Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-02-05
MURDER OF THE HeRNDON FAMILY.
TERRIBLE CRIME.
Tuu Confession Of the ASSASSIN.
Correspondence of The .Sor.l

Exc. S.0g- On the night OF December "a
last Mr. and Mr>. jeremiah Herndoa and a
Colored boy named Addison Russell. were
murdered at the HendOn family residence in
this county. On the discovery Of the dead ,
bodies OF the victims. with their skulls !
broken in. apparently with a cluo, suspicion T.
rested on Isaac FOukS, cOlOred man living F.
ia the neighbOrhoOd. and ne was arres. Ell. !
iried, ard convicted of murder and sentenced !
TO Ice hanged. Both before and after his con-
Niction lie made contradictory statements as /
10 the murder. and the conviction was based !
entirely on circumstantial evidence. He
succeeded IN making his escape from the
BTeHlsville Jail on Sunday morning last, bu.
was recapturcd within five miles of the VIII
Iage few hours thereafter.
FOTKS FIRST FALSE STATEMENT.
Last Monday morning the convicted man
made the following statement to Mr.. d. w
Mt1tirg, OF the Manassas Gdzeffe: "OE
Tuesday night before the killing Willis Tibb
came 10 Mr.. HeIndOn'S ana asked me if /
could not get him n piece of meat from Mr..
HerHscn. told HIM had no money; then
Willis said can't You slip me piece out of
the meat house. told hun might get Add
To dO IL. ] got Add In get the meat and nut
n ia basket In the kitchen loft. Mrs. Hcrn-
don wanted the basket and when il was got
the meat was found. Willis came 10 Mr.
HerTdnnS again on the next Thursday night
about II O'Clock and asked me i'll hal got
MS meat. ! tDli him Ada got il but Mr..
EeIECCn lad found IL: and Add stcli them
who il was for. Willis said damn their souls
! reckon they Will have me up. He then
aSktd me when Mr. IIerndDn paid me: told
MIN last saturday night II week. He them
asked ire where MI. IrrHdol kept his
money. and / told him locked IN In the
drawer Willis then asked me il Mrs. U"rn-
don didn't keep the keys and told him She
did: EC then said: i am great mind to 90 in
There and Knock their damned old heads of
he then bid me good night ami lcft and /
went 10 bed. In about a quarter Of an hour
heard some body cry % Lori q Lord !
jumped up and went to the house and there
was Mrs. HcrHdOn and Mr.. HnrndOn and
Add lying in the middle OF the floor crying
- Lord. q Lord and Wills was standing az
The drawers getting the money. j asked him
II he hal Killed the old folks. Willis made
no answer. and ran back to the Kitchen and
got my hat and coat and ran down around
the garden and went 10 my sisters
This story was not believed although the
pertina"ity with which the prisoner denied
an Other connection with the affair caused
many persons To question whether il would
he entirely iuStiiiablc to in1iict upon him the
extreme penalty of the law. and some others
advised that TibbS be arrested on suspicion.
Ills SUBSEQUEST CONFESSION.
ON Tuesday last FOuES made a full and
complete confession TO Mr.. Whiting. acl-
HO"lCd2iDg that hc alone Hid committed the
murder. lie said: u stole piece Of meat
from M. HCrGlon which ! intended 10 take
homo. / stole il on Wednesday night before
tine killing. On Thursday evening after I
was done hauling wood ! was told to put
some hay Ou the wagon To take To the stable
While 1 WAS mt the hay stack the little bov
Add cane and told mc that Mrs. H"rnlon
had found the meat i'm my piece of cotton,
and said I stole if. When / Went to the
house | told Mrs. HewdDn got the piece OF
meat finm my sister il was not Mr.. ncrn-
dons meat. and I wanted my piece Of cotton.
Mrs. HcrUdon told me to wait until SIR.
HcTnGOn was done eating his supper. ] then
went IL The Kitchen. and Mr.. HerudOa when
lie was done supper went 10 the meat house
10 sec n ElS meat Wa missing. lie then went
back to The house. After Il while. about an
an hour, went back to the house and told
Nr HcTrGon | wanted my piece OF cotton.
Mr.. HCrudOn opened the door ana went in
ana TOLD MI HcludOn wanted my hanJkcr-
chief: Mr.. IL guGOn tO!l me / could not get
my handbcrclIief until in the morning, said
! must have NJ. was not going To work for
him any longer. Mr.. HoTndOn picked up The
axe aid told me If did not 90 out Of The
house lee would hit me with it; | told him !
was not afraid Of him hitting me: ! did not
curse him; Mrs. iIeTndOn showed me Out Of
the door and said: Jesse don't have no fuss
here. She pushed the door 10, but did not
pop i; picked up the axe handle, which
stood beside tie door on the porch. AMI
l,C~ned the door open, ana as Ms. Hcrndon
was walking to her chair struck her on the
side Of the head and knocked her down. Mr..
HcrndOn was standing near the fire facing
Ilc. and a. soon a | struck Mrs. IierGiOn !
struck Mr.. HerndOn on the head with the
axe handle. and knocked him down. and
struck him two or three Hicks with the axe
handle. Mrs. HorHdOn had got up on her
knees. and threw The axe handle down and
picked up the axe and struck her with the
back OF IL. knocking her back on the iiOor.
j then struck Mr.. Herndon another lick with
IL" back Of tho axe. Then ! struck the little
boy two or three lickS with the back of the
OF the axe. The little boy was lying down on
his blankets. ne was sick: ] then took tine keys
ont OF Mrs. Herndon'S pocket and unlocked
fEt drawer where The money was, and tool, J1l
the pal per money and pulled Ia" gold in front
OF the drawer. did not take il. there was q
cup with silver in ii in the upper part OF IN.
drawer bat did not take IL: was afraid To
take IL. They were ali @IOaHing when was
taking the money. / used nothing but the
axe handle and the axe 10 kin them with: /
did not use the hickory stick. ! had Ou q
pair Of stockings but no shoes; l mad pulled
5fmy shoes to 90 10 bed: | did not pull them
or to 90 10 tist n9U>vj ! did lot 20 there TO
XII them: had no aGc.i idea; got no Dl1o1
On me except my feet. When LETT ! thought
/ would die; / was scared ana went To my
sisters ;tS fast a. / could. Whon'l 90. ~ M.
. I.caT.S. where my sister lives, Miss Jennie
bl:lar had rot gone 10 bed; heard her sing
ing; when i went into my sisters cabin 10
one was III there except her did not tell my
sister what lad done. won't 10 bed. ami
aficF ;Edt heard the 10 . clock car whistle
blow. / intended Ia 20 back 10 Mr. Hern-
dou.s next morning as il J knew nothing
about tie killing. but Mr.. O'Rcar came and
asked he if would help him 10 Kill his SIS
t@r~ hogs ! told him Mr. lierndon would
rot Ike IL. ami told him what Mr.. Hcru-
don wanted me 10 90. He said me
would sec Mr.. IcTudOn that dag and
make il alright with E.m:i then said would
help Ia XIII the HuZ~. ! went - Mrs. - Rear'S
To XII! the hogs. and On my way ] MD the
money in brush pile. When Sandy South
ed came 10 the hog pen and told That all Of
Tee HerudOn family had been murdered !
CIici: Mrs O'Pcar told me not 10 cry: 10 one
saw me cry but Mr.. Rear, Bob Blackburn
ana Mr.. Neal LCmaN, told Mr. . Rear hal
better 90 over 10 Mr. HcrudOa', bat Hc sand
i was 1907 worth while l could do no COOL
When had done Il was sorry: I did not go
There % Kill them. bat was m1d when | done
IL. d!d not Kill Them To e. the money.
took tie money To make pTeteu>e that some
'pay else had iOhc il. When accused VII
lis IIbbs o. the murder / don" IL as / thought
! might get clear. IG.i the murder MYSELF
ard up one else knew anything about it,
make this as my free confession amt have
told ti.e tTGih a. near a. ! can Iecnl!ect II. ]
have now 10 hope % escape and know that l
must iii. for my crimes
This confession was written out and rcad
10 FOukS i'm the presence al IucIen \. Davis
Arthur w. Sinclair. VIM. T.. GOoiwiu, ANA
j.. ". Whiting. and the prisoner having
stated that Il was correct in every particular
they certify to that fact. The prisoner Is
under sentence OF death 10 be carried ont on
the l,lh al March. w.
The PROTECTION OF CHILDEEN.-SOmr
time ago we reported The formation. in New
Crk. Of Il society for the prevention q!
cruelty to children. patterned after much the
same plan and having the same promoters Is
the New York Society for the Prevention of