Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-12-12
Williams Denies Being the Murderer Of
Fields, and Adduees Evidence of His
Peaceful and LaW-Abiding
Character.
Scott Tells How and Why he Killed Ran
som Phipps Last Christmas Eve
Murdered him for Nine
ty Cents.
ALI Hopes for ReprieVe or Commute
ton Of Sentence Given Up-The
Prisoners Must Swing ON
the "Eve Of Hopeful
Promise"

3 the former at Bartlett, in this county
and the latter ia this city. Whsteve
may have been the aggravating charac
teTs OF the murders, nothing can be sale
in palliatiOn Of thesupreme courts taste
10 selecting Christmas Eve as q day fer s
} spectacle at once shocking and democrat
, iziDg to public feeling. Governor
Porter, who not long since commuteC
J the death sentence OF negro convicted
of rape in Bedford county, has, we
learn, refused TO change the day OF eXecu-
ton. Comment is unnecessary from US;
the public have already haTshly crit.
cisad the supreme court, AID G 3vernol
Porter will also receive his share. YES
terday an APPEAL reporter visited the
SHELBY CCUNIY JAIL,
for the puTpss5 of interviewing TIE con.
demned men and publishing whatever
they might wish TO state in relation
TO the murders for which they are to
''suffer the extreme penalty of the law. +"
Our reporter was afforded every facility
desired, by the efficient jsile;, Captain
Jackson, and his faithful deputy, Mr..
Dawson. Upon reaching the jail, he
| found Captain Jackson engaged in the
| construction OF
| THE GALLONS
! from which the two human wretches are
to be swung into eternity. Stout timber
is used for the gallOws, which will be
ready in few days. The galloWs on
which Frank Scott is to be hanged, will
consist of two upright posts, each
| twenty feet, with crOss-beRm of the
same length; the platform will be
twelve 1eet square and twelve feet high,
| reached by fifteen steps. This will sf-
] ford q UiaU Of tho aVaaufinr, n oil oyoo
tatoIs who, outside Of the jsil-yard, Sc.
| cure place as high as the pTis On walls.
The gallows to be used for William WI
liams, at Bartlett, will be of the follow
ing Dimensions: Two upright pos g, each
fourteen feet; crOss.beam, fourteen feet;
platform, eight feet high and eight feet
square, reached by twelve SIC 8. .TAe
trsp.dOors will be three by five feet,
but the drop has not yet been deter
mined upon. After ascertsiniDg that the
Jail contains now siXty-seven inmates,
OF which twenty-five are white men,
forty-one negro men, and four negro
women, our reporter was shown to the
CELLS OF THE TWO WRETCHEs
who are to die. In the cell OF each
was seen chair, rude table, piece of
bread, tsllow candle, q hymn-book
and bible. These, with the irOn-bed
and its quota of blankets, completed the
furniture of the cells. Williams ard
Scott were not in cheerful mood, yet
each possesses degree of compOeure
and Resignation hardly expected OF men
who count with certainty the remaining
days Of life. Being introduced to the |
condemned men, our reporter told them !
that he had called to get their statement. |
if they felt disposed to have such pub |
lished, as their last recorded declaration. |
Both men expressed q willingness to be |
interviewed, and our reporter first en-
tered the cell of Williams, who is good |
looking mulattO, about five feet and |
half high, weighs one hundred and fifty |
pounds, and is forty years OF sge.
WILLIAMS
has good Iuntenance, frank and can
did, and il he is the man which his |
crime would make him, nature has failed |
TO place the stamp of guilt upon his brow. |
He was born and raised In Alabama,
but was owned by Abner Donsway who
resided in Yallabusha county, MISSISSIPPI
pi. When liberated from slavery he
went to Virginia, where he resided a
number Of years, and in 1869 settled in
Shelby county near Shelby Depot, and
engaged in farming. 1t is said that
HIS VICTIM
was murdered while returning home:
that Williams met him in wagon near
his home; knocked him in the head
with club, and after infctidg a NUN.
Der of slabs, obtained the service Of
Samson Pryor, colOred, bound the dead
mans hands aud feet together; ran
rail through the cords, and started for
Hstchie river in which to hide the body.
Losing their way they concealed the
body in the woods where it was found a
few dsys afterward. This is the story as
established by the trial, which also
ELECTED the presumption tina Williams
had murdered the negro Fields in order
to secure his wife for mistress.
WILLIAMS STATEMENT
Of the murder IS made to our reporter
yesterday is as follows: ~ was with Joe
Fields frequently, and never had any
falling out with him. They charged
that knocked MIN on the htai with |
stick, and then cut him with q knife.
The murder was committed on q road
INNING through joe Bonds's planta-
ton, two miles nolLu UI A,IIrIuy IeCor.
Samson Pryor told that killed man
and helped to carry him off never
had fight with the murdered man, snd
every body who knows me will give ME
q good character. / don't care if they
trace my life back for years, they will
find no one who can say aught against
me. Here is paper given me when l
left Virginia; it is from reliable men.
The prisoner then gave the reporter the
letter:]
PowHATAN, VIRGINIA, April 3, 1869.
This is TO certify that we, the under
signed, have known William Williams
for six years, and cheertully
him to be peaceful, sober
and industrious servant, and reliable;
has always conducted himself in q
straightforward manner Yours, etc,
HENRY JERVEY, MD
VIM. JERVEY, MD,
JNO LAY, Atty-at Law.
Why did Pryor swear your life away? (
Prisoner-Well, money induced him | I
to do it, know, He ran away after the
crime was committed and st9id away | |
two months. The night of the murder
[ went by his stable, he seemed TO be
catching his horse. | asked him 10 90
to Ike Bowling's with me but he said
he couldn't go as he had some particular {
business on hand.
Who found the body Of the man?
Prisoner-I don't know; he was with /
the Gro Nd hear who found the body. {
It was said that Joe Bonds found the
body. l was with another crowd. He
,wore at the inquest that he knew moth
pg about IL. He then ran away and ,
came back. S6ore he did. He kisse d
he Billie twice. How can you believe
.uch q man as that on oath. He must
nave suspected that l suspicioned some.
hing because he didn't go with me that
night; stood as well up there ss a white !
man; had credit, and endesvored to as [
list colored men; that was one splits they c
lad against me; Ike Bowlton brought Q
Up tale there about three weeks before /
hat time; we were talking about ku /
zIux and stealingi there was a goou g
iesl of st aling, and l said that il l saw ,
/ mal stealing l would sho him; l {
also said il kuklux were to come to my b
gate to kill me, would shoot them; be T
old that said 1 would shoot Fields or =
my man who came to my gate; Ike h
Ilso told Mr.. Pryor and Mr.. Barnts I
hat taid IL had my way I would 2
rick their butts; l did not say this. 3
ut said il / had my way l a
youlk kick him (lke Bowlingl: @
amson Pryor said / killed Fields /
ecause he owed me fifty dollars and b
Touldn't pay me; this is untrue; the L
honey wasn't due, and did not ex poet Fl
until the cotton was picked out; this Il
'ould have been poor way to get q n
ebt; this Fields, who was q fussy b.
egro, was once shot by q coloTed man; ri
g was OverbeaTing, and had not been Il
lere long; was the only friend he o
ad, and people were down on me for it y
got him up school, and they were o
ispleased because / did this; ne had II
lss with Frank Ketchum (colored), o
rho, the night of the murder, were seen L
Ogether; this was about ten minutes be- b
ore l went home that night; when / q
eturned by bis house, Fields was in the Z
table, but KetchuLn WAS net there; z
amson Pryor says he helped ne carry @
be man away; he says he started TO so il
a the house 10 get his gun and arrest t
1e, but he then took another notion; e
nat was the tale he told. t
Now tell me sometime so The '
money Samson received ior sw ariLg Z
gAinst you? '
Prisoner-Ssmson Pryor says he re- {
eived twenty five Uoiiars AZ the court I
Iouse. He also told George Johnson, q i
olored man who lives at Hopefield, or I
dound City, that he (Samson Pryor
nd ie over one hundred and fifty dollars
y SWEARING against me, George johnson,