The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-02
THE HARRoDsBURG TRAGEDY.
Mrs. Thompson's Statement to Her Re-
lations with the Murdered Man.
Harrodsburg Special.

Harrodsburg Special
Mrs Thompson has scarcely slept or ate
since the shooting but appeared calm to-day,
and related her side of the story clearly and
deliberately. She said "This trouble has all
been brought about by Jessie Buckner to ruin
me and to separate Walter Davis and his
wife. Jessie Buckner hates Mrs, Davis be-
cause she refused to speak to her after the
Louisville scandal. They had been the most
intimate friends before that l will swear
that Walter Davis was an innocent man of
the crime charged against him 1 walked
with him in the afternoon, and we did take
| glass OF wine and some oysters, but did
not return to the hotel intoxicated, nor with
bottles of champagne. We drank some cham
payne in Miss Buckner's room before we
started out after supper. 1 went to
the theater with Walter, as he was nv
husbands cousin and had always been
our best friend. [ asked Jessie to
go with us, but she declined. We went to
the theater and returned to the hotel when
the performance was over. l never went to
ms room, but left him in the hall. / was not
drunk, nor was l mistreated in any way by
him.. If he were alive he would vindicatel
me, but the only witness l have lies in yon-
der graveyard As to my character, go ask
any man, woman or child in this town.
| have lived in the Thompson family for six
! teen years. Ask them if ever before a breath
| OF suspicion soiled my soul. AS to my be-
| ing confirmed drunkard, deny that L
| have suffered intense agony for years from ill
health, and have taken whisky, and some
times too much of it, to alleviate pain aud
! to give me strength Go ask DIR. Price. one
OF the most upright and and eminent men in
J this country, about me and my troubles.
I God knows this is hard to bear;
doubly SO on my children's account.
| wish Phil. had shot me instead of
walter Davis, who never did him harm
! III his life. | loved my husband, and as soon
! as heard of that awful lie l went immedi-
| ately to Washington to see him. He told me
| he would never live with me again when
was asserting my innocence, and praying for
| my children's sake. l wrote him a note
! when he reached home last week asking him
! to see me about our children, but he paid no
attention to it. He is the father of my chill
/ dren and would do him no harm, although
| he has wronged me upon the word of an out
cast woman. His family have been kind to
me and have all visited me since Walter
Davis was killed. Pills father was here
yesterday and spoke tenderly to me. They
| have known me best for sixteen years. when
trusting girl-bride l went to live beneath
| their roof. Miss Buckner has not been near
me- and should she come l would try to kill
| her. 1t is true that it has been all could
do to keep my son from Staying her. although
he is but fifteen years old. Jessie Buckner
| has ruined me and broken the heart
of Walter Davis's wife. She threatened this
long ago, and can prove it, She sent me
word after my return through Cincinnati
from Washington that 1 would suffer for not
calling to see her. She has been turned out
of four or five hotels in Cincinnati, l am told.
She is desperate and abandoned woman,
| and boasts that she can ensnare any man.
| What she wanted to ruin me for l canno see,
unless it was to come between me and mine"
Mrs. Thompson then broke down and wept
bitter tears. She bears traces of terrible
mental anguish. Mrs. Thompson and her
husband were raised next-door neighbors and
sweethearts. Only picket fence divided the
yards where they played as children
Miss Buckner has made statement prac-
tically reatfirming her first version of the in-
cident at the St. Clair Hotel, Cincinnati, and
maintaining its truthfulness. e-e.i