Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1879-01-11

r HIM but slightly. lie struck him 9
- very heavy blow, and Armstrong fell
q at once. think that blow killed him
| was afraid that Graham would be.
tray me some day, but thought my
ai'Ji would be good and that my char
I acter would save me. There are sew.
eral wild stories circulated about NE
that | wish to deny. In the first place,
| never tried to put poison in Graham's
meals since he has been in Jail here.
too bitterly lamented my crime to try
its repetition.
wish it also to be distinctly under
stood that did not 60 to Armstrong 5
dying bed and tear the bandages from
his head and cause the wounds to bleed
afresh. | did 90 to the house on that
day, but had vague idea that peo
pie would be suspecting me, and thal
| must try to act naturally and as
though knew nothing fmy old friend 5
wounds. When | was left in the room
with him can scarcely describe the
feelings that Overcame me. | can re-
member wondering as to whether he
would die and as to whether the insur-
ance companies would sus ect anything
wrong. thought to myself what
would do should John Armstrong open
his eyes, and just then saw little
blood 0ozlng from beneath the bandag \
and their came to mind the old story
of the murdered mans body bleeding
airesh IN the presence of the murderer
| don't know what made IN. do it,
but could not help thinking that il
anyone should come in the room and
see the blood they would think as | did
aud would SUSPECT me-; and so got up
and went to wipe the blood off with
towel, but my hand trembl-d, and JUS,
then the nurse came in and dropped
the towel on Ar,nstrong's forehead.-
About the EDp diibi, as Prosecutor J-n-
kins kncws, Epp was mistaken and
led to bis mistake. had been to his
store, not on Wednesday night, but on
Tuesday night, and took him down to
| the Armstrong; house, and by telling
him that 1t was merely TO save me a
| little trouble | induced him to say then,
III Mrs. Armstrong; presence, that !
had been IN the store on Wednesday
| night. When he came to knug after
wards what a serious matter it was,
! Epp would not say what | wanted hm
to. tried to put this thing on Ford
| W. Davis, because wanted to save my.
self, and Davis had done Armstrong
wrong and ought to have been punished
and besides did not wish my children
to be disgracrd by having even sus-
picion cast upon their father"
This story Is not to be accepted in the
light Of dying statement. 1t was made
some time since and only to his coun
sci, but it is the onl y confession he mas
ever made.
AFFIDAvITs OF HUNTERS KEEPERS.
The following afIidavits in reference
to confession and attempted suicide
were made by two of Hunters keepers.
Jacob !isson and William II. Swim.
dell being duly sworn according to law,
depnse and say, that they are keepers
employed to take charge of Hunter that
Hunter about s. O'Clock on the evening
of Monday last said: "Graham gave
me away fearful, didn't he? lie will
make my poor family suffer"
|. Swindell, said to him, "Dd Ora
ham tell the truth in everything he
said ?" "No; he didn't" Hunter
said. "The idea that ran after him to
do this job! On the contrary, Graham
ran after me to arrange to do it,
|, Swindell, then asked Hunter if he
struck Armstrong at all, lie said "No,
how could find the hatchet, when
the men there could only hear him
breathe and not see it ?"
"When he got away" Hunter said,
Graham told me he sunk the hammer
into his head the first blow he struck
him."
Sworn and subscribed before me this
9th day Of January, 1879.
\. S. JENKINS,
Magistrate Camden County.
JACOB Nilsson.
WV. II. SwlYDELL.
VIM. II. Swiniell, being duly sworn
on his oath says: I'm the jailer of thu
Jail of Camden, and have frequently in
my official capacity seen and conversed
with Ben amin Hunter.
Some two weeks ago, while | was on
duty IN his room, Hunter said to me,
"owinlell, you conld make a few dol
lars; there are often prisoners here who
are anxious to get out who would give
you ten or fifteen dollars, you would |
run their names along on tie book,
making them full time and no one
would be any the wiser Of it.
said there Is a prisoner down stairs
uow that has already offered $50 to get
out. What would you do in his case
Well, he says, you conld go tc the Free.
holders and tell them there was a man
here who has offered them S25, and
then you could get the money from the
prisoner and pay this S25, and make
the rest clear.
Again, last week heard him say,
crying aloud to Mr.. Ilinckley, who was
present, reading his will to him, 'you
don't know what | went through. You
don't know what have suffered here
And in response to question from Mr..
be said he thought the Lord
had forgiven him; he felt prepared to
die.
And afterwards he said "What a
leble woman he had for a wife, ETC., |
ETC., if he had gone to his wife with all 5
his troubles, he would not have been t
here, Or things would not have been as a
they were" |
To-day again he said in reply to my )
inquiry, if he would Tot answer me n $
few questions, Il will answer any 8
questions at all" r
said, "There may he some suspicion L
about some of us for giving you the tin, v