Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-11-29
THE MORROWS
On Trial for the Murder of
Jim Brown.
Full Synopsis of the Testimony

Full Synopsis Of the Testimony.
The case now being tried in the
Criminal Court is the State vs.. Ran
som Morrow, William Morrow and
P. F. Bethany for the murder of Jim
Brown, coIored, in 1873 The two
Morrows are indicted rs principles |
and Behamy as. accessory before the |
fact. Ransom Morrow is the father of |
William Morrow and the father-in-law
of Beliamy. The two Morrows above |
mentioned and Charles. Morrow are |
under indictment for the murder of |
Dick Overton, whose corpse was found |
in Beliamy's cave. Ben Morrow Is
indicted for the murder OF, Tom Sly, a
young white man whom he is alleged
TO have killed while hunting. Charles
and Ben are also sons of Ransom Nor
row. 1t is only-the Brown case that is
being tried at present.
The jury was made up by IL o'clock
Saturday. A good portion of Satur-
day afternoon was consumed in argu-
ing plea of former trial and acquit-
tai put in for Bethany, and a de-
murrer thereto. Judge Tyler sustain
ed the demurrer.
AGNES BROWN,
colored, testified that she was the wild
ow of Jim Brown, the party the defen-
dants are charged in the Indictment
with having killed. That on the 4
morning of the killing about sunrise
Jim took back to DIR. Bellamy's some
| meal she had borrowed some days
prior; that he was gone only short
time before he returned. Bellamyis
house was not more than three hum
bred yards from where she and Jim
| lived, and that one could :plainly see
one house from the other; that when
Jim got to Bellamy's Mrs. b. took the
| sack of meal from Jim and went into
the house with it, and in few min
utes brought the bag back to him.
/ Jim did not go in the house. Some
| little while after this Jim went down
into the hollow to cut wood, and this
was the last she saw of him till after
he was killed. About s or 8 o'clock
she heard some pistol shots down in
| the hollow, but did not think anything
of them at the time. When dinner
| time came she rang the bell for Jim
to come to dinner; he never came.
| She rang again, with the same result;
then she and her daughter started out
after him; while walking along her
daughter all at once exclaimed "Oh,
| Lord, here he is, dead and burning
| up !" and run to him. l never saw
him; then we went back to the house.
| She never saw him till the hour he
was buried the next day. Some of
his friends came that night to sit up
with the corpse. The next morning
she borrowed some meal from DIR.
Bellamy's family to cook breakfast for
these friends. Witness lived in house
owned at the time by Mr.. T. ]. Keats.
There was a large house near by in
which she had her stove and provis.
ions and where they did their cooking
and eating. DR.. Bellamy told her and
Jim several times that he had rented
the house, and not only wanted it, but
intended to have the possession of it;
she saw DR.. Bellamy the morning of
the killing, after Jim had been over to
his houee, ride away in an opposite
direction from where Jim had gone to
work; there had never been any diff
Guilty between Dr. BellamY's family
and Jim and herself; they got along
just as well as any one could wish;
they borrowed meal from each other
frequently and often talked together. |
FTka nRk kI,a lr.I.Yor Ralla |
my came to her house where she and |
her family were crying over the death |
of her husband, when he came in he |
spoke rather angrily to them and said |
no wanted them " be quiet, lie won't
ed to hear all about the killing. Jim |
was very old man and quite feeble;
not able to do much work. He was
an old gray-headed mar.
WIN. wELKER.
testified that he lived about two miles |
from where Brown was killed; that
he was at the body early the morning
after the killing and was on the corO-
ners jury that held the inquest over
the dead body; when he got to the
body it was lying on its back across
log; the beard of his face was singed
and the front part OF the body baked;
there was hole burned through the
body clear into the hollow. There was
a fire built on the body; the chunks
had burned in two, one end of them
was lying on the ground and the other
and burned ends were upon the sides
of the body. There was gunshot
wound through the head and several,
through the neck. DR.. Bellamy was
the foreman of the coroners jury G.
Frederick was the J. p, who swore
them in.
CONRAD FREDERICK
testified that he was sent for to hold
the inquest over the body of Jim
Brown; that DR.. Bellamy was fore
man of the jury and wrote out their
verdict, in it, he did not state either
who did the killing, or that it was
done by some one unknown to the
jurors. Witness called Bellamy's at
tention to this, when he said, that was
not necessary; witness insisted on
having it so expressed in the verdict
Bellamy refused to put it in, and wit
ness interlined the verdict, by putting
in the words: "by some one to the
jurors unknown"
NATHAN ALLEN AND WIFE
testified substantially the same; that
on the day before the killing VIM.
Morrow and his wife stayed at their
house going to church at night, and
returning to stay all night with them;
that on the next morning all four
started to church, when they had
gotten about one mile from home, s
they met Dr. Bethany; when they met
him, William who had been carrying |
one of his children, gave it to Mrs.
Allen; William and Bellamy stopped I
in the road and the other three start
ed off to church; never saw anything .
of William or the. doctor till they got :
to the church, which was about three :
miles further along the road; just as :
they got to church, DR.. Bellamy came =
up and took the child from Mrs. Allen :
and hitched their horses; never saw :
until just about the time SER
vices had begun. 1t was about a. m !
when they started to church at Bloom
ing Grove church, where preacher =
Hysmith and others were holding !,
protracted meeting; Ransom Morrow =
was at the church that day when they ! =;
irst arrived and preaching commenc- y
Al ahOnt one OnaYfar Of an hOt1r q flor