Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-12-15
sENgAMlN fRANkLlN rHAxroN.
HIS Examination Before Judge Tyler We6nes-
d0R-

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN THAKT0R.
HIS Examination Before Judge Tyler Wednes-
day.
Benjamin f. Thaxton was brought
before Judge Tyler in the Criminal
Court room Wednesday, to ascertain
whether there were sufficient
grounds for committing him for
trial on charge of completely in
the attempted burglary and assassi-
nation at Mr.. j. j. CARROTS on the
night of the 10Th ult. The case
was begun promptly at ii. 80 o'clock,
j the time set, and the court room
was filed with eager spectators.
The Judge ordered the bar cleared
of all except lawyers and newspaper
reporters and stationed officers at
the apertures to keep the crowd
behind the railing. The defendant
was represented by L. l.. Yancey,
Esq, Attorney General Burney APP
pearing for the State. All the wit
nesses were put under the rules.
After calling his witnesses the
Attorney General announced "not
ready" on account of the absence
of Mr.. CARROT, but offered to pro-
coed with the witnesses present, if
after hearing the testimony the
court would continue the case until
next Tuesday, when Mr.. CARROT
can be introduced. After some ar
gument on that point, the court
agreed to the proposition, remark
ing, among other things, that it
would be better for the complete
vindication of the prisoner if he
were innocent, and for the good of
the State, if he were guilty, that
there should be full and fair inves-
tigation of the matter and that for
the accommodation of the Logan
county, KY, witnesses, it was
best to proceed with the evidence at
hand.
R. NJ. WARDEN,
Sheriff of Logan county, was the
first witness introduced. He lived
in RussellvilIe. Had known Thax-
ton year or probably year and a
half. Thaxton lived in Logan
county last year and part of this
year with Mr.. Tom Lyon, keeper of
the County farm. The farm is about
a mile from Russellville. ThaxtOn
worked there as an ordinary hand.
He had seen ThaxtOn in Russell
vile several times this year. Could
not say how often. Arrested him at
billiard Sanders house, II miles
from Russellville at II o'clock on
the oath ult. Thaxton was eatir 2
dinner when arrested, in company
with Mrs Sanders, two other ladies
and two men. He didn't say any
thing atthe time. On the way to
RusselITille he told the sheriff that
he could prove that he was at Mr..
Will Akerman's on the night of the
burglary, and also told him that he
was shot at by an unknown man at
Mr.. Akerman's that night and
showed scorched place about six
inches long across his vest where
the bullet passed. Said that the
shooting occurred in the early part
of the night. On cross examination
Warden said that the men
among the witnesses summoned by
were good people and he
would believe them on oath. He
didn't know the women. He adj
mitted on a redirect examination
that he had heard things said to
the discredit of Will Alderman and
his wife since the habeas corpus trial
at Russellville.
MR.. JAMES w. BENTON,
a Russellville policeman, testified
that Thaxton got off the train COM
ing from the South, at Russellville
At 2 o'clock Tuesday morning, the =,
10Th ult. Said he knew ThaXtOn
we'll, had known him for two years.
That he talked to him when he got
off the train, and they walked to-
yether a hundred yards or more.
He said he was thoroughly satisfied
hat it was Tuesday morning, the
10Th ult., that ThaxtOn got off the
rain, though he could give no spe
,ial reason why he knew that it
vas that date. Mr.. Benton was a
young man of very respectable and
intelligent appearance. He was
neatly dressed in a blue military
Iuit, as was also
MR.. MONROE HARDY, !
chief of police in Russellville. He )
estified that he knew ThaXtOn well.
That he saw him and talked to him
It the depot about a week before
he trial at Russellville. ThaXtOn {
vas on the seven o'clock train going {
south and told him he was going to
to see his wife. He
say for certain that it was q
IN Monday night the 10Th ult., but
t couldn't have been as long as two
weeks before the trial at Russell
vile. That was the same night
hat ThaXtOn had been with Mr.. |
Benton. He asked ThaXton after |
lis arrest what night it was he saw S
linn at the depot and Thaxton said :
was 10 days previous to that time,
iut it could not have been so long. I
/ was not more than week. He |
fdn't notice any marks of violence I
bout ThaXton's person. The Judge |
hd refused in the trial at Russell I
lille to allow Thaxton to be exam '
Jed for marks of violence, and |
haxton had then said that he was t
= Hing TO submit to such examina- :
/ IN if the Judge said so. I
MD GIITlNp