The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1879-08-02

Confession of Absalom w. Ford

BY request we republish the to
lowing confession of Absalom w
ford, made on the 22d OF May, til
eve of his execution, and published
in our issue of May oath, 1879:
Last Thursday night we visited
AIbsalom w. Ford in his cell and re
manned an hour with him alone. I'll
said his parents were dead, tina
they were religious people, ant
brought him up religiously. Ill
married in 1868, and leaves a wifi,
and five children, the eldest mo-
quite eleven wears old, in Sabine
parish. His first trouble was at 6
public political meeting at Many
Sabine parish, with negro, whom
he shot but not fatally. He was
fiisarmed, and atthe same meeting,
few hours afterwards he was at.
tackled by three brothers named
Lynch, who shot him down with
pistols, giving him four serious
wounds. He was in the COushatta
riot, and then went with his family
to Texas, residing alternately i'll
Hays, 1Ilano and Mcclellan coun-
ties, until 1877 when he returned to
Sabine parish, and was there con
victed III the fall 1877 for seriously
beating a woman who he says was
of bad character and had grossly
insulted his wife. For this offence
he was convicted and sentenced to
four years in the penitentiary, but,
with outside assistance, broke the
Sabine jail and went to Catahoula
parish. From there, i'll April 1875,
he went to the residence of his
cousin Avener Washington Ford,
i'll Calcasieu parish, on the Sabine
river.
There hefound DIR. Joseph Bazee,
a wandering root and herb doctor,
,camped in front of Wash. Ford's
house. He says that Bazee ac-
knowledged to him he had been
leading criminal career for years,
and tried toinduce him to join him
(Bazee) i'll a regular business of
highway robbery. He says Bazee
was also enamored of Ellen Ford,
daughter of Wash Ford, and the
prisoners cousin, and was jealous
of -Absalom w. Ford.
In May 1878 the prisoner went to
Texas but returned eleven days af-
forwards. During his absence Dr.
Bazee plainly told Wash Ford he
would take his daughter Ellen to
the Indian Territory, and that if
she would not go voluntarily he
would make her go with him. at the
same time saving Absalom was
gone and if he came back he would
kill him. The prisoner said he was
informed of these threats by Wash
Ford, Ellen Ford, Mrs. Pool, and
Others, immediately after his return
to Wash Ford's, and that he then
determined to kill Bazee the first
time the latter ever made any hos
tile demonstration towards him. He
denied having sent Heeman Nc
Clure (his fellow convict, whose
sentence of death was committed to
imprisonment for life to decoy DIR.
Bazee to Mrs. POOLS in order that
hemight kill him there, andsayslhis
confession and Heeman McClure's
to that effect, on their preliminary
examination before our Parish
Judge, near the scene of the Ihomi-
eide, on the Sabine river, was not
true, and was made only because
he and Mcclure We're convinced
that if they did not say something
which would cause their commit
ment to jail the citizens present
would hang them on the spot. jus
tiee 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 he went ito DIR. Bazee's
camp on the morning of the lhomi-
eide to get some medicine for his
sister Mrs. Pool, which the DIR. had
the day before requested Mrs. Fool
to send for, aud thatnn Bazee Learn
ing from Mcclure that Albsaloln
W.. Ford was at Mrs. Pools he in
sisted on taking the medicine there
himself, saying in reply TO Nc
Ulure's assurances that he had bet
ter not go, as Absal0m W.. Ford
was armed, and had been informed