Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-09-11

husband, being duly sworn, made the
following statement 81 was walk.
ing down the street. As / neared
McCormick's drug store. / saw Jim
Barksdale snd w. D. Gibbs who,
by the way. is Democratic State
Sepator) standing In the door 1
thought could get by without being
attacked (although for two weeks |
have not gone down the street ex-
pecting to get back al,ye) when, just
as got opposite McCormlck's, Jim
Barksdsle rushed out into the middle
of the street, and
BEGAN FIRING AT ME-
l felt that I was badly shot, and
made for a stairway near crawled
up, sat on the top atep, and fired my
pistol until / tainted" In cross
examination, Mr.. Holt asked him il
he saw Jim Barksdale with. gun.
~ did see him with shot gun"
Mr.. Holt asked if he saw any one
else shoot. ~ did not. Mr.. Holt
asked if Jim Barksdale spoke at all,
and if Barksdale fired first. 81 did
not hear sound, and did not dream
OF immediate danger until felt that
l was badly shot in the back" Mr..
Holt asked my husband ii he had
ever threatened Jim Barksdale's life,
or made any threats of any nature.
"Never in my life, and only yester-
day sent friend who told him I was
innocent OF all charges. wrote the
same to the Democratic Executive
Committee, also to John Posey who
was Secretary of the Mass Conyen
ton when those scurrilous resolutions
were read |, and demanded Of Posey
the names of the two men who GOULD
say they had ever heard me plotting
the assassination Of Barksdsle. He
refused their nance, saying that l
wished to attack them l again sent
to him that | did ot,-had
NO DESIRE OR WISH TO HARM ANY
ONE
only wished to clear up the ground.
less charges and the plot which l had
seen gradually thickening against me.
He again refused the names, saying
that he would confront me-" NY
husband said, before dying: 81 had
rather been killed than to have killed
any OF them !" and, when ex.
claimed "Oh, no! l would that
you had killed them all, and your
life had been spared to me-" be said,
mo, no, you must not say that. "
He also said: 81 wish Jim Banks
dale was here to see a brave man
die"
Then some members of the Demo
cratic Executive Committee, or those
who Endorsed those scurrilous resolu
tons of the 18th of August, have re-
considered the convictions they held
at the time Of my husbands imprison.
ment for the murder Gas they in those
resolutions call it, the cold. blooded
murder) of Samuel Harrison, | here
with append an extract from letter
written my husband by the Hon.
John G. Prewitt, brother in-law TO
James A. Barksdale, while my has
band lay in prison. lie states in a
letter of March 5, 1878: 81 know
you are an innocent and prosecuted
man, and sincerely hope that you
may come out
Redeemed AND CLEANsED FROM ALI
STAIN.
The people are always right; they
will vindicate you in the end and
they will never forget the gallant
man who drove out their plunderers
and oppressors in the historic year
of 1875" Then again, April IS, he
says: "With kindest regards and
the hope that you will be acquitted,
not only on account OF yourself, but
your wife and children, and because
Of your innocence, | am, very truly
and sincerely, J. G. Pre- witt" Thus,
a man of legal ability, and never at
any time a particular friend of my
husband, declares his opinion that he
was an innocent and prosecuted
man."
This ends my statement, honest
and true, sacred to the memory of
my murdered husband.
MRS. H. M. Dixon.