Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-04-05
THE HoUsEN TRAGEDY,


Hs.as
The Testimony All in-Importans ~
idence-Nolan's and stokes Feet
Measurcd-The Court Orders tine
Discharge Of Housen and NoEan--
The Argument I'm the Case Begun.
The court composed of Justices Gas sety,
Galbraith and Paul, met $50 yesterday
morning. The crowd of lookers-on was
nearly as lsrg, as that of the day previ-
Gus. A
SISTER OF MRS. HoUsEN
asked permission of the court, through
Capt. Dodd, to sit by her sister, which was
granted. The four prisoners, Mr.. and Mrs.
Housen, Jerry Stokes and Dick Nolan,
were brought into the court room together,
and were given seats rear each other.
The court very wisely took time By the
forelock, and gave notice, Immediately up
on the opening of the doors, that no one
but those entitled to that privilege would
be admitted inside the railing. Officers
were stationed at the entrances to the en-
closed space, with instructio to keep out
those not entitled to admission, aud 10 re-
port TO the court all persons refusing to
| comply with those orders.
Mrs. Housen looked much more Animal
ed and cheerful than she did the day before,
and she had taken the preeatition to provide
herself with fan-a very useful article
under the circumstances.
The examination of witnesses on the
part of the State was resumed.
WILLIAM ROBERTSON RECALLED.
Direct denomination By Mr.. HdmiLton.-
think it was last Monday night week
ago that Mrs. Housen was killed; was not
at the scene of the murder; l arrested Jerry
| Efol1ao and nfal-
on Monday in the Jail after her arrest on
Saturday.
Mr.. Goodlet objected to the witness max
ing any statements in connection with the
Jail interview with Mrs. Housen, which
would implc tie the negro witness.
The court decided to allow the witness to
tell the story in his own way.
The witness -Myself and Fields con-
| clu1ed t. talk with Mrs. Housen and see if
we could find out anything about the muir
| der; we visited her in the block house;
| told her we were her friends and that we
did not wish to scare her. but that we
wanted TO know if she knew anyone con-
nected with this murder case; she said
"Lord of mercy, know nothing about
| it," we said We had understood those
niggers had told something on her; at first
i ShN GhAN ShO hbCH AO ulDS 6UOUb Hs LUSu
| she said, "If l was to tel all about IL:
would that clear meP" told her didn't
| know, aud asked who she thought was
guilty of this murder; she said she thought
Wilkes Barnes had done it; | said he must
have htd help; asked her why she sus-
picioned him; she said that he said some
We eks ago that old Mrs. Housen had stolen
Ratchet and bag from him, and that he
l 70 hill 1,ar. el1a -
ened to tell Will Cher husbaDd) if he
talked that way. She didn't tell VIII, be-
cause he (Wilkes) said he would kill her if
she told her husband; Wilkes asked her if
old Mrs. Housen didn't have some moLey,
and she said she didn't know; she told
Wilkes, finally, that she wouldn't tell her
husband; she finally said she had agreed to
let Wilkes have all the money there was on
Mrs. Housen's person; she said she would
swear 10 this statement before magistrate;
Fields went for magistrate, and the two
| Mr.. Briens and Mr.. Dodd came in and
asked me to go out that they might have
talk with Mrs. Housen; | was called in
and repeated the statement Mrs. Housen
had made to me, and she agreed, in their
presence, to every word l said, except in re-
latlon to the money; as her counsel went
/ 49,, oA-O eohCA II bnOJ OOu1u OACdI uCis bLCI
said they hoped so; she said, shave |
TALKED TOO MUCH?"
| they said, "Don't talk any more" Mr..
| Fields and the Squire came in, and she be-
| gan to make the same statement again, but
| differed as to what she had said about the
money, and then told the Squire that we
wouldn't take down any of her story, as
she denied a part of it; never heard any
thing against Mr.. or Mrs. Housen before
this; Jerry Stokes lives about two miles
from the scene Of t. murder.
Gross examined by Mr.. Brien-Have
liveds neighbor to Mr.. Housen; was friend
ly vita the family; was not much acquaint-
| ed with Mrs. HouseD; Mrs. Housen judge
| to be delicate woman; she has complain
ed to me of not being we'll since her con-
! fnement in the jail; she was confined in
the block house when saw her, and her
husband was in cell in the jail; did not
see Mr.. Housen the day 1 visited Mrs.
Housen; found Mrs. Housen locked up in
the block house in the Jail yard alone;
went with MIR. Fields; when we went in
the door was shut; it may have been
locked; don't know whether the jailor re-
fused to admit Mrs. Housea's counsel when
they came down; the jailor gave me per-
mission to visit Mrs. Housen; we went in
where Mrs. Housen was to information;
she knew WIS her friend; we told her we
came as friends; we told her it might make
it lighter, or it might make it worse, for her
to make statement; she said, when was
repeating her statement, when l came to
the part about Wilkes getting the money on
old Mrs. Housen, "My God, l didn't say
that; that's what you said that Wilkes says
told him." l believe the only point that
Mrs. Housen varied, or objected to in my &C
count of what she had stated to me, was
with reference to the money; she didn't
agree to that part of my statement at all;
don't recolect that she said at that time
that she "Was as innocent as an angel"
Wilkes told me that 'Life is sweet, and
would sacrifice wife or child to save myself"
Examined by Capt. DOdd.-When the
defendants counsel were in the block
house with me they said they wanted what
ever statement Mrs. Housen might make to
be free and voluntary.
Examined 6y Mr.. GoOdlet.-I arrested
Stokes and Nolan Saturday last; they were
living in the same yard, but in separate
cabins; arrested them between seven and
eight o'clock in the morning; Nolan was
staGding in front of Jerry's door; cabins
McIO ClOOC IOSObuCi3 OvOhOo U1o IA NhS
house and l called him out; L asked No
lan's name and he told me; then l asked for
Jerry Stokes; as Jerry walked out Mr.
Barnes told him to consider him
self under arrest; Dick Nolan said
he hadn't done anythin /; asked
Jerry if be knew Wilkes Barnes; said yes;
said he never got acquainted with him I'M
til Monday; he cane here in the evening to
see Dick Nolan, his cousin; that was the
evening of the murder; | was sick in bed;
Wilkes said he wanted to borrow money of
Nolan; Dick was not at home; then Wilkes
went back towards home; that was in the
direction of the way the murder was COM
mitted; Nolan and Stokes lived on Henry
Edmonson's farm, so was told; sometime
afterwards Stokes acknowledged he got
acquainted with Wilkes when the
corn was small last summer.
SQUIRE EVERETT SWORN.
Examined by Mr.. HdmiltOn-I held the
inquest over Mrs. Housen's body; we had
a measure taken of one of the tracks seen
in the vicinity of tie murder; L have the
measure, it is tie measure of the bare
footed tracks; they were made that night,
I think, and were close to where the body
was found; only measured the length of
the track.