The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1873-04-17
voUDooIsM IN ALABAMA.
Murder and Superstition--Ca
rying q Murdered Mans hand

Murder and Superstitfon-Car
rying q Murdered NIan's hand
for PIOtection. s.f..f
q la Decem bcr last colored man,
named VIM. Harris, living in Mobile,
learned that Riley Williams, a negro
living at Fowl River was privately
accused of having murdered negro
man named HenIy johnson i'll Aug.
ust last, near st. Elmo Station, on the
New Orleans Railroad whereupon
Harris swore out a warrant before
Justice Flannag III on the 18th OfJ)e-
cember, borrowed pair of handouts,
and struck out for the woods i'll search
OF his man. Ii was an adventurous
undertaking, but his shrewdness. and
cunning enabled him TO hunt down
his quarry and make the arrest; and
he got back within two days, with
| full evidence to warrant commit
ment to Jail ON hearing before JUS
tice Flannagan. rr.l rf.t.,..
The evidence given in court yester-
day is peculiarly interesting, as show
ing cunning on one side aud the bru-
tai superstition with " hich many OF
our colorod voters ale still imbue l.;
the '.best Government" taking more
pains 10 cultivate their mortal votes
than to save their immortal souls. &
Harris's statement. is that he went
to Fowl River and made the acquain-
tance OF the accused; represented him.
self as an escaped murderer looking
tor q safe place in which TO secrete
himself. By this and other plausible
statements he completely won the
confidence OF Williams, who told him
that it was splenlld place {; no ono
could find him there with the closest
search; and lie further related, i'll con-
fidence that he, too, had murdered ~
man, and then put him on the rail-0
road track SO that the cars might run
over the body that his ruse h q sue
ceeeded, and people thought that his
victim had been killed by the cars.
He further impaired the curious eoii-i
tidence that he went to the grave eve
ry morning from habit. As this con-
iession correspouded closely with the
facts already known to him. Harms
arrested his man and brought him 10
town. 500 ll8a.5 ,Hel eff. q4f I'M fatr "a
Evidence has shown that Williams,
the murderer, was the first 10 re-
port the dead body on the track the
next morning after the murder, and
he also attended the inquest held up-,
Il
dence that he was a disciple OF You
doc that he had cut of the hand of
the murdered man, and preserved it
in quicksilver and chlorotorm, aud
carried it III his pocket, firmly beiiey-
ing that tue talisman would protect
him from any danger of detection.
He confidently asserted to Harris
in the blindness of his hideOus faith
that with this hand in his pocket
he could enter any room where u man
was sleeping and take everything
therefrom without the victims wax
ing: also, that, ii he killed man and
cut off his finger and dipped it in the
blood; no one could ever find out who
did it. That the bcnighted creature
firmly believed this was evinced
by his living and working in the inl-
immediate vicinity OF the scene OF the
murder for nearly five months, until
arrested.
|" Riley Brown, colorcd, testified that
he and the murdered man were part
uers, walking on the railroad; that
they were walking up the track, and
he stopped to tie his shoe when he
heard a groan; looking around he
saw his partner lying senseless on the Il
ground, and the accused standing
over him searching his pockets: gun
was lying on the ground, with which.
he supposed his partner had been .
knocked down; he walked up when
Williams stopped him, demanded his
money, which he gave up (about $3)
and then ran away; he had not seen
his partner since; was afraid that the
gang III that section would kill him
if he exposed the murderer, so he
kept quiet about it until he reached
Mobile, some four months after. He
positively identified the prisoner, and
described his partner accurately, and
the description was corroborated by I;
the evidence of every witness. both
for State and defense, as being an ac-h
curate one of the dead body sound on
the track the morning after tile alicg7n
ed occurrence. iii2aL iadJyl fiG1 ngl
The jury retired, and after a SHORTY
consultation returned "a verdictIaof
murder in The first degree, which car- :,
ries with il the sentcnce of lmprlson-
ment for llie. The hideons darkness
of the belief under which this savage I.
act was committed is truly remarka-
BILE in this day and generation.-
bile Register. H.. ,,i5 f..-.,,',., -. 7,