Mexico weekly ledger., 1880-02-19
arresdng the boys while in bed be-

hazards; that they knew Wiley would
not let them have it and that they in
tended to take it by force or have
blood, and they did both. The State
proved that VIM. Hartley had said
One that he would kill Wiley and
make the hollows in that country
fov with blood.
il Hartley wanted the wagon he
should have gotten 1t lawfully.
When ordered off the place he should
have gone. VIM. Hartley having
made threats Of killing Wiley and
then going to his house and execut-
ing them, as it is supposed, with the
very knife he threatened to kill him
with, made the case look very bad
for him.
THE DEFENSE.
VIM. Hartley himself testified
about as follows:
81 am the defendant; l went to
Wiley's On the I'd day of January,
1879, at my fathers request; [ had
seer the note, which was about as
follows: 1t was a note for $50, due
January /, 1879, and secured with a
lien on a wagon, which was to be de-
llvered On the first of January, 1879,
if the money was not paid; [ had no
interest in the note at all. January
l, 1879, | went to Martinsburg, Mo;
1 did not see Mrs. Wiley on that day ;
pa said that on that day while [ was
gone Mrs. Wiley was there and told
him to send for the wagon that she
(Mrs. Wiley) was too busy to send
it home. When l got ready to go
for the wagon l found | did not have
the note but that Leslie had it and he
was over at Louder's; had stayed
there all the night before l went and
changed my pants; l then started to
Louder's to see Leslie and get The
note ON the way to Louder's l met
Leslie coming home; he had the note /;
Leslie got upon my horse and | walk
ed because | was cold we went back
in this way; we were invited that day
to dine at John Clark's; Leslie and |
thea went over to Mr.. Wiiey's and
found the wagon just vest of the
house when we got to the bars l
got down and opened them we then
welt in and turned the horses around
to the tongue Of the wagon; just
then Mrs. Wiley came out Of the
house, Leslie told her we had come
after the wagon according to con
tract James Wiley told us not to
take the wliltlle trees Off the sled, that
they were MIR. Harrisen's and that
ours were in the smoke house and
for us to come over and get them !; |
found the sile-boards leaning on the
fence; Leslie started to pick up the
end-gate of the wagon bed and told
me to go to the smoke house and get
the donbletrees and neck yoke; |
started and James Wiley went with
Inc James Wiley caine out with Mrs.
Wiley when We first got there; Jim
opened the door and told me to go
III aud get the double trees; | vert
in to yet them when | turned around
to come out the door was shut; |
heard noise on the out side and ask
ed to get out; pushed tue door open
and came out with the doubletrees,
when MastIn Wiley came out of the
house. picked up III ~ and started
10. me, saying, dam you, Bill Hart
ley, | will kill you, and he struck at
ma. aud | Ea.i,..I att and rom, ha fol
lowed me | went To the south fence
running he was after me | jumped
over The fence and fell down / look
cd up and saw Leslie knock Mastin
Wiley down; Wiley had the axe
drawn on me; got up and walked
about twelve steps, and looking
around "a Wiley after Leslie with
the axe | heard Leslie call me to
get the horses and 90 home; | then
went after my hat which | had lost
when running; Jim Wiley then hol-
lowed to his father to kill me; Wiley
then started toward the house to cut
NE oil from getting to my horses +;
Leslie followed to me to colne to him
II" $500 hhA' tStt'N L RtAti w
get TO him, but Wiley was right at
me with the axe | then turned around
Just as he struck ut me the axe cut
me on the arm and on the head when
he struck ut me; we then gathered
each other and in our struggles We
got oye near the fence; | then drew
my pocket knife and struck him ::
That was the only knife | had. The
scabbard found there was mine: |
had the scabbArd with me, but there
was nc knife in il; | lost the knife
some time before. He was trying to
strike me with the axe when | killed
him / stabbed him with q pocket
knife and not with Il dirk | had no
dirk with me after We had hitchcd
up the wagon Leslie took the note
into the house; we then went home ;
| did buy a dirk of Mr.. Mexican in
October, 1878, but | lost it on Thurs
day before Christmas, while killing
hogs; the scabhard just happened to
he i'll my pocket, empty; when l
went to Wiley's l did not expect a
fuss | thought Mrs. Wiley wanted
us TO come and get the wagon
VIM. Hart .ey's testimony was very
sharply contradicted by several of
the States witnesses. We can not
say how much importance should be
attached to the testimony of a man
situated as VIM. Hartley was. On
the last day of trial VIM. Hartley did
not eat any dinner; he seemed to be
almost in a trance, and vas SO dazcd
he hardly knew whether he expected
to get clear or be hung. When the
foreman of the jury handed the YER
diet to the judge and the judge read
the verdict, guilty of murder in the
second degree and sentenced to 60
years IN the pcnitentiary.' he did not
move a feature of his face you could
not have told from the expression of
his face how he felt. Hartley is Il
young man, aged about % years.
We think, on good behavior, he
could expect to be released on the
two-thirds rule, in 40 years. He
would then, it is true, be an older
if not a better man. There are many