The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-03-08
THE MURDER.
Evidence in the Case Before JUS
tlce Calhoun.

C1C0 CdluOuA'
THE STATESMAN Sunday morning con-
tanned an account of the shooting of w. j.
johnson, colored, by Tom Hewitt, another
colored man.
The ball from Hewitt's pistol crashed
into Johpson's brain, aud he died shortly
after.
Hewitt at once surrendered to the
officers.
The following is the evidence as heard
by Coroner Calhoun:
Maria Hewitt, wife Of the defendant,
testified: 81 live on East Pecan street, in
the city of Austin; l am the wife of Tom
Hewitt; know the deceased, w. j. John
son; was standing talking to W. j. John
son, in front of the shoemaker's shop,
which is rented by me to the shoemaker
| This name is Theodore Lashman); this was
about O'Clock this Sunday morning; the
deceased was standing by the side OF the
door, facing up Pecan street; was inside
the door, facing the street; there was no
one else there that know of, but my hus-
| band, Tom Hewitt, was somewhere near,
but do not know exactly where; heard
a shot fired, but did not see where it
was fred from, but it WAS fired from some
where in the houses the deceased fell the
moment the shot was fired; | went out on
the sidewalk an d went around to the rear of
my restaurant; l and the deceased had
been talking for some time: the relation
ship between my husband and the de-
ceased was not friendly; Immediately
after the shot was fred l recognized my
husbands voice, and he said, Now, you
can take her and go; my husband did
not say anything else to the deceased
Saturday night but he had several times
told the deceased to stay out and away
from his (my husband's) house; my
husb band has never made any threats
against the deceased; 1 nor johnson
neither knew that my husband was about
the house at the time we we're talking to
gether; l did not know my husband
was in town; the last time L
saw my husband before last night was on
F. iday night; it must have been my hus-
band who fired the shot; the deceased had
been in the habit of talking to me, and
my hue band was jealous of him; my hus-
band had left on account of the relation
ship between the deceased and myself,
but my husband came home several times
since he first left home; my husband and
myself had been married for ten years,
and we had two Children; l have known
johnson for something over one year; we
have been intimate for the last nine or
ten months, and my husband has known
of the intimacy between deceased and my
self for six months; l have heard Johnson
(deceased) say that he was carrying a
pistol as he feared trouble between him
+ and my husband; deceased said this on
several occasions; this all happened Ill
| Austin, March 4, 1888, at about 2 O'clock
in the morning."
DIR. GRAVES TESTIFIED.
81 was called at about 2;30 a. m. Sunday,
March 4, 1883, to see W. j. Johnson, and
= found HIM lying in barber shop, on
East Pecan, dead, with gunshot wound
ID the right side of frontal brow, from
, which the brain substance was exndlng. l
passed probe aboat four inches and
found the bail had passed into the brain.
3 The wound WAS the cause of his death.
R. M. Jogournen after being duly sworn,
: testified: Il knew the deceased W. j.
: johnson. When l saw him on yesterday
morning, about 1:30 a. M, was going
D home (having put my team in Pla t.
t livery stable), and had jast stepped upon
l. the end of the block below Patt's stable
when heard a shot. l stopped inmedi-
ately, and, as 1 stopped, 1 saw woman
Jump off the sidewalk into the street and
i throw up her hand and say 'MurderP or
$ %, Lord' and jump back and run into a
' little restaurant. / did not recognize
who the woman was. The restaurant was
t run by L, m Hewitt, on East Pecan street.
l wa ked no to the doc of the restaurant
and asked 'What is the matter' saw
ION Hewitt standing just inside
of the door, and ne SAID
:, L guess I have killed this man. and he
asked me if was an officer, aid toid
him l was Tom Hewitt then said, j
Q want to give myself up 1 came up
j town as far as the Iron Front saloon wit h
r him, and turned him over to Officer Dorm
p well. When Iirst got to the restaurant
j saw man lying on the sidewalk on his
r back, in frOht of the right hand side OF
3 the door of the restaurant going east
After | had gone back to the restaurant
after turning over Hewitt to Officer Dorm
we'll, l suggested to Officer Montgomery
whom found there to rurn the deceased
over ON his face and let the blood run Gu
of his mouth, as he then might be able t.
: breathe easier, and on taking the hand
of the decease ed out of the pockets OF
: his overcoat he had a Smith & WessoI
pistol grasped in 1t. took it out of hi'
:, hand and turned it over to Officer Mont
gomery"
Justice Calhoun returned verdict il
accordance with The testimony, and, Hew.
lit waving an examination, was bOunc
over to the grand jury in the sum o
}, $4,000.
Johnson, the man killed, was. from tn,
- Brazos bottom, where he bore anything
but good character
AS toilet luxuary Ay RS Hair Vigo