Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-05-17
Some Damaging Testimony Against
the Daughter-in.Law.

made 4, conecss;on - the Jail Immediately
after his arrest. and TIN. he was taken as
States evidence against N. s. Housen' Jer'
kept in Jail ever since his arrest. he com
menced his testimony yesterday by -. 'iug
''Dick Nolen and Jerry Stokes killed M.
Housen," and was subjected to q severe
cruSs-examination. As, however, the
points in his testimony are embodied in
the confession he made year ago, we pub
lish the confession instead of lis testimo-
ny. with the explanation that said confess
sion vas ruled out by Judge Frazier Fri
day.
After having been cautioned - follows
by Attorney General Caldwell, he proceed
ed TO make his statement:
''It is MY duty to caution you that it is
your privilege TO flake asstaiement, or not,
as you please. You must under5tsDd that
if you make confession it can be used
against you and not for you. You must
understand if you make confession it is
your duty 10 STEAK the truth, whether
against yourself, or Others, and do not accuse
any one falsely. If you have freely ard
voluntarily male up your mind TO confess,
dismiss from ycur mind all hope, or fear
that the promises and inducements held
out TO you by others, if any have been Of
fered, and tell all you know and all you
did and what was said and done by others
if you know such, with reference to the
murder of Mrs. Housen. Tell the truth,
be the consequences what they may"
BARNES STATEMENT.
They seem to want to put it all on me;
Mr.. VIM. Housen appears - want to put il
all on me; didn't think l ought to be
punished for it all; Mrs. Jerryline Housen,
wife of Vim. Housen, is the cause of old
Mrs. Susan HOusen being killed; Mrs. Jer-
along well together, and she wanted the
old lady out of the way, and she, said so
did her husband, VIM. Housen. She said
the old lady had four or five hundred dol
lars, and if would put the old lady out of
the way, she would give it to me; told her
l didn't want to have anything to do with
it; that l didn't have any money,
was poor, and it would be found
out on me. In the first place,
| will state that Vim. Housen wanted last
fall to build me house and the old lady
disagreed to il; and then he proposed to 90
away and the old lady and VIM. Housen
told me l could 90 and live in the house
with the old lady. VIM. Housen then
went of, he said, to Rutherford county and
rented place for $50. Then he came back
and said he would 90 to the coal IIines; to
leave there HouSen had 10 sell out every.
thing he had, his part of the corn, chick
ems. etc. TINS made him mighty mad.
He sold COW to Mr.. Nolen, which the old
lady claimed, and which his wife claimed
too; and they had several fuses about
il. HOusen was TO come back from
the coal mines for his wife. After
he had been gone week, he came back
and they agreed to live with the old lady
this year again. The old lady had bought
the chickens, etc, from Bill Housen's wife,
Mrs. GeTTyline Housen. Bills wife told
me, the old lady, Mrs. Susan Housen, was
the cause of her husband having big fuss
with her last Sunday, the day before the
Monday night of the murder. Mrs. Gerry
line Housen, Vim. Housen'S wife, told me
That she wanted me to put the old lady out
of the way. L told her l didn't want to
have anything to do with it. She said l
needn't be afraid, l could get some one to
do it, and asked me about the black folks.
who lived about Mr.. Henry
Jerry Stokes and
Dick Nolen Qhe last of whom is my
coulsin) lived over there. l went and told
them sometime ago, what Mrs. Jerryline
had told me-that she would give
them all the money the old lady had; that
ker husband, VIM. Housen, would give
me half he made on the place, build me a
house, ard at his death, if he died without
would give me the property if
hey would kill the old woman. l went to
see them Monday about an hour and halfby
sun, and told them everything was ready and
agreed to meet in Bob Hills lane, and they
would go aud hang the old lady. That
evening. before we went, l and he dug
some fish bait for VIM. Housen. / told him
couldn't go fishing with him, as had
10 hooks, and be said it was all right,
must come down next morning and help
hin clean the fish. His wife told me that
evening that her husband, Bill Housen,
wanted that thing done that night. L
bought Housen knew all about it from the
way he talked and did when he was dig
ling the bait. She told me when brought
he men, to tell them which side of the
Dom the old lady's bed was, so that they
would make no mistake and get her (young
Hrs. Housen,l and that they mustn't kill
Ter in the house. When / brought them,
he (Mrs. Gerryline Housen) was either to |
cave the door open, or they would rather |
he'd open it, so that they could get |
a. | went over and got them Jerry |
,tokes and Dick Nolen) and brought them |
ver to Mrs. HOusen's. We met in Bob |
ILLS lane. / told them | did not want |
o have anything to do with hanging the |
Id lady. They said they would do the |
ianging. l went with them up to about |
en- steps of the back door; they went |
n the porch and turned and ran off to |
lama HaIner's and went to bed. l didn't |
ear the woman scream, nor hear anyone |
all me. Rama Hamer didn't know where |
had been, nor anything about it. | |
admit told him anything about the muir
er. Mrs. GerTyline HOusen had told ME to |
tay somewhere else than home when |
he thing was done, so that | could prove |
/. told Rama, when l got to his house, |
f he heard anything, to tell and always |
wear that was at his house all the night |
Irs. Gerry Housen said that would clear |
ne. She also told me, if any suspicion was
yer raised on me, she would say she didn't |
hink | was in it. She also said that after |
hey took the old lady away from the house |
nd had done what they wanted to, she |
you'd run over to AIR. Barnes and give the |
larm, after they had time to escape.
/ thought Mr. VIM. Housen knew all |
bout what his wife had arranged to be |
one that night, when he went fishing, and |
ave heard him say often that he wished !
lis mother was dead. His wife had told |
ne before that, they wanted it done while |
e was a fishing. His wife told me he |
ianted it done that night when lie was |
one fishing, and thought, and still think, |
was understood between them. | |
rent to Stokes and Nolen about an |
our and half by sun, and We NIT |
n Hills lane about dark. L told them as /
re went along what Mrs. VIM. HOusen
ad offered to give them and what they |
-ere to do for me. Stokes had the rope. |
saw it when he pulled it out in the bot
ON west of the house, where he pulled off |
is shoes and set them by beech tree q /
hink it was a beech tree). This was
bout % or so yards from the hogpole,
7here the old lady's body is said to have
cen found. My cousin, Dies Nolen, told
ne that Stokes had been robber. Nolen
ad on his shoes. l think they were old
mes. Stokes shoes were new, or nearly new.
told Bob Page one day after Christmas,
hat / had a good thing on hand, and he
aid he wouldn't go into the deyilment. l
aid no more TO aim. The reason that
lid this was that saw old lady Housen,
cr son William, and his wife, Geryline,
- II. III Il