Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-04-04
TIE HoUsEN TRAGEDY.
The preliminary Examination Begun
Large number OF Witnesses Sunni
moned-LnferestingT estfrnony-nrs
Housen's SO-CaIIed Confession.


Large number OF Witnesses Sum-
moned-LnferestingT Testimony Mrs.
Housen's SO-CaIIed Confession.
Groups OF interestedindividual gathered
about the Courthouse yesterday quite early
in the day, the pref minsry examination of
| the -parcies arrested on the charge OF having
been connected with the murder OF Mrs.
Houseu having been postponed until yes
terday at 10 O'Clock. BY the time this hour
had arrived, the criminal courtroom was
fuIl to suffocation; the halls outside were
fnll. and the crowd overlooked into the
ouen space surrounding the Courthouse, q
long line being formed on either side Of the
sidewalk by which the prisoners would be
brought into the building from the county
jail.
THE PRISONERS. 90
At l0:40 Mrs. Housen, Jerry Stokes, Dick
Nolan, and Rama Hamer were brought into
the courtroom by Sergeant Pickett and
Mr.. jenkins, deputy jailor. few minutes
later, Housen was brought in by detectives
Watson and Ryan, and was given seat
beside bis wife, who sat rubbing her hands
together, and twisting plain gold ring
which she wore on one finger. When her
husband sat down beside her, she placed
one hand on bis shoulder, and kept it in
this position during the greater part Of the
day.
Soon after the trial began, Housen was
removed, leaving only Nolan and Stokes, of
the. colored prisoners, present. As the trial
progFsssed, Stokes sat with one hand up to
his ear, his head thrown forward, aud listen
ed to every word of the testimony, and
watched every motion of the counsel with
the most absorbing interest, never relaxing
In bis attention for a moment during all the
weary hours, from ell, ven o'clock A n I'M
til nea' ly six in the evening.
The other negro, Nolan, loos ed about |
him, paying but littl e attention to the pro- |
! ceedines.
Considerable effort was required to clear |
away sufficient space inside the railing for |
the accommodation of the attorneys, wit |
nesses and officers of the court.
The following named witnesses were |
calledt
| WITNESSES FOR NIB. AID MRS. HoUsEN.
Samuel Barnes, Nelson Baldrige, VIM. |
| Wbitsett, Thos. Russell, Thos. Holt, VIM. |
Holt, Mrs. BalIrige, Mrs. Thompson, Mrs. |
Martha Goodwin, Miss Laura Jones, Tom |
Barnes, Joseph SIN th, Robert Patterson,
John Lee, Henry Chambers, Wm. Rob
er'son, Bob Page, Salem Patterson, Cook
| Battle, Deliah Battle, DR.. Lowe.
| WITNESSES FOR DICK NOLAN.
VIM. Nolan, Dav, Patterson, Francis
Patterson, VIM. Redman, John Barnes,
John r., Sneed, Henry Edmonson, d. c.
Edmondson, Madison Bryan, Rebecca
Blunt, Lucinda Putnam.
WITNESSES FOR THE STATE.
Fletcher Fields, John Lee, Uriah PEBBLES,
Henry Chambers, Sarah Stokes, VIM. Rob-
/ O1Lt Oh DE- l. |
Battle, Belilah Battle, Laura Jones, DR..
Lowe, Martha Goodwin, Matte Barnes,
| Tom Barnes, S. r Barnes, Robt. Patter-
son, Mrs. Lowell, Mrs. Baldwin, Nelson
BALDWIN, VIM. Whitsett, Thos. Russell,
Thos. Holt, VIM. Holt, Samr. Barnes,
Eliza Thompson, Joe Smith.
The counsel of both sides having sigpi-
| fed their readiness TO begin the trial, the
case was opened by the State, the exami-
| nation of witnesses being conducted by MIR.
Caldwell, brother Of the attorney general,
who was absent the greater part of the day
on other business, Mr.. Caldwell being as
sisted by Mr.. B. F. Hamilton.
THOMAS W. BARNES SWORN.
Direct Examination By Mr. CdlCsloell-
had gone to bed last Monday night, a
week ago, when about 8 O'Clock, young
Mrs. HOusen came up to my mo hers and
said there was somebody up there. As
soon as could, dressed and armed my
self and started to her house; met Bob Pat
tersoD, and he went with me; he got
light from his house, and ne carried the
light in one hand and my bowie knife in
the other, and carried nay gun; searched
the house; found her bed tumbled up the
feather bed and covers on the floor; started |
off in northern direction; found an under
skirt; 30 or 40 yards further along, saw
something white; saw, on getting closer,
that it was somebody In underclothes; l
called her and she made no reply; went up |
close and found it was Mrs. Housen, hung
to hog pole-a pole put up to hang hogs
on; Bob cut at the rope twice, but told
him not to
CUT THE BODY DOWN.
We then alarmed the neighborhood: we
held candle TO her face and found she was
dead; the rope was wrapped around her
negk five times, believe; the rope was
buried In the flesh; thought from marks we
saw along the road that she had been
dragged; didn't notice whether her feet
were skinned up or not; soma hair was on
the under par of the pole, which looked as
though she had been drawn up against the
pole; there was no block, CT stump, or any
thing near, by which she could have hung
herself; she was small woman; her feet {
were close to the ground, as we found her
hanging; don't think it is possible that she
could have tied the rope in that way, and q
hung herself from the yard down to the s
branch 1t looked as though her feet had 4
dragged on the ground; noticed large bare
footed track; the reason looked for Mrs. |
Housen was hat young Mrs. Housen said q
there was somebody up there; after we
got light ye searched the house tG see if Z
we could find blood; did not find any, then '
called for Mrs. Housen; then got up on the l
fence and whistled for the dogs, but they Z
did not come; We started down the road '
leading to the north and found the under
skirt; after finding the body went up and
called 10. Smith and DR.. Lowe, who lives |
with him; told them Mrs. Housen was /
hung; young Mrs. HOusen was there and 5
heard me; she seemed tc be very mu h ex- !
cited; when | first went 70 Mrs. Housen's we |
got a light from Patterson's house; Bob took L
the l'ght in one hand and
KNIFE IN THE OTHER.
We went in; say Mrs. HOusen's Ded clothes I
and tick on the floor; there are two beds
in the room; the foot of Mrs. Housen's bed
came up nearly to TIE door on the left; on
the other side was Mrs. Jerline Housen's c
bed; there was tracks leading from this to a
pole up towards the knob off in the woods; q
understood the family slept in the one 9
room.
CrOSS-eTGnined-W saw Mrs. Hous- I
EMS bed it was in tumbled condition on l
the floor; young Mrs. Housen's bed was in ;
a tumbled condition also; live somewhere 4
between 800 and 500 yards from HOusen's;
could hear person at Housen's boiler
from my house; did not notice young Mrs. y
Housen especially when she first came to y
my house; heard her boiler before she 9
reached my house, about fifty yards of; my
family had gone to bed; did not notice how .
far Mrs. Housen's feet were from the ground .
when we discovered that she had been Il
hung saw Housen THAT night, after found .
his mother; he was going in the direction =
of his house; had fishing pole in bis hand; u
1 asked, "Who Is there9" he replied, sit is ;,
me-" recognized his voice; told hlm pre- Il
pare your mind for the worst; that his ?
mother was dead, and not only dead, but u
hung, he dropped his pole, and squatted :,
down on the ground and began to cry; he u
said, Show can stand this? if my moth =,