St. Landry democrat., 1879-05-31
Execution of AEsaRoIaa w. Ford.
Lake CharlB Echo. May 24th.l

liglonS people, and brought nm up re-
ligiously. He married in 1868, and
leaves wife and five children, the eldest
not quite eleven years old, in Sabine
parish. His first trouble was at a public
political meeting at Many, Sabine par
fatally. He was disarmed, and at the
same meeting a few hours afterwards
he was attacked by three brothers named
Lynch, who shot him down with pistols,
giving him four serious wounds. He
was in the Cusllatota roit, and then went
with his family to Texas, residing alter
nately in Hays, Liano an Mcclellan
counties, until 1877 when he returned to
Sabine parish and was there convicted
in the fall of 1877 for seriously beating a
woman who he says was OF bad char
acter and had grossly insulted his wife.
For this offence he was convicted and
sentenced to four years in the peniten
tiary, but with outside assistance, broke
the Sabine Jail and went to Catahoula
parish. From there, in April, 1878 he
went to the residence Of his cousin
Avner Washington Ford in Calcasieu
parish, on the Sabine river.
There he found DR.. Joseph Bazee, a
wandering root and herb doctor, camred
in front of Wash. Fortl's house. He
says that Bazee acknowledged to him he
had been leading a criminal career for
years, and tried to induce him to joiu
him (Bazee) in a regular business of high-
enamored of Ellen Ford, dauther of
Wash. Ford, and the prisoners cousin,
and was jealous Of AhsaIom W. Ford.
In May 1878 the prisoner went to
Texas but returned eleven days after
wards. During his absence DR.. Bazee
plainly told Wash. Ford he would take
his daughter Ellen to the Indian Terri
TORY, and that if she would not go vol
unfairly he would make her go with
him, at the same time saying Absalom
was gone and il he came back he would
kill him. The prisoner said he was i'll
formed of these threats by Wash. Ford,
Ellen Ford, Mrs. Pool, and others, i'm
nediately after his return to Wash.
Frod's, and that he then determined to
hill Bazee the first time the latter ever
made any hostile demonstration towards
him. He denied having sent Heeman
Mcclure (his fellow convict, whose sem
tence of death was cOmmute0 to i'm
prisonment for life to decoy DR.. Bazee
to Mrs. POOLS in order that he might kill
him there, and says his confession and
Heeman McClule's to that effect, on
their preliminary examination before
our Parish Judge, near the scene of the
homicide, on the Sabine river was not
true, and was made only because he,
aud Mcclure were convinced that if
they did not say something which would
cause their commitment to jail the citi-
zens present would hang them on the
spot. Justice requires us to state that
he and Heeman Mcclure made the same
explanation of those confessions just
after they were confined in Jail here, to
an attorney at law residing here. He
said Heeman Mcclure told him that be
went to DIR. BaZees' camp OH the morning
of the homicide to get some medicine for
his sister Mrs. Pool, which the DR.. had
the day before requested Mrs. Pool to
send for. and that on BaZee learning
from Mcclure that AbsaIom W. F6rd
was at Mrs. Pools he insisted on taking
the medicine there himself, saying in
reply to McClure's assurances that he
better not go, as Absal0m W. Ford was
armed, and had been informed of RaZee's
threats, that he wanted to see Ford. He
said that Mcclure was going to Wash.
FOrd's, to return borrowed horse, when
lie (the prisoner) shot Bazee. He said
that Bazee was advancing on him, with
his hand on his knife, and cursing him,
when he shot him, after twice warning
Bazee to stand back. Z
He said that he made this statement
fully realizing fiat he must die next
day that he had no npkind feeling to-
ward any one; that be was prepared to
die, and only regretted leaving. lis wife
and young children unprepared fer.
He eat supper Thursday night as
usual. and at midnight fell asleep, and
was asleep yesterday morning till just
after sunrise. He cat only a piece of
bread and drank cup OF coffee for his
breakfast yesterday l2ornlng. At noon
we visited him again and told him bis
recently written to our Parish Judge,
earnestly requesting the latter to induce
Ford if possible to make dying COP
fession, as it would be important If true.
He replied he had made true confess
sion to us Thursday night, and that he
could make no other.
BY noon over one thousand people
had assembled at Lake Charles. BY
one o'clock L. H., the scaffold was ready,
being the same used for Guidry's execI-
tion here two years ago. Ford being
unable to bear his weight on his leg
broken in two places some two months
ago i'm his attempt to escape from fie
Henderson, county, Texas, Jail, after it
had been badly shot in the attempt to
capture him there, was supported on
either side by sheriff d. I'll. Lyons and
deputy sheriff j. j. Lyons. and in his
stocking feet, dressed in white. wearing
n dark felt hat and smoking q cigar.
slowly limped from his cell to the seaf
fold on the east side of the jail, on the
court house square. Though he must
have suffered intense physical pain from
this first efyart Go walk on his lately