The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1871-08-24
a COLD BL0oNEn MURDER.
The State PeIHcA..ary a Slaught
er House.

was sentenced to two years iu1pris-
oDment in the Penitentiary, at the
last term of the Circuit Court, 70
etabbing another man during Fl;
of intoxication, was brutaIly muir
.dered at the Penitcntiary in Nash
vile, by one OF the guards of that
institution. assisted byJno. Chumb-
ley, the warden. Sheriff Parsons
and his special deputy Mr.. Cheek,
had conveyed Hyedlingcr, to the
prison, in obedience to the mandate
Of the Court, and arrived there last
Saturday morning, at an early
hour.
Mr.. Chumbley the warden, had
not entered his Office at the time
and while awaiting his appearance
Sheriff Parsons and his deputy, car
Iied Hyedlinger into the yard where
the cOnyicts were mustered for the
purpose ofpcrforming theirmorning
ablutions. After they had been
there short time, Mr.. Chumbley
appeared, evidently in a very bad
humOr. He accosted Hyedlinger,
in very insulting manner, and or
dered him to take off the clothing
he had on, and don the convicts
garb, at the same time using abu-
sive and vulgar epithets, that any
man possessed Of one spark of feel
ing, would have resented. Hyed-
linger, whose crime cannot be
reckoned with those heinous often
ses against the law, which spring
from cool and deliberate wicked
ness, showed some spirit, and very
naturally resented the uncalled-for
abuse heaped upon him. Chumb-
ley then sprang upon him with the
ferocity of a wild beast and bore him
to the ground. A man by the name
of Phelps, who had been a guard at
the prison for a number of years.
rushed to the assistance of his su-
pcrior. During the scuf1le Phelps
stamped Hyedlinger on the head
and neck with his foot, and punch
ed him with an umbrella he had in
his hand.
After this brutal treatment
Hyedlinger was allowed to rise to
a sitting posture, when Phelps de
libcrately placed pistol to his
head and fired, the charge taking
effect in the poor fellows brain
and infiicting a fatal wound from
which he has since died. The muir
vlerer then succeeded in making his
escape by some unaccountable pro
cess which Warden Chumbley and
his minions have so far failed to
explain in anything like satisfac,
tory manner. We have read with
considerable care%he statement OIL
Warden Chumbley, published in
the Nashville papers, concerning
his participation in this outrageous
tragedy, and we regard it as the
weakest and most wretched attemp
10 palliate a cold blooded murde
that we have ever seen. Hyedling
or was a prisoner, was inside of thu
prison, was Invested Of any dcfen
sive weapons, WAS surrounded b.
stone walls, iron bars and armed
guards, or in other words was ut
terry helpless His sentence Will
1t con formed to the law had man,
mitigating circumstances. In
temporary fit of intoxication h
had stabbed man who has sine
recovered from his wound. His pre-
Htous reputation did not warrant tn
belief that he was a desperate char
a>ter, on the contrary it was sufi
ciently respectable to procure hin
the sympathy of the jury that con
i'icted him, the judge and clerk @
rhe court and several respectful
citizens who strongly recommends
his pardon. While the law was In
exorable, its administrators wer
convinced that its severe provision
were too harsh in his case A me
1nent of youthful folly did not d,
serve lifetime of disgrace R,
commentators of pardon, so r.
-speotable that the Executive c;
could not he closed against then
had already been forwarded to Co
Senter when the dreadful murd,
Was committed. This man Chuu
hlev, who in the absence OF be
ter statement than nc has so f.
snadc, stands in the light of a mu
derer's acconpIiee, and who in a
cusing his subordinate, Phelr
seems only 70 accuse himself, shou
be held responsible for the death
this young man lie has the a
dacity to express mis- regrets At Il
oeeurrepce. Regrets do not atoi
FOR the shedtling Of innocent bloc
aua wgthout NJ. Chumbley ciea
up his participation in this brut
murder he should be Instantly 7
moved from Office and handed Y
% the proper judicial officers {
ia.