Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-08-18
ANANIAS HONEYCUTT.
he Makes n About the MUIR
der of Thos. Ausmus.

/ "
| which Is denial rather than "A con-
| fession. His words are as follows:
In view of the death l am about tC
die, justice demands that | give briei
history Of my life from my birth to the
present day, and my connection with
| the crime for which I am convicted.
| was born in Union county, Ten
nessee, in the year 1885, and before my
recollection, was taken by my parents
/ to the State OF Indiana, and lived
| there until | was about five years old.
| But being dissatisfied with the country
| they returned to Union county, Ten
| nessee, aud remained there until the
| first part of the year 1862. My father,
| Avis Honeycutt, enlisted a soldier in
| the u. ;. Army, and | never saw him
since. When my father went away to
! join the army, / was then about ten
| years old. I was the oldest child and
the only hoy, except "a little infant
brother, then about two years old. |
had four sisters younger than myself.
was then left in charge of family,
aud it was expected that my mother
and myself should support them until
my father returned home out of the
army. But, to my sorrow, | was in
! formed 10y the soldiers of his company,
that he died in the latter part of the
year 1862, at Cumberland, Kentucky,
and his body now fills a soldiers grave.
l was then left, rs | thought, alone.
| had no father to advise me or look
over me. But ! remained with my
mother in Union county, until about
The year 1868, when we moved % Clai-
borne county, where / lived and work
Ell for my mother, and assisted her in
raising her children until | married.
| was raised a poor boy and had TO
work, though l was raised honest,
But like other boys l have been guilty
of disobedience To my parents, have
often fished and hunted upon the Sab
bath, and to avoid punishment have
told falsehoods, and have been twice
in my life intoxicated by liquor. These
crimes may look small ana have even
been called little offenses, but l warn
my young friends to avoid committing
them they are violation of the laws
of God, and the greatest felon known
in America, in giving the history of
his life, said he began his course by
Sabbath breaking, telling falsehoods
and swearing, and from that he was
led on to commit the highest crime
known to the law. But in this way |
lived with my mother until August,
1872, when | married a daughter of
Henry w. Mayors. l now leave her
a widow with ONE child, about nine
teen months old. | love my wife and
little child, and l forgive my father
in-law for the past. But if had new
er seen him or his sons, l would not
have been here in the condition 1 am
now in. Mayors was always abusing
me, and that for no cause. But, to
except my father-in-law, l never had
fuss, and never was accused or charg-
ed with crime, until the death of Thos.
Asmus. This shameful and brutal
murder is alleged to have been done
on the - day of -, 49,, and on the
- day of January, 1874, was arrested
and charged, and have since been con-
victed of the murder of Asmus, and
for which must soon be executed.
/ am innocent of the murder. l
never did it, or knew anything about
it until after it was done. But my ig-
norance of the law and the false swear
ing of witnesses together with Ehe
money and influence of the Asmus
family, have heaped upon me the
highest crime known To the law. At
the time the murder is said to have
been committed, | was living near
Asmus, and upon the lands of his,
father-in-law, Henry w. Mayors,
with whom / could not get along, and
seeing that Mayors was always abus-
ing me, went to Ausmus on the day
previous to the murder and was try
ing to negotiate for piece of land ly-
ing in the wagon hollow, where he
"a -, Irsl
went back to the house of Ausmus on
the morning of the day he was killed.
He and | started off alone to the wag-
on hollow; we finished our negOtia-
ton and marked off the line, but had
no paper and ink to draw the neces-
sary writings between us. Ausmus
then said we could get paper at Henry
Hunters, a distance of about half a
mile. l told Ausmus l would not go
to Hunters, but / would 90 to moth
er's, distance of about one and half
miles, and get paper and ink, and
meet him at the mouth of the hollow.
Ausmus agreed, and | started off
across the ridge in the direction of my
mothers. Ausmus started down the
hollow towards the point at which
we were TO meet. Ausmus said as he
started down the hollow that he would
look down about the forks of the hol-
low for some hogs or sheep, l do not
remember which he said. After that
1 never saw him any more. When /
got to the point at which we were to
meet, Ausmus was not there, and af-
ter waiting short time / started up
the hollow in the direction of the place
/ left him; | soon met Wesley May
ers, my brother-in-law, (who was ar
rested before l was and was released
without Il trial, he told me he had
just killed Ausmus a short distance up
the hollow, pointing to some trees on
the side Of the ridge, saying they were
about opposite where the murder was
done and where his body then lay.
Mayors then made me promise /
would not tell it, This was the first
/ knew Of his death, and what Mayors
then told me, is all l know about it
in any way. Mayors pointed short
distance upon the side of the ridge and
said Auslnus's papers were hid there,
and said if desired to see them, they
could be found there. disputed with
Mayors and told him it was not so, and
he again pointed to the place where
he said his papers were concealed,
and pledged his word that he had
o,y,nY,fttaI tho grin and gtaprfan ma