Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1886-10-16

the stable, ! dropped behind. ! met Harry
Sherman and We followed on behind and
LANCE, the painter was following us. | met
Jack Ryan, or passed him, and | said hello
Jack, he said hello Leavitt. | said 20 Sher-
man this will be another failure, they are all
towards; they have been going TO do some
smuggling FOR two days, aud no one has been
hurt yet. Sherman says, well let us 90 and
see what they are going 10 do. BY that time
we had got close together and were
talking and Munchrath said II YOU
or your man is going 10 lick Haddock, tell
him not to punch him too hard, but hit him in
the face once or twice aud give him . black
eye; that will do, as We don't want to 90 any
farther than that. Treiber said, that Is right;
We only want To give one OF them a whipping,
In that conversation there was present John
Arensdorf, Henry, the driver OF the brewery
delivery wagon, Geo. Treiber, Louis Plath,
Fred Munchrath, Harry Sherman, myself, two
Dutchmen whose names are unknown TO me
but the same men Treiber had to whip Walker,
aui \ saloon keeper Ia Sioux City, whose
natne can not not now call 10 mind, but who
! can identify. We saw iiaddock coming
across W alter street from the Columbia house.
No one said a word, as John Arensdorf
started towards liaddock and canc up in
front 81 Haddock and looked him in the face
and threw UP his hand in front Of Haddock's
face. Mr., ltaddock pulled something from
his poe ket and struck Arensdorf. J then saw
NI'bSAIbll tidN NE gun anu sdN llIl SlpDl
Haddock. ] saw nothing more Of Arensdorf.
Henry, the driver, started towards Arensdorf
before the shot was fired. We all started to
run after the shot was fired and ! weutto hunt
my wife and found her, and told her that
night all about the shooting. Ny wife asked
me If had done anything wrong. | said no.
i sad We ali went ont expecting to see a slug
ging match and saw a murder, which no one
expected. | said John Arensdorf shot Had
dock. She said do you know IT
was Arensdorf. ] said yes; he was
the only one to cross the street towards
Haddock she said you had better tell some OF
your friends all about it so you won't get into
any trouble. | did not do il, and said to her,
"Nait a few days. if this Is told now they will
hang some one, let us wait a couple of days,
and IL ! have to will tell all about it, If no one
else doeS.n
The morning after the murder John Arens-
dorf came 10 me while | was standingi in front
of Warlich's saloon, and said to me: GLOW
do you feel,n ] said: Glow do you feel.n
He did not answer and | said. '.tohn, | think
You done wrong" When he saIa, II thought
liaddock was pulling a gun on me and In the
excitement, that is how it happened" Then
he asked how many seen it. said they must
have AL seen it. He says, Can !
depend on you" / replied, Certainly"
Duriag the day told Warlich and Junk who
shot ;Haddock they said the less said aboutit
thebetter 1t will be. They both said about the
same thing. ! met Tredwsy .omc days after
the killing in front Of McGie's tailor shop
and said 10 him what do you think Of this
businessl lie said they were trying TO impli-
cate the brewery people in 1t, and | replied
they hit ii near right. He walked away from me
down the street. went to Judge Foley's
Office several times TO tell him the whole thing.
My wife was telling me the best thing |
could do was TO see Judge Foley or some Of
my friends and turn states evidence before it
u.aa TO-, Al 80 uIn .~aI,.,,a,4 u.g, Itch apI
not finding Foley in, or his being busy, | kept
postponing telling him. ] met Hi any wife
had told me to 20 10 him and tell him all
about IT. and started TO tell him
all about it, but before ] had stated any facts
he said 60 me, "Why, Harry, the evidence
shows that you proved an alibi.' | said %
him that ] had no business here, that Mayor
Cleland had revoked my license, and ! asked
him il he thought that ] could leave town
and go out and sect | could not get a house
in Omaha. Mr.. Hin told me that he thought
there was no reason why | should not 60;
that he did not think ] would be arrested. AZ
forwards, and the day before ! went away,
told Mr.. Hill that WAS going ard il he ct r
wanted 10 hear from me or see me To write g.
care Of the Sporting journal, Chicago. A
forwards Mr.. Hill did come on 10 Caicsgo and
reached me through the channel ! ba) dt-
rected, and | was found engaged IN IN,
legitimate business, to open at the Princess
Tbeater, Mobile, Ala, on October 4, aud was
registered NJ the Getz House, II. l.. Leavitt
and wife. | have made no concealnent OF Inv
whereabouts and Fave always been ready and
willing to make the proper party 4 full and
complete disclosure OF all my acts connected
with the Haddock murder and the conspiracy
TO whip Walker Whenever ! could do so with
out receiving bodily injury and be legally pro-
tected in SO doing, and wherever ] have gour
| have always maSe known to my friends aud
.rLn, nlI.s. pIviaa -a,ll an.l A. ., 80.
knowledge 81 the whole business.
There i. another matter | wish to refer to.
About one week after the killing John
Arensdorf came to me in front OF Warlich's
saloon and said to me, "Henry, the
driver OF the wagon knows all about tits
and ] am thinking OF sending him over into
Nebraska to his home" | said, you had better
let him stay right here, AS you can't tell how
this thing is coming out, and | won't have 1t
that way.
] was In the court room Saturday. july 81
and Monday and Tuesday, August 2 and 3 |
had never seen Mr.. Haddock to know who h"
was before | saw him in the court house |
have never been in Wisconsin, and ! have
never been in Burlington, nor have | any AZ
quaintance there.
In the whipping that was talked about On
Tuesday afternoon. at the court house,
Muncbrath said that he had just been 70 Junk
and got the money and gave 1t to Cormeny.
he sAiu tnis III tne presence OF Ming ana WAL
devring, Treiber and myself, and King and
Waldevcring agreed to do It, and We sepa-
rated. Munchrath afterward gave me 4 note
TO Cormeny to get $50. | borrowed It.
II. /. LEAvITT.
STATE OF ILLINOIS, t..
CooK COUNTY, 90
| /, II. L.. Leavitt, OF lawful age, being duly
sworn. depose and say that ! am the person
who made the foregoing confession Of MY own
free will and accord, without any mental res
ervations, or evasion, or desire TO conceal
anything material 10 the issues involved Ia
the matter set forth. and said disclosures are
made without fear, favor, or any hope thereof,
or any reward except full protection and i'm
muuity from punishment under the laws OF
the state OF Iowa, and that / Am free from
| durcss, and that ] have consented to waive ali
! legal proceedings In the matter OF proceedings
against myself.
STATE OF ILLINOIS, -.
COUNTY or Cook,
Subscribed in my presence and sworn TO be
fore me by II. l.. Leavitt this 9Th day 81 Octo-
\ Der. A. II. 1856.