The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1882-05-31
(Referrsd to in last weeks Editiou.)
Confession Of Stephen G. Emer
In Jail, Marion, Mcdowell Co.,
n. c..

n. C..
II was raised BY poor, honest, unedu-
Gated parents. Though unlearned as
they were, always gave me good advice.
II | had only taken their advice L would
not have been here to-day, = doomed
man. / have never tried TO get any per-
son into any difficulty with me, though
was always a rude rafting boy. Though
never committed any other great crime
but this one, which l stand charged
with of which Lam guilty. | have been
in Jail this four hundred and ninety W
492) days. | have learned since | nave
been in jail, in the way OF education,
more than any of my people knows, eX-
cept one,a aunt Martha NJ. Efier.
was married to Margaret Griudstatfe
about the Ist of March, 1879, In my
nineteenth year; she was my cousin.
never went to see my wife but twice,
until we were married. but l always
knew her from childhood, and knew her
to be a good christian hearted woman.
We lived with my grandfather about
one wear after we were married. | would
sometimes 90 off, and when l came back
home, would tell my wife that | had
DGeU Ou dllcI OluSI "OHCu. ohC WYNN
laugh and say she did not care. She did
no. believe it, neither was it so. just
told her so to see what she would say.
The great misfortune is, | neve; loved
nv wife, when | married her, neither
could | learn to love her, she was too
nea kin. | would go of and stay and
come back to see if | could learn to love
her. but [ never could. The last trip |
took off was to Flag Pond, Tennessee, to
a Baptist Association, about sixty miles
from home [ stayed off about one week.
Now in all travels | have wished that |
had never married her. | have stopped
when going TO my work and made wish
Is that never married her, and would
not have begIudged thousand Of dollars
that l had not. though she was kind to
me. ONLY at times when | would get to
plaguing her, she would get mad and
try to scratch for herself. We have one
child named Alfred Erwin Ef1er, now
about two years old. o. May he be
trained up Gin the nurture and admoni-
tatlon Of the Lord
I will now tell you why killed my wife
and how [ killed her. | could not love
her and the devils temptation was SO
great it seemed did not want to live with
her any longer, and on the 9th day OF
January 1881, Ed. Sewers had been
to Marion and came In hearing Of my
house and holloed. He was afraid of my
dog. | went out and asked him to come
in, and he came in; SAID he was very tired.
| asked him to cat supper and he sat
down and ate supper; and stayed about
one hour, then left and went home. After
Sewers left, the devils temptation came
upon me. My wife went to bed about =
half hour before [ did. | worked hard
that day and lay down on a sheep-skin
before the fire and rested there. 1t seem
ed that the devil had shown me a plan
how to get rid Of my wife, SO [ could &c
back to live with my grandfather. SO |
took Up this plan after lying on the sheep
skin about one halt hour. | got up and
got me a white STRIP of cloth about one
foot long, and went to bed to my wife,
where she was lying asleep with her face
towards the wall. lay there about one
half hour, studying how to commit the
deed. At last [ ran the cloth around
under her neck, after the devil had temp
ted nae SO great it seemed like he told
me l could get out of it, if | did it. |
turned over to her and sort o. twisted
the cloth around her neck. / Their put
my knees against her back and pulled it
On the floor. We fell among some bench
around her neck until l found she was
dead. She died without a struggle any
way. After l found she was dead / pick
ed her up and laid her on the bed. I
then ran to the fire and said: Lord
b,-> -.- IIyL@& -. n
this? What will become of me nowF'
] then got my shoes and ran to my grand
fathers. and as l went, | fixed up a tale
to tell him. When l got in sight of my
grandfather's, | holloed and told them,
my wife was dead. Then 1 caught my
self; next time, told them she had hurt
ing in her head and was dying. Then
one of my aunts and two of my cousins
came with me back home, also Ed. Sow
ers came with rs, | told them the same
tale | had told my grandfather. When
we got back my wife was lying just as
had left her. My people have been &C
cused of knowing about the case, or Of
its being made known to them, but they
are clear Of the charge. They knew
nothing of it. Neither do they know 10
this day, how it was, or why it was. Nv
wife was a good, religious woman, aud /
believe she is gone to heaven. She was
so easy killed, l am bound to believe it
wa. her destined way to 60, and that size
is in Heaven to-day. Had | been edu-I
Gated, this deed would not have been
committed, and to-day | might not have
been here, a doomed man. Ny mother
told me, about two weeks before | mar
ried, not to marry. 0, that | had taken
her advice. | may add more to this. if
not, this is the end.
STEPHEN G.. EFBLER