Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-08-18

/ Henry Meyers had anything to do with the
murder told him if he did l did not
know anything about it. Ausmus then
said if ! did not impicate Henry Meyers
with the murder of his father, he would
! gil me with pine splinters and set me on
| fire. / then told them that Henry Meyers
was connected with the murder. They at
at that time had Mayors in Jail for the muir
/ der of Ausmus, but l did not know it,
| They robbed me OF six dollars and sixty
| five cents, which was all | had, and they
claimed that it was Ausmus' money. |
can not tell whether Ausmus lost any
money or not; but | know the money they
taken from me was not his, and think
| they ought to give il back to my wife and
| little child. 1 was then carried to Taze-
well, securely bound and chained by the
! leg, where | have been ever since, except
when l was taken TO Knoxville to attend
my trial in the Supreme Court. Since /
! have been lodged in the Jail of this county,
have often been visited by the relations
and friends of the Ausmus family, trying
! to eXtort a confession from me. /, on one
occasion, told them they had threatened
and scared me to make false statements,
and that they could now go away, for was
out of their hands.
| The proceedings of the Circuit Court of
| Claiborne county, and tire evidence heard
against me, | desire to append to this state
ment | have now given full and true
statement of my connection with the muir
der, but being, as ! then believed, in the
custody of an Infatuated mob, l made these
false Statements thinking, ut the time, it
was the only way to save my life. When
| WAS put upon my trial. before Judge Ran
dolph, in Claiborne county, under the rul-
| ing of his Honor these eXtorted and false
confessions were held as admissible evil
dence against me, and allowed to 60 to the
jury. So the only defense | could make in
the face of them was that of self deiense.
desire to now speak of some of the wit
nesses who testified against me, and who
swore lie, knowing at the same time that
l knew it. Jasen Russell, brothorin-law
of the deceased Ausmus, whose evidence l
append to this statement, swore n positive
lie against me- and he knows it. There are
other parties now living who were with me
all the time was about William Ausmus's,
when | was carried back from Rhea coun-
ty, and they must know, and do know, af
ter looking at the evidence of Russell, that
he swore positive lie in regard to the state
ment he swore / made to him in the leather
house. He begins by telling that |
said | would tell a friend about it, and then
said told him under this plea Of friendship
that Ausmus was walking before, and |
said l killed him with "a rock. Russell
knows, and the parties who were there will
bear witness with me, that the whole of his
evidence is a lie. They know. and Russell
knows, that he never spoke kindly to me
that day, and that l could not have taken
him for friend. Russell knows, and the
parties who were there know, that Russell
was one of the party who said | should be
burned, and that ne attempted to take my
shirt of, and was prevented alone by G. ii.
Rogers, who drew pistol and told Russell
he should not abuse me. After this you
know, and all who read this know, that /
could not have taken him for friend.
But l forgive him all that be said or done,
and sincerely hope that his thirst for the
| blood of his feluw-man may never prompt
him to do so again.
Benjamin Cheatham, another witness for
the State, knows that II part of his evidence
is false. he swOre upon the trial that he
was particularly well acquainted with me,
sufficiently so that he knew had "A Grips
pied foot, and could swear to my track
made in the mud, and did upon his oath
! say TINT be tracked me and Ausmus down
the boil, " to the place where Ausmus was
kill d, md then tracked me back mp the
| ridge--thHt he could not be mistaken about
the track-that | had crippled foot and
made a shorter track than the other foot
] Ben. Cheatham knows that the whole of
/ this narrative is false He knows he never
| saw me. excepting FIVE or six times, in his
]
! conversation with him in my life, and as to
/ my foot, enCheatham knows nothing apout
it. But parties who do know, know thst the
| only intrmity about my foot is, one of my
toes on one foot turns a little higher than
the others. But | always wear the same
numbered shoe on that foot that l do on
the other, and the morning / went into the
wagon hollow with AusRus had on a new
pair Of shoes which were not broke to my
/ Tpr hot "a
number.
Cheathsm further swore that he saw my
track at the very spot where Ausmus was
killed, and that he saw the same track at q
certain place set out in his evidence, COM
ing out of the hollow. There were other
parties there at the same time Cheatham
was there and none of them could see the
trick. Ben. Cheatham swore he saw it. He
knows nothing about my track. He further
knows that if he can tell my track that he
never saw it about the place where Ausmui
was killed. He also knows that he nevel
saw my track on the ridge at the place ne
swore he did The parties who were there
! in the hollow at the time Ben. Cheathau
was there, know that he never pointed GU
my track, and told them it was mine, anC
> showed them the difference in the length
; What caused Cheatham TO swear rs he dix
leave as question for HIM and his God Il
settle. Whether he was hired or done
j.. voluntarily / am unable to say. He Ger
tainly could have no i'll feeling toward me
for | never done him any harm, and neve
a had a conversation with him in my life
: j. j. Sharp, witness against me, ties
l tilted TO a conversation he had with m
9 while | was in his custody coming on t
q the jail, in which he said told him we OK
" pected to get right smart Of money whe
= we killed Ausmus. This conversation
l have no recollection of in any way / wa
'' guarded to Jail by Sharp and some three o
e four Of the Ausmus family and Jesse {
y Rogers. If | said il they heard it, bu
q none Of tn m testified to such conversation
/ If said it, and he was called upon an
r sworn to tell the whole truth, / am prou
o he tCl1 il, for he done his duty. But wheth
u er ] said It or not, / forgive him, and if
r did not it is the worse for himself, an
s may God forgive him. | have nothin
e further TO say about the witnesses except
y think VIM. ii. Canrod knew and talked
l burning me for the purpose of extortin
:. confessions from me at the blacksmit
re shop Of William Ausmus, and
y think he ought to have told il when he Wa
q asked, upon the trial He also knew the
/ promised me my release if / would go
Is near the place as l could, which had bee
Is pointed out to me- where Ausmus paper
we're hid. John Graham heard Il, an
W knows IL 10 he so and | could NOT r,af hi