Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1874-06-06
RrTuERFop. NlaY -, -.
Capt. Ed. SMITH,

RUTHERFORD, May 18th, 1874.
Capt. Ed. SMITH,
| Sir-The committal trial Of 7. NJ. Collie
for the murder OF I. J. Caverhill took
place here yesterday, before the largest
| cOncourse Of eager and excited citizens
| that ever assembled in this town. l now
/ write to comply with my premise, TO give
| you the facts as taken from the evidence.
/ The murder was cOncocted by 7. NJ. Collie,
| a brother-in-law, and understood by Mrs.
| CaYerhill, the wife Of the murdered man
| The night that the murder was COM
/ mitted, Mrs. Gallagher, a woman living
/ here, claims 10 have been there 70 set up
| with a sick child, and she was afterwards
/ arrested as being accessory TO the crime
| and held in custody until the examination
before the jury Of inquest.
Mrs. CaYerhill testified before the jury
| Of inquest, claiming entire Ignorance as 70
/ the murder of her husband, stating that
| she had not seen any one in the room, but
| thought she heard some one run on at the
/ time she gave the alarm.
Mrs. Gallagher turned States evidence
and gave clue to the perpetrators, testify
| ing that Dir. Collie had offered time and
again 70 pay her husband four hundred
| dollars to commit the deed, and had also
tried TO get James Bragg, her brother, 10
do the sames-by promising to pay him two
hundred dollars when the murder was
done, and the balance IN sixty days, when
he got the money from the insurance COM
pany, as Mr.. Cayerhiu had his life insured
for two thousand dollars. Her evidence
was corroboIated by the testimony OF her
husband and brother both, testifying as TO
having been offered the bride BY Collie.
She further testified that during the night
after she and Mrs. CaYerhill had retired in
an adjoining room, that Mr.. Collie came TO
the window and talked with Mrs. Cayer-
hill for some time, and that afterwards she |
was awakened by Mrs. CayeThill calling her, |
and she asked what she wanted, and Mrs. |
CaYerhil replied, come In and see. On !
entering the room she found Mr.. Collie and /
Mrs. Caverhill there, ana Mr.. Caverhill ly- |
ing on the bed murdered. Mr.. Collie asked |
her TO take of Mr.. CaYerhilPs watch, and |
she replied that she could not; then he said |
he could, and did 50, and took out his |
pocket book from his pocket and counted |
the money in the presence Of Mrs. CaYer- |
hill, and Mrs. CaYerhiil asked how much |
money there was. He, Collie, said to Mrs. /
Gallagher the reason they wanted her pres !
ent, was to keep Jennie, Mrs. Cayerhill, /
from being suspicioned, SO that she could |
get the insurance money-and be, Collie |
said II anything should occur and she, |
Mrs. Gallagher) would not tell who had |
done crime, that he-Collie, would pay her /
four hundred dollars, and gave her nifty
five dollars at that time to keep silent; |
that they staid In the room about an hour, |
and Mr.. Collie left. They waited for him
10 get TO his room before Mrs. Gaverhill /
gave the alarm. After Mrs. Gallagher gave |
her testimony, Mr.. Collie and Mrs. Cayer-
hill were arrested as parties guilty OF the
murder.
Mrs. Caverhin having been arrested, she
too turned states evidence 10 save herself
from suffering the penalty Of such a crime;
and testified quite different from her first
testimony-stating that she had been in
huenced by Mr.. Collie and Mrs. Gallagher
to do so Collie telling her to die before
she would tell. She also said that she had
testified false before, but was sorry for it
and would now tell the truth. Then stated
that during the night after they had retir-
the window talking to Mr.. Collie, and ask
cd what in the heaven they meant and
what were they doing. 70 which Mrs.
replied that IL she did not keep
quiet, that she would put her out of the
way. After which Mrs. Gallagher went
into the room where Mr.. Crverhill was ly-
ing, and opened the door for Collie, and
she hearing them in there, got up and went
into the room to see what they were doing.
On entering the room she found Mrs. Gal
lagher standing near the bed by the crib,
and Mr.. Collie near the door, at the foot of
the bed; and that she went in front OF him
to keep him back from killing her husband,
and at that instant heard blow struck,
but did not know who struck It, but sup
posed IL to be Mrs. Gallagher, and then
Mr.. Collie rushed by her and struck the
second blow, and she heard one OF them
say turn him over, but could not tell which
It was. They then smOthered him in her
presence with the pillow and quilt; and
Mr.. Collie took of his watch and pocket
book from his pocket before her; and that
She became so excited that she did not
know what she did do, and that it was
then about twenty minutes before she gave
the alarm.
Doctors O'Daniel and Montgomery testi.
fed that it was not exceeding two minutes
after the alarm was given before they
rpagnnn /
nounced that the man had been murdered
over an hour, as he was cold.
Mr.. BOyett and Mathis testified that Mrs
CaVerhill told them when she was arrested
where Mr.. Collie said he had hid the pOck-
ct book of her husband, and on seaching
they could not find 1t from what she had
told them. They then went 10 Mr.. Collie
and told him that he knew where the
pocket book was, and at first denied it;
then they told him what Mrs. CaYerhlll
had told them He then said If they could
not ind it from what she had told, that he
would go and show them where it was. He
went near enough to show them a log, and
told them they would find it stuck under
the log with stick over it, saying that he
had not been there since the night they
had, here his voice faltered. On exam
ing they found the pocket book as describ-
ed By him. MIR. Boyett also testified that
Mrs. Caverhill had told him Csllie had
told her that he had got blood on his own
shirt, and that he had torn it 70 pieces and
put parts of it in two barrels oof molasses,
and the other part in the back room OF his
store with some old rubbish, which Mr..
BOyett and others found in the barrels and
as described by Mrs. CaverhIll.
Aessrs. S. Wilson and G. G. Thomas testi-
led as TO the facts Of finding the shirt as
described, they being with the parties find
ing it. The pocket book and shirt were
presented, and Mrs. Cayerhill testified to
is being her husbands pocket book. Mr..
BOyett and Mathis testified that it was the
book found by them, as shown them by