The Evening critic., 1883-04-10
BEDFORD, ouEENAN AND PINN.
Were They Innocent of Birfh's MUIR
der7-Some Interesting Remfnis-
cences of the Trial.

A reporter Of THE CRITIC endeavored
last evening to trace the rumors that let
ter had been received in this city announc-
ing that Ben johnson had confessed to be-
ing the murderer Of young Hirth, for which
Babe Bedford and Edward Queenan were
hanged about three years ago, and Sandy
Pinn committed to the penitentiary, where
he recently died.
The theory of the defense in the mcmora-
Bile trial was that johnson was the mur-
derer, and one of the most sensational
scenes ever enacted in court of justice was
when johnson was placed in among num-
ber of young colored men, and an old deaf
and dumb negress was told to pick out the
man who she said had come to her on the
night Of the murder and told her in the
language Of the fingers that he had Just
killed Hlrth.
The old woman who had been testifying
through DR.. Gallaudet paced up and down
the courtroom, scanning eagerly the faces
of the men, until her eyes fell on johnson,
and then with an intense excitement, in
which she seemed bursting in her mute
effort to speak, pointed out
johnson as the Confessed Murderer,
and made an impression that will never be
forgotten by those who witnessed it, and
left an unchangablc conviction in many
minds that johnson was the guilty man.
The story Of the trial and the execution
is fresh in everybody's memory.
johnson was compelled to leave the city,
so strong was the feeling against him
among the colored people, and was last
heard of in Boston his mother still con-
tinuing to live in this city in the vicinity
of the Children's Hospital
When the reporter reached Samson street,
the old home Of Sandy Pinn and Babe Bed
ford, the narrow thoroughfare was alive
with excitement and gossip about the al
legged confession as it appeared in TIE
CRITIC and IN every doorway little groups
of people we've discussing the publication.
The feeling against johnson was almost
unanimous, and many of the people were
emphaticin their statements that the in
nocent men were punished.
Mrs. Pinn, Mother of Sandy Pinu.
was found in her little house and imme.
diately guessed the reporters errand She
was very feeble, and could scarcely speak,
having been, as she said, an invalid ever
since her sons conviction, and having been
dangerously i'll since his death. She said
that she had always believed Jonson to be
the murderer, and that it some time would
be known that her boy was innocent, but
that she knew nothing of any confession
by johnson, and did not know where he
was. She would not be surprised if john
Mrs. Bedford or Mrs. Queenan had been
notified of the fact.
A young colored woman who was seen
said that Mrs. Bedford was now in Bright
wood and had received no intelligence of q
confession by johnson.
Mr.. Hayward. one of the counsel for the
defense in the Hirth trial, said that while
he had no proof of Johnson's confession, he
would not be surprised at it. He had the
evidence to prove that the principal wit
nesses at the trial had perjured themselves,
would be prosecuted. AS to the murder,
he had always known that
The Murderer Had Escaped Justice,
and still believed that in the course of
time he would be tried and convicted. The
only difficulty was that to secure convic-
tion certain parties would have to be in
duced to admit that they testified falsely
| at the trial
Mr.. William Calvin Chase, who has pub
| lished some statements of the reported con-
fession in the Bee, said he obtained his in
formation from Jonathan Hamilton, who
| told him he had seen the letter which had
been sent to Mrs. Bedford, the mother OF
| one of the men who was hanged. Mr..
Chase said that Mrs Bedford had gone away
the day after the receipt of the letter and
| had not yet returned.
Mr.. Hamilton was seen, who said that he
did not see the letter himself, but was told
| by Mr.. Savoy that Mrs. Queenan, mother
Of the other executed man, had told him
| Savoy that she had received letter from
some Western Judge in regard to Johnson:
confession, and that she had gone away, but
he didn't know where.
| The rum0rs are SO numerous and so gen
orally believed that there must be som.
foundation for them, and yet no reliable
source can be found.
The police authorities have no informa
tion on the matter, and do not believe tha
johnson has made any confession. They
say that Queenan, Bedford and Pinn wer,
convicted upon indisputable evidence, ani
that all the material parts of Johnson
testimony were fully corroborated; tha
nothing has occurred since to change til,
facts in the case, and that they think thu
rumor got into circulation in connection
with some other case.