The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-17
THE DUKES-NUTT INFAMY.
Mi IS Mutt Denounces h Statements
of Dukes as Falsehoods.
The Murderer's Story of the Killing-He
Proposes to Claim His Seat in the Leg
islature-A Juror Beaten.
Uniontown tPa.) Special, 18th.

Uniontown tPa.) Special, 18th.
This afternoon an interview was had with
Miss Lizzie Mutt, in defending whose name
her father lost his life. She is quite a hand
some young lady, but the expression of her
face shows that she has suffered q great deal.
In fact, she looks and acts as though she
were completely broken down, mentally and
physically.
There's not a word Of truth, )" she said, lin
Mr.. Dukes's letters. What induced him to
write them I annot imagine, unless, indeed,
his OBJECT was to manufacture an excuse for
breaking our engagement. He thought, /
suppose, father would say nothing about the
letters. When father showed them to me l
was almost unned. 1 told him they we're
untrue, and asked him to request Mr.. Dukes
TO call at the house and confront me with
the statements. Mr.. Dukes pretended that
his personal safety would not warrant him
in coming, but in reality he knew that he
had told falsehoods about me, and was
ashamed to look me in the face. Oh! that
should ever have loved such a mani But he
is not a man. I can't understand now how
he won my affection. Everybody has been
deceived by him, and I most of all.
1--WE had been engaged several months.
He was a constant visitor here, and was cor
daily received by the whole family. l did
not suspect that he wanted the engagement
broken. Why didn't he tell me? Such a
course would have been manly, and would
have commanded my respect. Instead of
doing this, however, he took my ring for the
purpose, he said, of getting another that
--A-1l loEto- -1oaco h,,. E,r hfo ataorton
was to get the ring out of my hands. Was
that the act of a gentleman?
Then he wrote those vile letters to father.
All the world knows the rest. would rather.
have died than that this misery and disgrace
should nave fallen on my mother and her
family. But indeed, sir, l am innocent of
each and every charge brought against me.
Oh! that God would only let me die, for l
shall never have any peace this sid OF the
gravel'
Mrs. Mutt sat in the room during most of
the interview. She corroborated1her daugh-
ter's statement so far as her knowledge went,
and then added, to say the least, the verdict
had surprised her.
There is a disposition among the leading
people here to show Miss Lizzie that they do
not believe Dukes's allegations by inviting
her to visit their families, as they think this
is the only way by which all suspicion can be
removed. She has not left home since her
father was shot. Her physical condition, as
indicated by Duke in his letters, is false,
beyond doubt.
Sitting beside the fire in his mothers house,
in German township, this afternoon, N. L.
Dukes told the story of the three minutes
just before the killing of Captain Mutt. He
was eleven miles away from the scene of his
crime and his trial, end well removed from
troublesome neighbors. The nearest dwelling
house was a mile away. A driving snow
storm that had set in during the day was
blowing cold upon the indignation of the
people, and he could readily conjecture that
the meeting tonight would not be very
largely attended in such weather. He was
at the home of his boyhood, with the mother
who loved him.
The verdict had been just what he ex-
pected, he said, and in accordance with his
own conscience; and as he basked in the
warmth of the blazing soft-coal fire he was
feeling altogether in a more comfortable
frame of mind than for many weeks. What
occurred in Dukes's room on that Sunday
morning before Christmas, during the few
minutes from the time the door closed be-
hind Captain Mutt until it was burst open
by Breckenridge, Feather and the colored
porter Williams, has until now been wrapped
in mystery.
81 was sitting by my fire that morning"
he said, when there came a knock at my
door. 1 called out, Come in thinking it
was the porter of the hotel, The door did
not open Immediately, and l arose and went
10 II. l. naQ my mana upon III WleD IL
opened, and | saw Clark Breckenridge and
the porter Williams. l said, Good morn
ing and Come in to Breckenridge. He sad
that Captain Nutt wanted to see me, and
then the Captain, who was standing chino
them, pushed past them into the room,
holding his cane appraised in
his hand. He slammed the door behind him,
and, kissing through his teeth, / have come
to see you,' struck at me with the cane. I
threw my arm up to save my head, and the
blow fell upon the arm, making the bruise
found upon it testified to by the sheriff and
the doctor.
II grappled with him and wrested the
cane from his hand. He came at me again
and seized the cane, and in the scuff1e it was
raised above our heads. With both hands
upon it jerked it suddenly down and broke
it from his grasp. l suppose it was then the
bruise was made upon his head. This was
at the foot of the bed. When he lost his
hold a second time L drew back between the
bed and the window. He stepped two steps
backward toward the mantel, thrusting his
hand into his overcoat pocket at the same
time. l saw the butt of his revolver glisten
as he drew it from his pocket, and then 1
drew my own pistol and fired"
Where were Feather and Breckenridge at
this timer
"Outside the door. There was not a man
in the room but Captain Mutt and me when
the shot was fired. Then the door was flung
open, and as looked around I saw the black
face of the darky Williams"
Of his future movements whether he
would go to Harrisburg and attempt to take
his seat; whether he would attempt to con-
tinue his practice at the bar, or quietly drop
out of the neighborhood and seek obscurity
in some place where his face was unknown
he would not speak, other than to say he
woul rest at his mothers house for a few
days. 1t is about as comfortable a resting
place as he could find within the limits Of
where men know him us the writer of
those terrible letters and the slayer of Cap
tain Mutt.
Pleased with the yerdict-A Juror Assaulted.
PITTsBURG, March 16.-The Commercial
Gazette's Uniontown, Pa, special says: IN.