, 1875-01-03
CRIMINAL RECORD.
Confession Of Hickman, the MnTSerer Of
the Cihanski Family at
South Bend.
A Family Of Five Persons Muir
dcred in Lee County,
Miss.
Minor Items.

| THE C1HANSKI MURDER-HICKMAN'S CONFES-
Jonathan Hickman convicted, at South Bend,
!! Ind, Of the murder Of Thomas Cihauski and his
! wife, and sentcnced to Sta.e's Prison for life,
has made the following
CONFESSION:
+. Being under sentence ior life, have coucud-
! Ell to male clean breast OF this murder in all
| it's details II Bennett had not told. would
! never have broken silence, hut would have gone
| to the ga1lows first I was not bad boy ia my
| until after I began TO nun with the
Dennetts. I was taking Benefits Part
| that led me- iuto tho singlng-schooi scrape mon-
/ toned in the trial. Bennett WAS the 1nstigator
Of the murder, and had tiled to gain my consent
| to help him do it three or four weeks before it
| was done. He also t,icd to get mo iuto other
! devllt.y. He wanted me to help him kill Eli
! Wade fer lls money; had been a: me gil summer
| for that purpose. We first agreed to tho murder
! Of the Cihanslds on TUESDAY night. the night be-
fore We DID it. stayed at Bonnctt's that night,
! when Nc had the conversation resulting in the
agreement. I would not hear to killing Wade,
nor the Folanecrs either, Tor long time. We
talked Tuesday night about two hours about
killing the Polanders. Deuuett eald he wasn't
positive, but believed they had money in the
house. I SAID TINT Lind OF money wouldn't do
us any good, to which Bennett replied that it
YVES as good ae any other, and that they wcro
''only damned po!aaders. anyhow" / mover
did think much OF PoiAuders. TIE plan pro-
posed by Bennett Was, that he should stay with
me all night at my house, that We should get up
when the rest were asleep, go and do the mur-
we had been gone. We uid so, golug to bed
with our pants on, aud getting up abou. 10
o'clock, when al1 were asleep-
We had not been asleep. The lamp in the
room was burning dilnly. On getting outside
We went doxn tha road toward Fepton's. Tho
distance to the Polauders' WAS abou. railes
We took off our boots when par; way theEe and
left them for fear OF making tracks. Tho light
at Feuton's WAS burning, but there was no light
ut the shanty OF tile Polancern. Their two dogs
barked at US loudly Us We came up. They wcre
in lie shed outside. We carried each club
about feet long. Both were cut On the way by
Bennett, and We each trimmed our own club
Tommys door was partly open. and the
window was also open. Did not hesitate much
at tho door. but both walked III. Bennett
walked up to the bed, and went to the ilo OF
the room- lilo old man and l,iB wife woro both |
awake We could hear them talking exctedly |
to themselves iu their language. Ne said not a |
word to them. but said to Bennett in Whisper,
We'd letter let this job out, for after getting
there did not want to do it. Denuett replied, !
VS. came here for this 1; don't let's make |
damned fools Of ourselves by going back with |
ont finishing the work" We could tell then |
from the sound " Tomm3's voice TINT he was |
raising up in bed, when bennett struck him two |
or three blown, not enough, however. to prevent !
tim from cettiner ont Of Led I,arnett thau |
stnrted ant IT dos1a CibsnsEi fo,1os;ne rhan
Tire old man n.naccd ~ vt 10 ths seL dnoq md
there Rennett WHO 4as wsitnc fcr linn o1,ts,de
rave him A blow that nronnht him dnrn anJ
second one os le Inv m t1,s oronnd int c,,a,,o
in l,;a Leaf1 and fnIshed hin, tto1 to,d 1;r,
wc'1i 1ett.r Ienvs .h;s or wa;d ~ csncht II" ra
,honrht thero wa mr. M, Jancer A. ,,,;s .t,oa ~
ieit and want to tt,a rord lcaa;n1 ~ Fo",ao.s
Int socn thon.ht be,ter or s.o,nt3 tnou;ng tIat
r waa aIre,dr e. for II II Va kho,,I5d -" datecad
So want I:cl ,4,J f5 ~, ,-ar a.. ~ .es'.
strnct har in tha stom,oh u;t ~. g., %. sa'' aua
=. r.. |