The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-05-23
THE MOODY MURDER.

THE MOODY MURDER.
Farther Particulars of the Dark and
Bloody Deed-The Detectives Tell
what Tsey Knew Abeut the Case.
Especial Correspondence of the SentinelI, a
BLOOMINGTON, Ind, May 2l.-The mex.
witness examined after my report of the
tones-Toliiver trial closed on Saturday was
JESSE GAY.
There has been something mysterious about
this witness, which, to one not in the secrets
of the prosecution and defense, is past find
ing out He has been sUbpenaed both by
the state and defense, and was one of the
witnesses whose absence was assigned as a
reason for an application for continuance
by the defendants on a former calling of
this case for trial as important to them in es-
tablishing an aiibi 1t was very evident from
the questions put to other witnesses in re-
gard to him by the attorneys that his where
abouts on the day and night of the murder
were considered important by both sides.
and persons swore to seeing him very late
in the evening of that day in Or
leans, and the defendants swore that
he was IN Mitchell early at night
His own story, he now being introduced by
the state, is as follows: 81 am now living
in Jasper county, Illinois. / went there
from Lawrence county, this state. in 1874. I
was acquainted with the Joneses and the Toll
| livers at that time-these defendants. was
| in Lawrence and Orange counties in the last
of February and first of March, 1875; was
back on business trip. went to Simpson
/ folliver's from the depot the first morning
| got there and took breakfast at his house.
Don't know where was all the time, but
was in Orleans on Tuesday, the I'd of March,
| on business; went there in the afternoon
| from Mitchell, and left there late in the
evening and went back to Mitchell. I was
on horseback went to Tolliver's again,
| ate supper and then went to the odd fellows
lodge. / don't know how long | was there.
| but guess it was about O'Clock or near that
| time; stayed until the lodge broke went
from the lodge to Abe Jones's whisky sa-
loon; stayed there few minutes, and then
went to Faulkner's hotel / remained
there about three.quarters OF an hour or
| an hour-until near 9 o'clock;
had no timepiece, or anything to call my
attention particularly to the time. went
from there back to Abe Joness saloon. and
there / saw all of these defendants in there
| except perhaps Tom Tolliver. / am not GER
tain of seeing him there. but | saw Bent
Jones, Lee Jones. Parks Tolliver and Eli
Lowery- don't remember of seeing any
one playing cards in there. They were in
there when got there; staid there about
half hour and then went home with SImp
Tolliver; he was in the saloon. We all went
| out together; all of the defendants, Eli
Lowery, Simp Tolliver and myself. and
started west; think Eli Lowery turned off
at corner and went north. Some of them
asked him 10 go home with them, but
don't know whether he went or not Bent
and Lee went on together IN front and |
stopped with Simp Tolliver; they lived
| further west than he did / think this was
on the I'd OF March, 1875"
MAJOR HUFFsTETrER,
the next witness, is the father of jeff Huff
stetter, who had had some difficulty with
the MoOdys about the opening of a road a
few years ago, and who is suspected bytome
of the friends of the prisoners of having had
a hand in the murder. Atleast it is said
this will be one of the theories of the de-
Tense. srs.s ff 10.
The witness testified to Jones having
questioned him as to the value of the Polly
Tolliver land and another piece belonging to
Joe and Tom Tolliver, remarking that he ex-
pected to own both in short time, and to
another conversation alter the murder in
which Jones had requested him to see that
JEFF held his jaw; saying that jeff was at the
bridge, and he (Jones) was afraid some OF
the men who were there would hang jeff,
because he was talking too much, and lay it
on him. That Jones also said that he had
not killed Tom Moody, and if he had, he bad
friends enough to get him out of it, as he
had no enemies in Mitchell; but that his son
1
Tucker had told him that he Jones' was in
no danger.
| On discrimination, the witness was
asked if he had not paid money and re-
tanned counsel to protect his son from the
charge of this murder. and if he had not
furnished money for and taken part in the
prosecution of these defendants, to which he
answered mo" in the most positive man.
ner.
COLUMBUS MOORE.
Columbus Moore, the next witness testified
to having seen Bent Jones and Parks Tolliver,
who had pistol in his hand during term
or court, in the bar room of the Hughes
house in Bedford, inquiring for Moody; that
they were in the bar room alone, and that
Parks Tolliver seemed to be looking up the
stairway he having been informed that Tom
Moody was up stairs, and, seeming 10 be-
come impatient, remarked that he was get
| ting id tired of waiting.
90 SAMUEL, R. TEAGARDEN, ~ frrsrf
who is said to have furnished the bulk OF
the brains in the detective line in this case,
was the next witness, and testified to having
examined the privy at the school house, into
which LoYery, IN his confession, had said
one of the signal guns, loaded with buck
shot, had been fred for Murry's benefit on
that night after the murder and in COM
pany with Mr.. Keef and Mr.. Millett, to finding
that at some previous time load of buck
shot had been fred into it, some of which he
had succeeded in extracting, and which was
exhibited to the jury.
ELIzABETH BROWN
then testified to having heard Bent Jones
say, while working on her house in Mitch
ell. that some persons had been around his
I mill one night and had pounded Eli Low
|. 4. l. al. I.