The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-06-08
DODSONS DIADOLICAL DEED.
THE DANVILLE MURDER AND
ARSON CASE.
r,,s, nav of the TriaI-The Substance OF the
Prisoners Confession ms Reia'e"
in Court.
TRopor,cd for the Dispaich.I

n
Tho fonr Dauyille men who were iounu
uualified TO serve as jurymen in the triai oi
Dodson. on trial for murder ana uson,
were dropped yesterday morning, anu
twelve Petersburgers were seated. IL "'s
MOTEL that one and another OF these nipn
several times put very pertinent ques''o.,h on
Ia The witnesses. The testimony OF tue
mother and brother Of the murdered ulaIi
flames Ready was that he belonged 10 sonic
musical club. and would occaslonaii! DC
away from home at night, aud that ne was
with n coIored man named Chaties Oa
rington on the day towards the ciose VI
which the murder was committed mort
frequently than any one else. III IS uhdeI-
stood. however. that Dodson says thal I ar
rinoton Is not one Of the men with whom
he had the transaction. -,
NAV put together the testimony OF Mr;
l.. Scott, the agent at Eliza, VINO arreSteu
Dodson on order from the Mayor OF pan
vile. and that OF Mr.. NJ. II. Jennings, VINO
had known Dodson for twenty-five gears
and OF Mr.. l.. b. Conway, bis employer AT
the Star warehouse, as making one contln-
nous narrative. The sum OF the testimony
OF these gentlemen Is that Dod'on con-
fessed that he had been collecting and using
THE WAREHOUSE CHECKS,
(payable to bearer,) under pretence that he
had authority so to do;and would pay the
money over TO the planters, his old friends
and neipbbors: that he fell into the habit
OF Gambling and lost heavily, and became
so desperate that he cared not what became
OF him: that he got his life insured for
about $500, and his intention was to pro-
duce the impression that he had been
1 81, al, ha m
cIIpied, and then "skip the country" so
that his family might get the insurance
money: that he therefore agreed with one
negro man, whom he did not know. that
he and another negro should bring him
body-meaning dead body-as II for dis.
section either on Sunday night, Monday
night, or Tuesday night, telling the man
that he was n physician, and Offering 500
for himself and bis assistant; that when
he got to his house on that night (the 9th
OF ApriD he found two
NEGROES THERE WITH BODY,
which he made them carry upstairs, and
then he paid one a fifty-dOllar note and
gave the other five ten-dollar notes. The
further confession OF DOdson was that after
the negroes had gone he put some old
clothing over the body, saturated il with
kerosene oil, put lighted candle on the
body. went down and went out, and re-
NAMED near the house till he became salts
fled that he was not detected by any OF the
policemen, and then, after waiting awhile
on the north side OF the river 10 see il the
house would burn, he
SET OUT on HIS JOURNEY
and spent the next night at Chatham; and
his intention was, if he could learn that the
house had not burned, to surrender him
self at Chatham. The next day he boarded
the train at Galveston i'm order to get a
and learn what had happened,
and there he was arrested by Mr.. Scott, the
agent at Elba. The principal part Of tins
lie made 10 Mr.. VI. II. Jennings
as he was being brought along TO Danyile,
and TO MIR. scott on the same train. The
confession to Mr.. Conway was made in jail
on the day after his arrest.
II was also in testimony that there was
BLOOD on TIE FLOOR
i'm Dodson's house, on the stairway and
on the floor upstairs. The wound was on
the left side OF Reads head, was OF The size
of ffty-cent piece, and made with some
blunt instrument, and blood was OoZing
from it when 1t was discovered. But Dod-
son said he did not note whether the body
was white or black. new or old.
The testimony OF Policeman Lowric as to
DOdson's confession was that DodsOn hired
a negro to bring him q body; that when
Dodson got to his house he found three
men there that then the two men knocked
the third one down, and after he fell bod
son requested them TO
CARRY THE BODY UPSTAIRS.
and paid them $50 each /; that then he ar
ranged for burning the house: and also
that after Dodson had denied having made
that statement he did inquire if the instril-
ment had been found with which Read had
been struck, and how many times he was
struck, and did say to his brother that but
for bis wife and children
he WOULD CUT HIS THROAT.
The confession on the part 81 DOdson
that Read was Knocked down in his house
and in his presence, Mr.. Lowrie said. was
made in the jail in the presence, though
not i'm the hearing, Of Captain Hall, OF the
police and Mr.. Wood, the jailer; and a
OF this statement. Mr.. Low
RE says, he afterwards wrote down. There
was also a statement made by DodsOn TO
his wife in Mr.. Lowre's presence. he be-
ing present by orders; but that statement
the Court would not allow Mr.. Lowrie to
give in as testimony, his Honor saying that
what passes between man and wife must
be held as sacred and not TO be diyulged.
The trial goes on to-day. and the lawyers
say they will get through to-day. Court
sits from Q TO ! and from to I. ALPHA.