Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-12
ROSE KEAToN's CoFEssroN.
a Tragic Recital of the Recent Night eff
Horror in Mitchell County.

4 Tragic Recital of the Recent Night eff
Horror in Mitchell County.
BAINBRlDGE, GA. Dee. I.-Sherin Burkett
OF fhIs county, who has shown cOmmendable
efficiency in the final arrest OF the Mitchell.
county murdeTers. pursued them to TaIIahas-
sec, thence back through this place. passing
here i'm the night and not stOppinr. thence ON
t0 Bl0NtOn, Ga, where he found the horse and
buggy they had stolen from their victim and
had there sold them TO an old farmer. The
iarmerthough unwilling, was made TO pro-
cccu on with hlm To identify the parties.
To disguise him, his long gray beard was first
cut on. his hair trimmed. boots blacked
broad brimmed white nat changed to some
other. Under the threat TO put him in prison
as receiver Of stolen property and pr0mIs-
ing 20 pay all expenses. Burkctt induced the
old fellow to yield and go through. and he
stucS out wen. The sheriff lost the trail ut
BlONton, but went on through Cuthbert,
where he again heard OF them: thence to Eu-
faula. and there lost the trial. Then up and
down the river in that neighboThoOd, till at
columbus the farmer pointed out the man
standing in shoe shop. burkett immedi-
ately put one hand on the mans shoulder.
presented his pistol, and told HIM has errand.
The man surrendered, Bu-kett put his pistol
IN MS pocket anu was getting ont Il stout
rope with which 10 tie him, lie having no
handouts, when the fellow jumped on him
and a long and severe struggle ensued, but
with the aid of the old farmer he was finally
secured. \ great crowd of negroes crowded
about, calling the fellow by the name OF John
son, and claiming that he lived there. But soon
the woman, MS VIE, came IN and asked
what was the matter and addressed
him as Nose. Burkett then asked her
her name, which she said was Rose
keat0n and her husbands Nose. keatOn
and she confessed then and there that they
did the deed BUrkett was obliged to get the
assistance Of several policemen In Columbus
to secure his prisoners on the cars, so great
was the rush of negroes. There being no jail
in Mitchell county, the prisoners were lodged
in the Albany jail. The thiri guilty party is
not yet found. He IS believed to have not left
the county.
THE wONIAN's CONFESSION.
Keaton and his wife are now in Albany Jail.
The woman, in her confession. tells this story:
"On Tuesday morning Peter johnson came TO
Moses house, at Jack Vests, and had long
talk, which she did not hear. Nose came
into the house and ordered her to cook up
ratiOns for several days, as he had determined
to move away and so 70 better country. She,
with her 2-vear-Old child, followed Nose aud
Peter, aud reached GOdwin's house little
after dark. They went in and Goodwin told
them 70 warm at the fire. Nose told Goodwin
he had come by for some little balance of
several dollars due Goodwin SAID that he
would settle in the morning. He gave Nose
his gin house key and told him that he and
his companions could stay there all night.
After being in the gin house some two hours
Nose awakened Peter, who had gone to sleep,
and said: 1t Is now time TO co. All went
trgether 70 GOdwins house. The door was
not locked. They went IN, and Nose
took some splinters and kindled a
faint blaze from the smOulderlnE ember5.
As sOou as q little light was lu the room Nose
picked up an AK which he had previously
Slipped through the cracks "a double pen log
house,, and dealt Goodwin blow as he lay in
his bed not aroused by the noise. ut is said
Goodwin slept sOundly, rs he had been drink
ing slightly. When this was done, the wO-
man. wife Of Nose, says she ran out at the
back door and ran around to the front gate,
and that while there Nose went into the room
Of the young man, son OF Old Mrs. Gregory,
and killed him in his room. She says that
Peter killed old Mrs. Gregory. When asked
how she explained leaving part OF her baby
clothes in GOdwin's house, she replied that
she had no idea that the negro men intended
to murder the people at all. Alex GOdwin lived
but a very short distance from stephen Cod
win. and when asked why she dl1 not lice
there and give an alarm, she answered that
Nose told her rs she fled from the house that
if she made fuss he would Kill her
too When she killing was over, Nose
and Peter ordered her to getln the buggy with
them, which she did, taking hel baby with
her. They drove rapidly 10 Balnbrldge,
crossed the river there. and went to Blakely.
They sold the horse and buggy to a man liv-
ing near COleman's Station. They then went
to Cotton Hill, thence 10 Cuthbert, from
there TO Eufaula and took the boat to Coium-
bus. where they were arrested.
The woman blames her husband bitterly, as
she claims the innocence of her intentions.
Peter johnson parted with them at Blakely.
Peter Is of low stature. with one eye or, what
NAV be called COck-eyed. Peters father says.
however. that he is really blind in one eve.
Young Gregory. Is years Of age, died Tues
dav, and Mrs. Gregory was not expected 10
live through the day. Noses hatchet which
he had at the West place. was found at
! GOdwins. The negro johnson seems
10 have used that. Nose claims
that he did not do the deed; that
Others did il; took advantage Of his being
down there that night and got him to make
the flight in the buggy. 50 the murder would
| be laid TO him. He saw, he says. his predlca-
ment and lied accordingly. Belief however,
| is given to the wOman's story. She certainly
| is however, accessory to the crime. Such
/ fouI murder was never before committed in
| the county. No excitement. no passions were
/ aroused. but it was cOld-blOOded murder of
/ sleeping people for robbery.