The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1870-06-01
EDITOR s CORRESPONDENCE,
From Our own Reporter.)
senator Stcphens---Accounts OF MIS- MUIR
.. der.

senator Stephens---Accounts OF MS MUIR
DANvILLE, Saturday, May ssth, 1870.
For fear your reporter shall not be able
ION account Of high watcr) to get to Yam
ceyville in time to write you himself the
facts and particulars Of the killingof John
w. Stephens, he sends you statement of
the affair as obtained last night from Judge
Kerr, Of Yanceyville, who was present in
town at the time Of thcmurder. OF course
some things In this statement are as Judge
Kerr heard them from Others and which
he cannot swear to as facts himself.
JUDGE KERR's STATEMENT TO US.
Stephens was at a dem0cratic meeting
that metin Yanceyville the Saturday even
ing Of the 2lst and about five O'Clock, just
q few minutes before the meeting adjoum-
ed, when some Of the crowd were already
dispensing, he went down stairs III compa-
ny with Frank Wiley, lwho used to be the
old Sheriff. and one Of the most popular
men in the county, and they stood at the
foot Of tho stairs and chatted awhile; Ste
phens wanting Mr.. Wiley to come out for
sheriff. Mr.. Wiley told him he had no idea
drumming, and after few more words he
left stephens, and went across the street
Returning IN few minutes Mr.. Wiley was
at the bottom step, Just going up stairs
again, when he met J. q. Wilkerson COM
ing down who told him he wanted TO see
him, and proposed that they so over to the
storcof Messrs Harralson & Mckee, which
they did. But as Mr.. Wiley rc-entered
this passage TO go up stairs again, he look
ed down the passage and saw Stephens and
negro man standing near to the room in
which his dead body was found the next
morning. This room Is at the end of this
passage in southeast corner Of the house.
THAT NIGHT.
That night about ten O'Clock Mrs. Ste
phens sent word 10 DIR. Roan--we think
that her hushand was missing and she was
uneasy about him, and please to have all
the rooms In the Court-houses searched to see
II he wasn't in one Of them. She had also
sent the same message to s. p. Hill. Mr.
Kerr understood that a party Of white men
secured lights and did search all the rooms
save that room; this they looked into
through the window, but saw nothing Of
Stephens Watcher they tookaearcbing
look all over the room Observation-Disclosures
we didn't learn; but hr. Kerr, said that
not much uneasiness was manifest at that
time about Stephens, because all the white
citizens supposed instead OF anything
serious the matter that stephens was Just
or somewhere In negro caucus. The
reason they didn't go into this room as
they did the rest, through the door, was;
they COUNT find
TiiI.KKy.
The keys Of the Courthouse rooms were
kept In the possession Of Mr.. NJ. w. Nor
fleet, The Registmrof Deeds. Aboutawcek
before, when we had that little spell ofcold
weather, Mr.. Norheet sent a negro named
Calvin Milesw this key to gctsome wood
to make a fire for the Commissioners. The
room was the old Clerk and Masters room
and was used rs wood room. This was
the last Mr.. Norlleet ever saw Of the key /;
though the Negro said he brought It back.
After this search had been made guard Of
negroes stationed themselves around tlie
court-house. Towards day one OF these
negroes got him a box aud getting on Il
looked In at the window of this end room
and exclaimed "Isec Mr.. Stephcns.v
DEAD.
There he was. Lying dead on pile Of
wood. A small rope was tied around his
ncck--Iust like II was around poor Bla-
lock's-hls throat cut, stabbed 70 the heart,
and his own pocket knife lyingopen on the
floor. His pocket book was Ia his pocket,
but no money In It, his watch was left on
his penon.
HOOD.
There wasn't much blood shed In that
room. a drop or two was found about and
about; one drop or 50 on the window sill
and some little against the wall. What
does this mean?
MISCELLANEOUS FONTS.
Stephens life, we learn, was insured for
ten thousand dollars.
Three negros: Daniel johnson, Stephen
Lawson, and the third one we don't re-
membcr--it IL said offered negro who us
cd 10 belong TO a Mr.. Bigelow nity dollars
10 swear That he saw three white gentle
mcnin YanccyviIleiakc stephens into that
room.
Ayoung from Yanccyvillc who was
on his way TO Richmond was understood
by The conductor to say that the room In
which Stephens was found dead was
tlumb-bolted inside and the windows had
been fastened down.
Its alittlc singular that the same brutal
manner IN which the negroes murdered
poor Blalock In HilIsboro was adopted In
che killing Of Stephens, VIZ; found dead
with his throat cutand piece Of rope tied
light around his neck. II behooyes the
good people Of CaswcIl IN tracing out the
a. - A.