Curry,
Swami and Gilmore InterVIewed--.They Re.
iterate Their Statements.
Further Developments In the Affair.
Further Developments in the Affair.

- a-A3 AAA1 1A1h . - @@-N ~ W-
desire to correct as far as regards myself.
NV statement was this: l had been out
Of my cell tor exercise one day after the
. escape of Leonard, and when the time
c came for locking up the cells for the
e night, Mr.. Francis passed nv cell, forget
: ting that I had been out, and consequent
ly forgetting to lock my cell. He had
: gone out through the gate communicate
e ing with the prisoners department from
: the offices, when I called him back and
appraised him of mis- neglect. Ny cell was
- the same from which Leonard had es-
: capped, though Twas not in jail at the time
. of said escape, having been arrested the
Z day after. / will further say that l never
E made a statement before the Court, rels-
/. tive to the above facts, but simply assert
ed it to one or two persons whom / now
forget, 4 haze authority from the pTtS0-
Z. HeTS SWGRH and Gilmore to say that the ar
tcte IN the APPEAL Is equally untrue NTH
: regard to themselves, as they ReUer made
sHch statements.
E Very respectfully, c. A. JOCELYN.
E According 10 our habit, we Immediate
ly agreed to publish the same, and to
/ make further inquiries into the truth or
falsity of the statements published by us
yesterday morning.
Taking Mr.. Jocelyn's communication,
and a copy Of the APPEAL with Us, we
went up to the jail, and by permission in
terViewed Swami and Gilmore the men
whom Mr.. Jocelyn states pronounced
} our account untrue with regard to them
selves" The prisoner, Swami, was first
sent for, and the following conversation
occurred.
Reporter-Hsve you seen anybody this
morning in regard to an article which ap-
pesIed in the APPEAL of to-day?
Ans.-No, sir.
QuestiOn-Have you seen Mr.. Jocelyn
to speak with him this morning?
Ans.-No, sir.
D Own you be kind enough TO give
me all the information that you may
have in regard to the escape of Leonard
from jail2
Swami hesitated somewhat to answer,
but after being assured that no harm
should occur TO him from any source if
be made a clean breast of what he knew,
he answered that he would. He then
proceeded to state that he was hired at
the Jail in the capacity of a cook when
Leonard made his escape.
RepOrter-You were not a prisoner,
then, as stated in the APPEAL7
A.-No sir. I had been a prisoner,
but had been tried and acquitted, and
afterward was hired here as cook by Ma
jor Morton. On the evening of the night
that Leonard made his escape, Mr.. Fran
els, the Jailer, went away about seven
O'Clock, and remained away until ten
O'Clock. The Waterman was Rwav when
Francis lett, and did not come in for over
half an hour. When Francis came in he
went through the spring gate 1.-THE gate !
dividing the corridor and the body of the
jail, and after being in there a few min
utes, he came out and told the Waterman.
Berry, to go in and lock Leonard's cell
door. He didn't say anything about
GoOdlett, the other man who escaped with
Leonard. l then went of to my room,
and went to sleep. / was walked mp about
three O'Clock by Berry, who told me that
Leonard and GOOdlett had escaped. He
IL HaH NJ -
daylight the next morning.
RepOrter-Did you ever see Curry and
Leonard together?
Ayes, sir; two or three days before
be made his escape Leonard and Curry
were standing at the spring gate talking.
| heard Leonard say, "fI don't get out
before the election / won't get out at all -
Leonard at the same time expressed the
opinion that Curry would not be r~e-elect- |
ed. To the first remark of Leonard, Curry
answered that she would fix that"
RepoCter-Did Leonard have any
money in his possession?
A.-1es, sir. A few days before the
escape, an express package containing
two hundred dollars came to the Jail for
Leonard, and was delivered to him.
Reporter-Then it is customary to
allow prisoners TO receive express pack
ages and large sums of money?
A.-No, sir. L never knew ofany other
instance during my stay here. When {
ever a prisoner was brought here his l
money and V2luables were kept in the Z
office. No one was allowed to have I
money, except in this instance. Two or
three days after receiving the money, 1
Leonard sent out and bought q pLHg hat. !
Reporter-Was the front gate left un- I
locked the night of LeOnard's escape? 1
Ans.-Yes, sir, 1t was. $
Odd you think that Leonard intend a
ed TO escape2 q
A. ". Il ~ -
went on between him and Curry 1 did
think so, but it was one of my business $
and l said nothing about it.
Again asking him if he had authorized
Jocelyn or anybody else to correct our U
statements, and receiving a negative an
swer, we requested to see and question
the white man Gilmore. He was brought
in, and the following conversation was
held:
q. by reporter-Did you see Joeelyn
this morning? 7
Ans.-Yes. He went to the cell that he t
formerly occupied and had some talk with .
his former roommate .
Odd you authorize him to deny the z
statements made in the APPEAL2 I
Ans.-Wel,I am a prisoner here, and I
want to mix up in anything of the
sort. II may set me back. These men +
got power over me-, and 1 don't want a
to be kept In their clutches. G
Here be was interrupted by the Sheriff, I
General NJ. J. Wright, who, we neglected L
to say, was present and heard the entire o
interview, who assured the prisoner that
nothing which he should state should be
used against him in any Manner; that
there had been a new deal all around, and Il
neither Curry nor anybody else had v
any power to harm him. General Wright
the same time told the prisoner that he
could answer or not, just as he pleased; n
it was perfectly optional with him. =
Gilmore, thus treasured by the Gen q
erals words and manner said that he l.
would tell what he knew, and we re- IL
sumed: =,
Reporter Showing Jocelyn's "card ~ :,
Is this JOcelyn's handwriting? ~
Ans.-No, sir. 1t is his cell-mate's-I 81
the cell directly opposite 10 theirs. n
It is the same cell occupied BY Leonard.
md / can look into is through the traps
small headlights eight or ten inches N,
high by ten or twelve long in the door of E
he CELL This morning Jocelyn came at
here and be and his former cell mate got ~
o talking. BE came to the trap and read De-
to me that was published in -
he APPEAL, and said that il was my
tatement before the Court. II was not, a,
I so answered. I did not tell what l ~
new in the Court. I answered the ques-
ions that we're put TO me, but they were
lot The right questions to get at aOAdt I
ite'0' / could answer them, and not
- - Abab On Nu6Ie tn6 DldLu6 u1Q
Le, anq yet not perjure myself. That's
a' Nv means by saying l denied il.
Reporter-We did not state that Won
AID what We report in court. Here Is
he article In the APPEAL. shan 7 100
{ to your io !
Ans.-If you please. )
We then read to him the statements !
in the APPEAL yesterday morning
x Explained to him that his name was not
in the article, nor was a single ]
tatement mentioned as having been op
made before the court" We asked him
hen If he were willing to tell what he
new Of the escape, and what he had al F.
told one of our informsnts of the
ay before.
A.-Yes, l will; and it's the truth. I oc-
upied the cell directly opposite to Leon ]
I'd the same afterward occupied by Ike
ocelyn). One day, just after he got that
ackage of money by express, he had ]
berry out Of his cell, and, while stand acl
lg by his door in the hall, he took out q Co
Oll Of money. In doing so he dropped 9 etc
vo dollar bill, which / saw. He went TO ]
ne spring gate, and when he came back ] ms
allied his attention TO it, and he picked IL do
p. Stepping into his cell, and pulling TO sio
he door after him, he commenced taking ito
things out of his pocket. IOould see old
cry plainly from where I stood what he pu
'ok out. Among other things was q oul
rge key. wi
Q. What sort Of skey2
Ans.-Well, It was too big for a door, {
+ a trunk, or anything else bat a jail ken. br'
was just like the key / haVe seen Gull Z