Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-05-15
THE HousES HORROR.
A Woman ON Trial for the Alleged
Murder OF Her MOther-iR.LaE.
Opening Of the TESTIMONY for the
State-.Important Witnesses
Examined.

/
Opening of the TESTIMONY for the
state-.ImpOrtant Witnesses
Examined.
The case of Mrs. William Hossen,
charged with the murder Of her m0ther-in-
law, Mrs. Susan Housen, on the night of
March "a. 1878, was taken up in the Crimi-
nal Court yesterday. A large crowd Of
spectators were in attendance, and great in
terest Wis manifested in The progress of The
trial.
Mrs. Housen was dressed neatly and ap-
peared to be IN better health aud Splits
than when UNION AND AMERICAN re-
porter last saw her, some few days ago.
She is prosecuted by Attorney General
Caldwell and ]. B. Jeup, ard = defended
by VIM. G. Bgien, Capt. DOdd and ClS5
Roberts. The jury was empaneled, the in
dictment read, and Thos. w. Barnes was
called as the first witness for the State. He
testified as follows:
TESTIMONY OF THos. W. BARNES.
Knew Mrs. Susan HOasen; she lived in
the Eighth Civil District Of Davidson
county. She was Killed on the path Of
March, 1873; saw her the Sunday night
| before she was killed; she was at my
mothers and was in her usual health. She
was about IS or 50 years Of age and weigh
ed about lis pounds. She lived on the
west side of the Nolensville pike, in log
house, about Ito yards from the pike. Tbs
/ mae .raA al
room, with two beds in il; the old lady,
her son and his wife (the defendant) lived
there together; the defendant had no chill
dren; on the night of the 9th of March,
ls73, about or 0 O'Clock, the defendant
ca.Iie 10 OR house very much
excited and said there was some
one at her house. l live on the opposite
side of the pike from Housen's, some three
| Or four CT five hundred yards of; Patterson
lives little south of the Houssns, about
| the same distance; as soon as could arm
! myself. started over there aud met Bob
Patterson who went with me; when we got
LIRE We found tic bess thrown Or pulled
off on the tioor; there was 10 blood there;
we called loudly for Ms. Housen, bllt, get
fne no answer, we stariel off u look Tor
her, and soon found a woman's shin ON
the side Of the path; we went on further
and tJlfnf her hanging ON the pole they had
used in killing b6gs, Patterson started TO
cut her down, but finditig that she was
already dead, we thought 1t best
to wait until we could alarm the neighbOr-
hood, which we did: when we returned she
was lyins on the ground under the hOg-pOle;
Patterson said he bad slisltiy cut the rope;
we then threw quilt over hsf 10 wait for
the Csraler; went back home, where Tic
defendant was, and tod Yer TlE1 had hap
pened; she, Housen, appeared much &
cited, and exclaimed % On, LOrdi My GOd,h
stcs when returning f IN nay house | met
Vim. Eo;:ser', si.A I've asked me what was
the matter: told hiII, tf'Fs his mother had
been hung; be had fishing pole TT his
hand, which he dropped and COM
meneed crying; We found bare
foot track fiear tie hog pOle-that
night, which We guarded until the Coroner
came next morning; the traSk vas large
one, uade by the right foot, and The big
toe az tie erd abreared 70 be too short aud
did not fill out like CtheF ties # was
pointed in the direction Of the house !
there were also two other tracks leading |
from the pole, one barefoot and the other |
shod the two barefoot tracks appeared to |
haze hesil made by the SAME foot, and |
were e0;f,s il Ire afrscfiOn OF the knob |
ives. of HOusen's house thsrs fsszi Sseen |
so much walking between the house and |
the pole that We did not examine there |
for tracks; We could see a sign along |
the path that looked like the toes Of some |
one who had been dragged along there; |
Mrs. Housen was barefOOted when VIC |
found hef; she had On a nigft-gown, and |
her niSht-cap was lying u1idtf hsrl the |
breast Of her dress appeared TO have been |
opened and showed back, as though some /
one had been searching her bosom; We did /
not examine her body below the waist; Bob
Paterson has moved to Kentucky TO live; /
the rope nOH shown to me Is the one We 4
ft'u-1d on hrs. HOusen; IL was wrapped /
around her neck, and tied once, and there /
were four more wraps around the necS ind |
again tied; there were a few splOtches or
bruises on her face; they were not very /
deep, and appeared 10 have been made with /
the hand; Che ground around the house was
too hard to show any tracks; re measured
the barefoot track, and saw il applied 10 !
Stokes foot, AZ the magistrates
trial; they reSembled his foot very
much. His foot was measured on a piece
of white paper at tue magistrates trial.
and il resembled the track very much; the
Dl9 TOE OF CNukcS II vet AlllCll llAc TIC tilC
that made tie track; when the Coroner
came the next morning after the hanging
we examined the marks along the path;
when We GOT to the house that night the
door of the room was about half open; az
the time the defendant came to our house
she was in her night clothing; we heard
her screaming some sixty or seventy yards
of before she got to the house; | assisted in
arrestins NOlen and Stokes; they lived
some two miles and quarter from the
HOusenS', neary EdmonsOn's, very near to-
gether; Bob Patterson and Robertson
walked from the HOuSeus' TO EdmOnSOn's
in thirty-six minutes.
s-Examined-I live east Of the
Housen's, and Patterson lives south; de
PENDANT is well acquainted with my family;
when she came there she was in her night
clothes; we had all gone to bed; it was be-
tween 81 and o'clock; Mrs. HOusen was
very good old lady, and was highly re-
spected by the neighbOFs; she was a very
lean old lady; she and Bill HOusen and
Jerryline were all at my house the night
before the killing; l have known the de
PENDANT for several years; her reputation
was good up TO the time of the death Of
Mrs. Housen; Housen and his wife belonged
to the Baptist and the old lady to the
Methodist Church; | saw the defendant
after she returned from the magistrates
trial; che returned home with her husband,
and remained there few days, and then ne
sent her to her mothers; HOuSen hasrented
out the place
Redirect ExaminatiOn-I have seen the ;
old lady and defendant when they did not
speak; heard defendant at one time say
she needed a pair of new shoes, and that
her husband would not get them; she &C .
cused him of being unkind TO her, and said
the old lady was the cause of it; after the
trial, Housen and his wife lived
at the old place for few days, when de-
fendat went to her mothers and he went to
Harperis, his uncle by marriage.
Re-CrUSs Examination-The defendant
did not attempt TO escape or get away after
she was acquitted; when she was rear
rested she was at her fathers.
FLETCHER FIELDS TESTIMONY.
This witness testified as follows:
l lived half mile or three quarters from
Mrs. Housen; l went down there about day
ight the next morning; on my way there
met some men on the hill side looking
for tracks; Coroner Everett and others were