The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-05-04

also, that when he insisted rnat MRS. 1honp-
| son should 20 TO his room, Maurer. the porter,
/ was present Without further working out
i this theory, it might be brought to q close by
| saying that Walter Davis and Mrs. Thompson
have always denied, in the most solems man
! ner, that there were any improper relations
| between them, further than that they drank
wine together. The only statement that Mrs
| Thompson has made TO tho press about the
affairs Is as follows:
MRS. THoMPsoN's STATEMENT.
&This trouble has all been brought about by
| Jessie Buckner to ruin me and to separate
/ Walter Davis and his wife Jessie Buekner
| hatee Mrs. Davis because she refused to speak
to her after the Louisville scandal They had
/ been the most intimate friends before that !
| win swear that Walter Davis was an innocent
| man of the crime charged against him.
| walked with him in the afternoon, and we did
| take glass of wine and some oysters, but
| did no: return to the hotel intoxicated, nor
with bottles of Champagne. We drank some
| champagne IN Miss Buckners room before we
| started, and after supper went to the theatre
with Walter, he was my husbands cousin,
| and had always been our bost friend. asked
| Jessie to go with us, but she declined We
| went to the theater, and returqed to the hotel
! when the performance was over never went
| to his room, but left him in the hall l was not
| drunk, nor mistreated in any way by him. If
| he were alive he would vindicate me; but the
| only witness L have lies in yonder grave yard.
| AS to my character, go ask any man, woman
| or child in this town. / have lived IN the
| Thompson family for sixteen years Ask them
| if ever before breath Of suspicion soiled my
soul As to my being confirmed drunkard,
| deny that. / have suffered intense agony for
| years from i'll health, and have taken whisky,
and sometimes too much of it, to alleviate pain
and to give me strength. Go ask Dr. Price, one
of the most upright and eminent of this
county, about me and my troubles. God knows
, this is hard 10 bear-doubly on my childrens
account I wish Phil had shot me instead of
Walter Davis who never did him harm in his
life 4 loved my husband, and rs soon as
| heard that awful lie went Immediately to
Washington, to see him. He told me he would
never live with me again, when |
ing for my children's sake wrote
him. him ,.s, note when he hin, reached ID
see about our children, but he paid no alton
ton to it, He is the father of my children
and I would do HIM no harm, although he has
woman His family have been kind to me-
and have all visited me since Waiter Davis
was killed. Phil's father was here yesterday
and spoke tenderiy to me. They have known
me best for sixteen years, when trusting
girl bride went to live beneath their roof:
Miss Buckner has not been near me, aud should
she come l would try to kill her 1t is true
that it has been all 1 could do to keep my son
from staying her, although he Is but fifteen
years old Jesse Buckner has ruined me, and
broke the heart of Walter Davis wife. She
threatened me long ago and l can provo 1t.
She sent me word, after my return through
Cincinnati from Washington, that | would
suffer for not calling to See her She has been
turned out of four five hotels in Cincinnati.
I am told she is desperate and abandoned
woman, and boasts that she can ensnare any
man. What she wanted to ruin me for can
not see, unless it was to come between noe anf
mine"
There are two statements made by the lac Z
which the facts contradict: First, that sic
was not drunk; but then that is a common hal
lucnation of people who get drunk; and, Sec
ondly that she was not c Davis room. being
drunk, it is not likely that she would recollect
where she was. MIR. Turner Fisher. partner of
Walter Davis in the grocery business at Har-
rodsburg, says:
u had a talk with Mr.. Davis the evening be-
fore the killing with regard 10 this affair lie
said, Turner, you know | would have no OBJ
lect in telling You lie about this thing and
l win swear to you that / am innocent He
told me that if he could havea talk with little
Phil he could convince him beyond the shad-
ow of doubt that this was all concected lie
against him, referring to his alleged criminal
intimacy with Mrs. Thompson. 1 told him |
that thought 1t was due Mrs
Thompson that he should make the |
explanation He then said, Turner |
you know that the Thompsons |
have never accused me Old Phil Thompson
has been Just friendly and pleasant with me |
as he has ever been in his life. L have heard |
that he has said that he did not believe n word /
of this report John b. Thompson, young /
Phif's brother has also been friedly with me- |
He has kept coming TO the store, and has |
advised with about our business Davis |
also said: Little Phil has nsyer moved his |
account from our store. All the groceries
bought for Captain 1hompson's family were
charged to Little Phil Davis went on to say |
that everything went to show that the Thomp- |
son family did not believe the story He sad I
it was rather delicate subject to approach a
man on, but as he had never been accused,
and the family remained friendly to him.
he had no reason to think that they belle vei
the rumor He said that his wife had never
heard of tho report | told him that he had bet
ter tell her; that somebody might put II in
light He said he could CONVINCE his
wife, as well as Phil Thompson, that he was
innocent He also said that he did not believe
caused the separation Of PhilThomp-
son and his wife.
a brother of the dead man, swears stoutiy to
the innocence OF his brother He says he does
not think his brother would have treated a
common prostitute as he is alleged to have
treated Mrs Thompson Mrs. Thompson il
now living with her mother, next door 10 the
deserted home of Little Phil Thompson, who
is residing with his brother TIE sum thermal
ter up, this sad tragedy is believed to be the
elimination of the threat of Miss Buckner,
who is divorced woman, she having been tho
wife of Will Tomlinson, that she would get
On account of her reputation
MISS BUcKNER's STATEMENT.
Miss Buckner's statement of the affair is
follows: She was stopping at
he st Clair house when Thompson passed
through on his way to Washington; his wife
lad come with hf1n rs far as Cincinnati. and it
WAS arranged that Mrs. T. should stop at the
st. Clair with Miss T.. until she returned home
% Har-oIsbnrg. During the afternoon of the
lay after Mrs rs arrival, she and Miss b.
vent shopping, and while ont met Davis who
'ald he wGuid call on them, and did so tina. |
fternoon. Mrs. T desired to go home
N the evening train, but Davis told
Ter there was a wreck on the road, and she ,
onciuded not to go, but desiring to send
elegram to her daughter, Davis volunteered
2 escort her to the telegraph Office and did 30.
pom her return she was alone, evidently in |
oxieated, and with two bottles of champagne ,
nder her cloak, which she said Waiter Davis
ad given her. Then she laid down, complaint
lg of feeling sick. Shortly afterward Davis
anne in again, and Miss ID. upraided him for t
My had half pint of champagne, &
ut Miss b. declared that would
OF make Mrs. T. drunk In the
leantime Mrs. T. had recovered somew hat r
nd Miss b went down to dinner leaving MRS. 8
with Davis. When Davis first came in he j
aid he had secured room nineteen, on the same
oor as Miss Buckner's room at the st Clair,
hich surprised Miss b.. as he had told them S
then he met them in the morning that he was t
topping at the Emery. When Miss B. came T
ack from supper she found Mrs. L. before
he looking glass, preparing to go to the
leatre. Mrs. II. asked Miss Buekner to ac- h
Dmpany her, but Miss b. declined, having a q