The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-09-17
Different Confessions Hssade. by
Evans.

Ea2 4kffitu@ S0Pbs lAdJUS, bus ASST Gtu liuat
positively that no one had instigated him to
It, ner didaany one know that he was going
to do it.
Second. to G. Comeau and @. A. Rice, who
went up to see him after Mr. Hudspeth and
others came down, or. Questioning him. he i'm
plieated the Mayos. and made such a contra
dictory statement that Messrs. Rice and Co.
meau did not believe him, and agreed between
themselves to say nothing about ituntil the fol-
lowing morning. when they would see him
again, and lie world be calm and sober. No
sooner had Comeau and Rice left than he
called Col. Thompson and tald him that he
had lied to Comeau and Rice, asked Thomp-
son to send for them that he might. retract it
before any harm could be done: Coneau had
left town, but Rice went back in ompanY
with Dr.. A. Bridges and Adnlphe Lastrapes
Evans then told these gentlemen that lie had
lied to Comeau aud Rice and gave his reasons
for it. few minutes afterwards, M.-ssfs G..
W. Foreman, VIM. Harmon and J.. NJ White
went up to see him, and h. reiterated the
same thing; Fhe next morning, ESl.ntay. }
Mr.. J. j. Morgan inacomPany with F p. Pi-
tire, jr., and Bpebe ElMoreaa, visited Eyaas,
when he made a confession which was reduc-
ed to writing and signed By him III the pres
ence Of witnesses, and afterwards compared
with the following confession, made the same
day. and found to be substantially the same
Confession of ~Tlaeophilus w. Evans.
/ was drunk and crazy Rom the influence
of liquor when L killed Capt, Hayes. No
body advised me to do it, Ny idea had al
ways been to protect Hayes, and / had told
his friends SO. The evening I killed him, I
had a bottle Of wine and invited Hayes to
drink some fiji. fEe thanked me, telling me
he did not drink. l had been drinking all
day. took the gun with which 1 shot Hayes
out of the brick office Of Onezime A. Guidry,
where the guard at the Jail kept the guns. |
stood about six feet from the window. when /
shot Hayes As started l fell. I got up,
and went through the fence by the privy, and
then went out Of Mayo's large gate into the
street. | threw the gun in the street, after
going through Mayo's big gate, under the
oak trees AS I was going out the gate be-
hind Mayo's. I met somebody. ! don't know
whether it was Marshall Thompson or Pintard
Williams About an hour and a half after the
killing, I went back and got the gun, and
brought it and put it down by the Jail. /
don't know what gun I used. I went into
Gnidry's Office by the back door, and picked
up the gun; there we've several of them. |
returned into the Jail yard by way Of the pri-
Wy and shot Hayes.
Before doing the deed I did not look for
the guard, but think they were in front where
I left them when | went away. The guards
l left were were Ned Taylor and Capt. May.
l am sure May was there, and shink Ned Tay-
lor was. after leaving them | was gone
about half an hour before ! returned and shot
Hayes. / had no idea of shooting Hayes
when I left the Jail, Land know not what in
dnced me to shoot him, except liquor, as I
was very drunk. When ! threw the gun in
fha c&roaf yuanf to fbo soil Who~ vol
there May was at the gate with a gun in his
hand. Thompson and Williams had also got
there. When / shot there was. a dim light in
the room. I think the light went out when I
shot, as there was none in the room when
went back after the shooting. There was no
accessory to the murder. l stated yesterday,
l think, to Cleophas Comeau and Capt. Rice,
that Henry Mayo and Claudius Mayo had in
stigated me to kill Hayes. l made this state
ment because l understood there was a crowd
down stairs, who were going to kill me. /
made the remark that / wanted to see my
mother, and some one said, if I would tell
who were the accessories nay life would be
spared until | could see her. Shis was the
reason why 1 said the Mayos had ~instigated
me to do it. I am positive they never spoke
to nae about it. They never offered me mon.
ey or anything else 10 kill Hayes. I alone
I'M responsible for the deed. l did it when ]
was drunk. I have no hopes for my life after
this deed. / did it and know l will be pun
ished for il. When I killed Hryes I did not
feel I was rendering a service to any one. !
saw Hayes boys at the Jail that night, but
when { shot did not know they were there.
Usually there were six guards at the Jail; that
piget there were only two. This others had
hone cut In town somewhere.
| had no enmiy against Hayes. He had
always treated me well when / was his pris-
oner. / would not have killed him had Inot
been drunk, WheHI left the Jail ! started to
go to Rosalie's. When the idea struck me |
turned back, went through the gate, passed
through the fence by the privy, went into
Guidry's office and got the gun with which 1
shot Hayes. The idea struck. me as l was
going up the street to sRosalie's.
1 have no idea that anyone was to assassin.
ate DR.. Littell er Judge Garrigues that night,
or on any other OCCASION. No bride was Civ
en- me-. and ! had ne n1eney, except $40, re-
ceived that day from Bloch & Dupre, for a
warrant given me as my pay for a guard at
the Jail. I have been drunk several times
since I have been in Opelousas, but only
twice since Hayes arrest,
The foregoing is my true and voluntary
declaration, which l would make under any
circumstances y
7.s. his, =
THEOPHILUS x w. EVANS:
+ mark
Witnesses:
ADoLPHE GARnIGUEs, Parish Judge.
g. w. H~UDsPETH, District Attorney.
1sEPH BLOCH, Merchant :
G. w. FOREMAN, Merchant e Planter.
During the day Mr.. Solomon D'avy and
others visited him, and to all nv told the same
tale ais his written confession above. On Nor
day. Just before the c~itiyans' meeting, j. F.
Knox visited him, when he declared that nc
living being knew that he was going to kill
Capt Hayes, ard that he did not know it him.
self five minutes before. After the meeting
he made the following
Confession OF Evans to VIM. C. Lewis,
Made about an hour after the meeting of the
citizens of the town Of 0pelousas, to deter
mine whether or not they should lynch
him, at about IL NJ, on Monday 5th inst.
] had occasion to present an account to
Evans. and went to his cell for that purpose,
and got into "a conversation with him. He
asked me what all that fuss was down stairs,
and what they were doing. / told him there
had been a meeting Of the citizens, the object
Of which was to deliberate on the propriety of
taking him ont and hanging him. That the
proposition had been bitterly oppeeed by the
lawyers. and that the people had determined
to let the law take its course He then asked
me il his life was secure. Will they take
me out and murder neil I told him no /;
that I was satisfied they would let the law
take its course after which he became per.
feetIy calm and quiet, and asked me if I would
stay at the jail ]. told him yes and would
try to protect him. He then became calm,
and said that he did not think he would be
hung. After some conversation 7 said !" Evans
what In the world made you kill Hayes
Don't you know in what a false position you
hare placed Col Thompson. myself and every
other person with whom you have associated
or by whom yol were befriended z" !. don't
know why / did it. + was not persuaded or