The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-02-20
the body, but failed to carry out my designs

4 y
| morning. told him / would go down to Lex
| ington and find out where my partner was. L
really had no partner, but told Sewell this TO.
| induce him to follow according TO my designs.
| l procured a horse for him to nd to Holman.
We went back to Holman, lie riding and
| on foot. / arranged with him to meet me
at Lexington that evening and learn the
whereabouts OF my partner. | returned to
Arbuckles with the horse and Sewel pro-
ceeded to Lexington on foot ON the railroad
AS picked up the piece of iron, which had
left in a wood shed at Arbuckle's after had
| what was going to do with it. / told her 1
was going 10 get wagon hammer m de of it.
She said "John, you are going to kill some--
| body with it," i thought she suspicioned
| something. but there the matter dropped. =
| Sewell wished To go TO Cincinnati, and,
| knowing he could get through ticket at Lex
| ington, easily persuaded him to go down
| there, where met him that evening. When
met him that evening told him my partner
| had gone away on business, but had left the
money at Sam Fields'-another brother-in-
Paw of mine-liying short distance from
Holman. and If he wOu 90 there il would be
all right; so he concluded to go there that
| night. We bought tickets for Holman, and
when we arrived there we got of the rear car,
started down the railroad and struck across
the fields in the direction of sam Fields.
We travelled on, passing sam Fields.
eraI times. 1 thought that would have been
the time TO do the job i have no doubt but
would have got away with him II young Ham
mil had not come along just when he did. /
wa starting across the field for the purpose of
killing hlm in a house that was a little way off.
Hammil had spoiled my plans at this point.
Then thought of decoying him to New Lib
erty cuurch, which was about three miles dis
tant. As there some trouble in that
church among the members, / thought
would commit the murder there, set fire to
the house, and 1t would afterwards be
on until we arrived at the church. The old
man sat down at the church door and said:
have given out" told him i1 would try and
get in the house, make fire in the stove, and
we would rest until morning. / went TO the
east side Of the house, took glass from a win
dow, hoisted IL, and went in. j called the old
man and helped him in. He was very tired,
and Immediately lay down on a bench and
was soon sound asleep. / mad lain down, but
hearing him breathe heavily, knew he was
asleep. l got up and looked around for some
thing to kill him with. / had left the piece
OF iron on the outside OF the house.
found a st ok of wood about three feet long,
and about as thick as my arm. walked
around near The stove where the old man lay
on bench, and struck him fatal blow.
Sewell fell off the bench, his head falling near
the stove. l think killed him the first lick,
but hit him six or eight hicks more to make
sure work of 1t. The rocK that was produced
in cours was under the stove leg, and when
dragged the body of the dead man back his
head being on the rock, IL was dragged out
from its place. took him by the feet In drag
ging him out, and let Ann lie straight out on
his back. so that ould build fire near the
stove. built the ii Ire for the purpose of con-
cealing the crime, and why ii did not burn is
a mystery to me. l missed it 10y not dragging
=
there.
Mr. Benham at this point asked Beavers if
there was not can of coal oil in the church
and oil in the lamps saying that he had un-
derstood such was the fact. Beavers replied
that he never thought of the oil, and added:
"God wouldn't she have went with flash II
/ had got hold of itp1
tooa his overcoat and placed it with the
kindling in starting the fire, as it was very
bloody. Sewell had used ii for pillow while
S eeping on the bench and the blood gushed
out upon it when struck him.
got something over SIOO out of Sewell's
pocket, his watch, pocket comb, papers, etc.,
and with Sewell's grip sack started with the
Intention of leaving the country. went to
the woods, and being sleepy, lay down and
went TO sleep: woke no cOld-almost frozen
and that drove me to Sam Fields to get
Da r nid the tSeg grip sack END Match that
Having the pocketbook and papers in my
pocket, hid them the next day on my way
up TO the church, where was arrested.
The witnesses all, with one exception, testi-
fed correctly, and that excep ion amounted TO
nothing, as IL did me no harm at all, nor the
My attorneS s did all they could for me I'M
der the circumstances. Judge Allison gave
me n perfectly fair show in the trial.
Here Beavers proceeded re tell Mr.. Benham
where he had hid the watch and pocketbook,
the grip sack having been found just before the
trial. Beavers directed Mr.. Benham to go to
Republican school house, ascertain from
nelghbors there just where the grip sack was
found, and informed him that a little i.orth of
west from where the grip sack was hid he
would dnd the watch under the bottom
rail of the fence. Beavers also told
Mr.. b. to proceed south of this point
near the Lexington and Paris road; told that
there IN the woods he would find an old oak
log with the bark peeled OF, which had broken
in two places in falling, and under the second
break of the log from the stump be would find
the Dockethook and lot of papers wrapped
up in a part of a newspaper. Mr. Benham
went as directed and found the watch and
told him to look. He Immediately brought
them to the city and placed them in the
HANDS of Sheriff Nugent, who preserved them
for evidences in case new trial should be
granted Beavers.
Beavers stated that he had been guilty OF
several minor crimes, such as thefts, etc, but
was never directly guilty of murder before
killing Sewel, though he had been accessory
10 Seyt raj other murders in the northern part
OF the state within the past two years.
Mr.. Benham declined TO hear a confession
regarding these other crimes, knowing that IL
Beavers was hanged he (Benhaml would be
subject to an immense amount of trouble and
expense as a witness in prosecutions, as tue
state allows no compensation for witnesses,
and being the only witness perhaps, with
only Beavers statement, thought he could not
be of much service to the state, yet at the same
hear the cOnieSsiOn regarding the murders TO
which Beavers had been accessory.
HIS RELATIVES.
Beavers had been closely shaved before the
execution, and was dressed in plain suit of
black. His father-in law stated that he had
supported the children since January. 1874.
and that Beavers had not been with his
family since that time. During that month,
when Mr.. Davis was coming from Lafayette
with the children, officers boarded the train,
aud Beavers seeing them. jumped from the
cars, and had never lived at home since that
time. His wife died three years ago, Febru-
airy 3, and was considered most estimable
woman by all who knew her.
SHERIFF NUGENT.
Sheriff K. F. Nugent was elected last fail,
and this was the frat execution which he
had ever attended. He deserves great credit
for the manner in which he conducted him
self. In adjusting the rops S his hands trem-
bled slightly, but otherwise he was perfectly
calm and collected HIS deputy. Mr. Dear
arle stood hu him ON The 9 affnld dnrinr lhe